Remembrance Day ceremony at Hope Living

On Tuesday I had the honour to attend an early Remembrance Day ceremony at Hope Living in Kanata. The members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 638, conducted the ceremony.

We have two vets who live at Hope Living, our supportive living facility in Kanata. It was a very respectful ceremony and I know those in attendance appreciated it.

The afternoon was also an opportunity for the Royal Canadian Legion to attach its leaf to our Tree of Hope campaign. The goal of the campaign is to raise funds to help support a $500,000 upgrade of the building. Thank you for your donation.

A Message from Dale Pelletier

Today was the memorial service for one of our long time residents, Ronnie.  Ronnie was a resident in many of our programs, most recently, The Oaks. 

Here are a few words from Dale Pelletier, Manager of The Oaks:

As we celebrate Ronnie’s life today at the Oaks surrounded by family, friends, and members of the community who have worked with Ronnie for many years, we remember the man that he was. Many tears and laughs will be shared, but ultimately, the memories of his life will be what is shared and remembered. Ronnie was a man of great dedication to the cause of managed alcohol, as well as, the Oaks program. He was one of a kind and will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

Shelter Dinner in Memory of Judi Kerzner

Yesterday we had a visit from the Kerzner Family.  They took a tour and then provided/prepared dinner for our shelter residents.  This dinner was very special for the family as someone very dear to them, Judi Kerzner had recently passed away and this was their way of honouring her memory.

 

Judi was a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, great-aunt and a true friend to all that knew her.  Judi believed that no one should ever be hungry.  Because of Judi's compassionate  heart, the family wanted to continue her legacy by feeding all of the residents staying in our shelter a delicious meal with chicken, roast potatoes, salad and cake.

Judi will be missed but never forgotten.


If you would be interested in having a meal provided to the hungry in our city, please email me at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com

Remembering Ronnie

Just recently I learned of the passing of Ronnie Kirkpatrick, a long-time resident of the Oaks.  I was honoured to have known Ronnie and always looked forward to his smiling face when I visited the facility he was living in.  It was such a pleasure to meet and speak with his sister at Christmas time when she was visiting him as well. 

Ronnie was everyone’s friend and had a generous heart.  He was as kind as he was loyal and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. 

Rest in peace Ronnie.
Below is a story that we published about Ronnie in one of our previous Newsletters, I would like to share it with you.

Ronny has found Compassion, Dignity and Acceptance

Ronny Kirpatrick came from a family of fighting Irish.  He was born in Northern Dublin and immigrated to Canada while still a baby.  He is the middle child of three children, one older brother and one younger sister – all deeply devoted to the Catholic Faith.  Fighting and a hot temper came naturally to Ronny and it was the cause of him being asked to leave school.  Later when Ronny was 25 he used his fists again, only this time to win the Golden Gloves National Boxing Championship in Toronto. 

All this changed when Ronny met Sharon.  Sharon convinced Ronny to put his boxing days behind him and they were soon married.  Within time little Ronny came along and then they were three.  After 15 years of marriage Sharon succumbed to cancer and Ronny lost his anchor and best friend.
Ronny worked hand-in-hand with his Father in the drywall industry for 26 years.  He worked hard and he played equally hard and drinking became his obsession.  He readily admits that he drank anything with alcohol in it, cleaning products, after shave lotion, hairspray and mouth wash.  This affected his relationship with his Father and soon they became estranged.  Ronny’s stabilizing factors – a job and his wife were gone and Ronny took to the street.

One day Ronny was engaged in a street brawl and a police officer who was quite familiar with Ronny separated the two and walked him to the Managed Alcohol Program at Shepherds of Good Hope where he was told by the officer ‘to stay there’.  He told Ronny that he didn’t want him to be fighting on the street again.  Some time later, Ronny’s Irish stubbornness got the best of him and he left only to be ‘caught’ cavorting in street behaviour by the same police officer.  Once again, he was walked to Shepherds of Good Hope only this time he was warned if he left again he would go to jail.

Today, Ronny will tell you that this program has saved his life.  He enjoys the company of those around him, he eats good food, has his own room, has his medical needs attended to, dabbles in painting, visits with others and takes part in daily chores around the building.  He is part of a community that supports and cares for each other.  In fact, Ronny was the program mayor for 10 years.  The staff know him well and care for him fondly.  Ronny has found compassion, acceptance and dignity at Shepherds of Good Hope.

Wouldn’t you like to help those like Ronny find a home where they can be safe and cared for?  Please give so that others may find the true meaning of compassion.

www.shepherdsofgoodhope.com

Remembering Nancy Scatcherd

Today's post is a guest post by Shirley Soehn, Board Treasurer, Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation. Shirley also volunteers weekly in the soup kitchen.

Nancy Scatcherd volunteering in the kitchen

 

Nancy Scatcherd was a volunteer at Shepherds of Good Hope for over 20 years. She came to Shepherds twice a week to work in the kitchen. Her main task was to make salads for serving approximately 400 clients lunch. She did this with a smile and with as much care as possible.

 

Nancy was similar to many of the volunteers at Shepherds. She was someone who wanted to do something useful for others. She cared deeply for the people who were homeless that needed our help and she enjoyed the camaraderie she had with the other volunteers at Shepherds.

 

One of Nancy’s distinguishing features was the black rim hat she wore when she volunteered. It gave people the impression that she was someone who was pleasant and approachable, and that she was. She would always make a point of greeting everyone in the kitchen with a big hello and a smile. Nancy was often in charge of assigning tasks for serving during the lunch hour and in doing so she would make sure individuals were assigned tasks on the basis of their own needs and wants. She would also make a point of thanking all the volunteers for their help once the lunch hour was complete.

 

Nancy was a joy to work with and she will truly be missed by all her friends at Shepherds. May she rest in peace.   
 

To donate to Shepherds of Good Hope in Nancy's memory, please CLICK HERE

 

To learn more about volunteering at Shepherds of Good Hope, please CLICK HERE