Community Development Halton Blog

Turning surplus into support for families across Halton By Bonnie Wiltshire I am the owner and CEO of the Food Equity Everyday Program, or iFEED. I launched iFEED informally in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. It was almost an accidental beginning. I had visited a local bakery and noticed they were throwing out their remaining bread at the end of the day. When I asked why, they explained that they bake fresh daily and anything not picked up by a charity has to go into the la

The goal: to help people find hope and new purpose and meaning in life. By Sharlene Plewman As of 2023, I am the Chief Administrative Officer of Heartache2Hope. Heartache2Hope provides a comprehensive program of specialized grief support services for people of all ages grieving a suicide loss. What drew me to Heartache2Hope was hearing the impact stories of what this organization does and the specialised services they provide. Flavia Ceschin, Founder and Executive Director o

Links2Care’s vision for a connected future By Lisa Brading My name is Lisa Brading and I'm the CEO here at Links2Care. We are a health and social care organization that offers programs and services throughout all of Halton region, Mississauga and Etobicoke. Our services span from infants to seniors. I take great pride in assisting members of our community, particularly those who may feel most vulnerable and uncertain about where to find help. At Links2Care, we offer a variety

A community call to support the future of long-term care at Bennett Village By Erin Kelly As the Director of Development at Bennett Village, my responsibilities are to raise money and oversee communications, including brand awareness. Currently, we are involved in a new project to build a long-term care home in Halton Hills. What’s exciting is the provincial government funding will cover a portion, and Bennett Village is responsible for the remaining 15% of the build’s cost.

How the people of St. Aidan’s work to nurture brave space and continuous inclusion. This quote from Scripture is carved into the front of the altar at St. Aidan’s. These words are instrumental in shaping the mission and vision of the people of St. Aidan’s which follows: Our Mission We follow God’s mission of love and justice, embracing community with compassion, inclusiveness, and commitment. Our Vision Nurture brave space, build relationships, share God’s love. As part of th

How one club is growing community, developing athletes, and embracing technology in sport By Paul Emblin When my kids were young, we took skating lessons, like many Canadians do. The lifecycle often becomes: you take the lessons, you finish them, and then it becomes a question of, “what do you want to do next?” or, “do you want to join hockey?” For some, the answer is, “neither.” I thought, okay, if some kids are not team athlete oriented, what are we going to do during the w

Redleaf Cultural Integration’s step toward reducing barriers and increasing opportunities By Lily Hudson My connection to Redleaf Cultural Integration (RCI) is deeply personal. As an immigrant, I understand what it means to start over in a new country—the uncertainty, the language barriers, and how easy it is to feel isolated. I’ve also come to realize how invisible these struggles can be. People may appear to be adjusting on the surface, while quietly carrying a deep sense

Home Suite Hope’s work supporting single parents toward stability and independence Home Suite Hope logp By Sara Cumming, PhD. In my own life, I was raised by a teenage single mother, and I became a single mother myself at 22. Through a mentor, I eventually found my way into university—and in a surprising turn of events, I went on to earn a PhD, becoming an expert in helping single mothers move from social assistance to self-sufficiency. That’s how I was introduced to the

A Community Comes Together By: Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre You see it first in the small things. Fewer tents in the parks. More familiar faces smiling back. There is a lightness on the streets that was not there before. As a neighbour, I have watched a quiet miracle unfold. Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre brought people together, ADAPT for counselling and addictions support, Halton Housing Help to connect people with housing, the John Howard Society and Elizabeth Fry Society

When Someone Finally Says Yes By: Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre What have you most loved and appreciated about the work of the organization that you are involved in? The first time police were called to remove me from a food bank, I was not surprised. By then I had been banned from nearly every place in town for aggressive behaviour. My name came with a warning label. Years of setbacks had drained any belief that life could get better. When Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre agree

A Mother Finds Community By: Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre What have you most loved and appreciated about the work of the organization that you are involved in? The weight of being a newcomer is one thing. The weight of being a single mother is another. But advocating for two children with severe disabilities, in a new country, in a new language, within a system I did not understand was a weight that reshaped my entire life. My days were filled with appointments and paperwor

The Power of Patient Support By: Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre For six years, my story was one of heartbreaking consistency: homelessness, struggle, and the intermittent reach for help that never quite became a lifeline. The team at Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre never treated me like a case. I was a community member, a human being caught in a cycle that seemed impossible to break. Yet, throughout those six years, they made a simple promise: to remain a constant in a life of c

Finding a Future Through Stability By John* My name is John, and I live at Oasis Youth Care. Before coming here, my life was defined by addiction and homelessness. For years, I was struggling without stability, without direction, and without hope. Everything began to change when I came to Oasis. For the first time in a long time, I had a roof over my head and people who genuinely cared about my future. I am no longer addicted to drugs. That alone is life changing. But Oasis

A lifelong support system, rooted in sustainability and hope By: Siv* I am deeply grateful that a resource, a home, and a community that completely changed my life may now become accessible to others who are still searching for stability. Before Oasis, I was lost. At the time, I would never have admitted it, but I was angry and constantly making a mess of my life. I was involved in petty crime and, by my own definition, had become a menace to society. I was on the verge o

By Grace Udodong In 2012, my life was redefined by a single, devastating loss. After losing my husband of nine years to pancreatic cancer, I found myself navigating a raw and relentless grief. Seeking relief from the familiar spaces and routines that intensified my pain, I made the radical decision to leave my home country of Nigeria and move to Canada. I arrived with a Master’s degree in Education & Development and over a decade of experience in youth care and advocacy.

A welcoming environment for every participant, volunteer, and family member.   By: Sharon Brodner My son volunteered with Challenge Golf when he was in high school, lea rning about it while volunteering at the Dorval Farmers’ Market run by Civitan Club of Oakville. One day he said, “Mom, I think you’d enjoy volunteering here.” I’ve been volunteering ever since. What I find invaluable is that this is a free opportunity for individuals who have had brain trauma to come

Eliminating Financial Barriers to Education in Halton By Marc Clare | CEO | Halton Learning Foundation (HLF) The Halton Learning Foundation’s Team receives daily requests from schools across the Halton District School Board. Each one represents a student facing financial barriers to education. Some are urgent. Some are heartbreaking. All of them matter. One recent application came from a high school identifying a student who had been abandoned by her mother and was livin

Supporting their ability to learn, grow, and feel secure. By: Jennifer Sully-Ferraro I am the Executive Director of the organization and also a parent of elementary-aged children in Halton. This dual perspective makes the work deeply personal to me. I see firsthand how access to food impacts a child’s ability to learn, grow, and feel secure, and I am proud to lead an organization that supports children and families in our own community. What I have most loved and ap

"We truly drive care into the community we live in” By Jacqueline Nadeau I am the Program and Communications Manager at Oakville Meals on Wheels. I took on this role 5-years-ago, as I live in Oakville and wanted to make a positive impact in the community in which I live. I have seen through other volunteering activities, that there are pockets in Oakville that need assistance. Being part of an organization that ensures those who need access to a hot, nutritious meal have th

It’s not just arts skills. It’s learning how to be a good human. ArtHouse Team By Don Pangman I am honoured to be the Founder of ArtHouse and over the past 17 years I’ve had the pleasure of watching so many of our children and youth flourish in an environment that ignites their curiosity, embraces their creativity and brings them together in a safe, non-judgmental and supportive environment. Our mission is to support young people who may have no access to any extra-curricula