Key Notes - Spring 2004

International Women's Day
At Driftwood Community Centre

By Lorna Blake

Friday, March 5th started out a rainy, bleak and dreary day -- the perfect day to stay in bed with a book but it was International Women's Day at Driftwood Community Centre and I had volunteered to represent the NYWC at the event. Walking through the doors at Driftwood I was impressed with the many women who showed up early for the event. There was a flurry of activity as staff and volunteers from several agencies got busy setting up displays.

Agencies sponsoring the event included Doorsteps Neighbourhood Services, Delta Family Resource Centre, Driftwood Community Centre and the Finch Community & Family Centre. Participating agencies included Hincks-Dellcrest Centre, Costi and the North York Women's' Centre. The theme was "Balancing Family and Work". Some of the activities included parenting seminars, childcare, and a "Women & Work" resource table. One of the highlights of the day was poetry readings from award-winning poet Lillian Allen a dub poet and radio show host. Lillian's poetry is very colourful and vibrant, often punctuated with musical and sound influences and is sometimes set to the beat of reggae music. Women were also treated to hair braiding, manicures and yoga. Activities that drew the crowds were the poetry reading, hair braiding and the "Women and Work" resource table.

Some healthy and hearty soups were served for lunch and attendees were serenaded by an accordion player as they enjoyed their meal. The activities of the day revived my sagging spirits and seemed to have wished magic on the weather. By the end of the day over three hundred fifty people had attended the event, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out.

A Student's Perspective

By Michelle Lunski

I am a second year student at the Social Service Program at Seneca College, King Campus. I will graduate this summer. My placement started at the NYWC last September. It's incredible how fast time has past, but mostly how much I've learned from The North York Women's Centre. I've experienced first hand how a small non-profit organization works. The people involved in the Centre include staff members as well as volunteers and placement students. We're all involved in a synchronized way. The job always gets done the best way possible along the way. My duties include giving out information and referrals to clients over the phone, as well as drop-ins. I also update information sources, schedule clients for legal clinic appointments as well as support groups and workshops. There's always the cyclic formation of statistics on intakes and evaluations from clients; a very vital source of information about the outcomes of these programs and the impression it leaves in our clients' lives. That's what makes this Centre unique. It's very important to maintain open doors to women where they can get free help and support as well as free legal advice. This helps them reduce their social isolation and depression. The Centre empowers them, that's what it stands for. The Centre does not discriminate against age, race, religion or sexual orientation. I'm glad I spent my placement here at the Centre. I recommend it to both students as well as to future volunteers.

Volunteers Honoured

By Mary-Ellen Anglin

Among hundreds of volunteers from Ontario, four women from the NYWC were recognized for their dedication on December 10, 2003 by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.

Roz Giller, Sharissa Ellyn, Mary Benedetto and Mary-Ellen Anglin all received gold pins and certificates at a splendid ceremony at the North York Civic Centre.

After being entertained by dancers and a steel band, the women received their awards and then were feted at a reception. As Roz Giller said, "it was gratifying to see so many volunteers of all ages ranging from those who had five years of volunteering to those who had fifty years. It was particularly inspiring to see some on canes and even in wheelchairs accepting their richly deserved awards."

Thank you to the North York Women's Centre for nominating these women as it is always nice to be appreciated.

NYWC Fundraiser

Jeanette Brox, a past member of our Board of Directors, hosted three fashion events last Fall to benefit the North York Women's Centre. A percentage of each sale was donated to the NYWC. The events were held at Marilyn's, a designer clothing store, owned by Marilyn Weston. Marilyn shared her fashion expertise at each event and offered personalized shopping assistance. Close to $1,300 was raised. We would like to thank both Jeanette and Marilyn for organizing these events for us.

Re-introducing Celia

If you've been around the NYWC in the past eight months, you will undoubtedly have heard of Celia Joseph. She is placement student extraordinaire, bingo coordinator and - effective April 19, 2004 - Acting Program and Volunteer Coordinator.

Celia has been very actively supporting NYWC programs and volunteers since she began her placement at the centre in September 2003. In January, she added fundraising and coordinating charity bingos to her role. We are thrilled that she has agreed to take on the role of program and volunteer coordinator - and confident that she will ensure a seamless transition.

In addition to her knowledge of the NYWC and its programs, Celia brings to the position considerable management experience and a recently completed Community Worker diploma from George Brown College.

Please join us in welcoming Celia to the NYWC's staff. She can be reached at (416) 781-0479 or by e-mail at celia@nywc.org.

Bingo volunteers urgently needed!

Upcoming Dates: May 1, 8, 15 & 26
June 5, 19 & 25

¨ Maximum 4 hour commitment

¨ 3-4 bingos per month available

¨ Training provided

¨ $20 honorarium available
(travel, childcare, etc)

If you are already an NYWC volunteer,
call Celia at (416) 781-0479 to sign up.

Volunteer application forms are available at www.nywc.org or in the NYWC office.

Staff E-mail Directory

General Information: info@ nywc.org

Pat Bailey, Administrative Coordinator
patricia @nywc.org

Iris Fabbro, Executive Coordinator
iris@nywc.org

Celia Joseph, Program & Volunteer Coordinator
celia@nywc.org

Rabea Murtaza, Culture Talk Moderator
rabea@nywc.org

Community News

Many of you already know that program and volunteer coordinator, Robyn Bolivar, has decided to leave the NYWC. Please join us in saying goodbye to Robyn and wishing her all the best in her future endeavours.

We would like to welcome the following new volunteers to the NYWC: Lorna Blake, Donna Murphy, Roberta Wiseman, Mei Zhao

Our best wishes for a quick recovery go out to staffer Pat Bailey's son, Nathan.

Our Thanks

We would like to thank our placement students, Amy Favalaro & Michelle Lunski, for their commitment to the NYWC over the past several months. They have now completed their placements and we wish them all the best.

Stanley Roland Kent
1920 - 2004

We wish to thank Stan Kent's family for proposing the North York Women's Centre as one of the recipients of memorial contributions made in Mr. Kent's name. Mr. Kent was a long-time active member of the Church of St. Philip the Apostle, where we are located, and also a supporter of the NYWC. We also would like to thank all those who made a donation to our Centre in Mr. Kent's memory.

Thanking our Supporters

We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their recent donations to the North York Women's Centre.

Thanks to all those who specifically designated the North York Women's Centre to receive their workplace United Way donations.

© 2001-2005 The North York Women's Centre
201 Caribou Road, Toronto, Ontario M5N 2B5, Canada
Telephone: (416) 781-0479 | Fax: (416) 781-3822
E-mail: info@nywc.org
This page last modified: Thursday, September 8, 2005