Community Development Halton Blog

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

“…creating the safe space that the 2SLGBTQ+ community needs.”     By Melanie Tremills     Image from the Halton Pride parade   I am the founder of PRISM Halton, and we’ve just changed our name to Pride Halton because we’re known for doing - the Pride events. It was getting confusing for people to understand we had the two entities.    The reason I started Prism was because I saw the need in schools. It was originally for youth. I came out very late in my life—about 11 or 12 y

An expressive arts platform for communities to connect, share, unwind and recharge.    By Jennifer Jalal   Group photo of a Creative Community Hive Program As Founder-Executive Director, I am happy to share the story of Creative Community Hive, how it came to be and the journey thus far! What started off as an informal community-based group in 2017, with a crafter friend and few other volunteers, now operates as a registered not-for-profit, promoting programs for mental, emot

“…come in and see the joy in the schools where through nutrition community is built”   By Aliya Khawari I’m the lead of a mighty team of five. Being a mother and being somebody who comes from a very persecuted background—people who look like me get killed in my native country for being a minority in every sense of the word—I don’t take the privilege of this work for granted. That’s what makes this organization so important to me. What I love most about our work is that we don

How local volunteers are connecting newcomers and long-time residents through learning, nature, and shared community pride.     By Kai Liu     I’m an immigrant, but I’ve been living in Canada for over 25 years. Although Oakville is a mature community, it continues to attract more newcomers and individuals relocating to one of the most livable cities in Canada.  We want to connect people, share information, and help one another. That’s the purpose of our organization.  We are

Building belonging, cultural exchange, and unity through arts, education, and community celebration.   By Jean Assamoa   “Akwaba” means welcome. When you go to the African coast, people say Akwaba — very welcome. It tells you; we accept your visit, we accept that you come to our country, our place . For me, Akwaba is more than a project. It is a commitment to fostering positive change and community building.  When I came to Canada on July 15, 2008, my main idea was to get in

From the very step we made into the Congress hall, Isabelle and I realized how much care the organizing team put in all their preparations ! For us to see the signs with the invite to the 100 Seeds of Joy meditation (and with our logo) being placed in the center (literally :-)), of every table all around us, made our hearts expand with Joy! Later on we realized that also on all tables was placed our “The Power Lies within You” flyer with the free meditation classes offered

Creating connections across cultures so everyone feels seen, valued, and at home in Halton.   Jean Assamoa, Founder and Director, Akwaba Cultural Exchange By Jean Assamoa   I am the Founder and Director of Akwaba Cultural Exchange, and this organization represents both my personal journey and my life’s purpose. When I arrived in Canada from Côte d’Ivoire, I carried with me a deep desire to build bridges between cultures and to help others find the same sense of belonging that