JLC Community Impact for 2010-2011 Celebrated at Annual Dinner!

Our Issue Area of "Healthy and Active Living" was our guide to successfully promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving our community during the 2010-2011 program year. We delivered over 2,600 volunteer hours. We impacted over 3,000 youth and 120 families.

HIGHBANKS SOCIETY is a residential agency that offers a safe home to single mothers between the ages of 16 and 24 and their children while the mothers complete their high school or post-secondary program and create a career path. Cecilia de la Rocha, Executive Director, Stephanie Schoenberg, Community Coordinator and Bette Mitchell, Founder and current President of the Board of Directors, attended the Celebration Dinner.

The Program Planning Group for Highbanks Society developed and implemented a program that benefits the mothers and children residing at Highbanks. The name of the program is "MUM", which stands for "Moms U Matter", and it targets the key issues of food preparation, meal planning, healthy eating, kitchen safety and food budgeting. We implemented eight MUM sessions between September and May at the Co-op Downtown Market kitchen; the Co-op location was required because the Highbanks Society facility was being remodelled. We look forward to refining the scope and components of the MUM program, running it in Highbanks’ new kitchen, which will be completed in June, and moving into the second year of program delivery.

One of the programs under the umbrella of the Children’s Cottage Society is BRENDA’S HOUSE. Brenda’s House is a re-housing program with a sheltering component aimed at supporting families toward independence and their own sustainable housing. Brenda’s House opened on February 1, 2009 and has served over 317 families. Joining us from Brenda’s House at our Celebration Dinner were Angela Hutchinson, Program Manager and Michelle Louisy, Child Development Team Lead and Patty Kilgallon, Executive Director of the Children’s Cottage Society.

Michelle Louisy (L) and Angela Hutchinson with Brenda’s House

The Program Planning Group for Brenda’s House developed a program that benefits the children and parents at Brenda’s House. The "Treasure Trunk" program targets key issues of nutrition and healthy eating (Kids in the Kitchen), literacy (Kids in the Story), music and movement (Kids in Motion and Music), the arts ( Kids in the Arts) and reading to babies (Babies in the Story). We implemented 15 sessions of Treasure Trunk between September and May. We look forward to refining the scope and components of Treasure Trunk as we move into the second year of program delivery.

The Fall Provisional Class members were given the opportunity to implement our eighth year of creating Teen Totes. Under the guidance of their advisors, class members planned and implemented the Holiday Tote Bags for 300 Calgary teens. The bags were distributed in December through the Alex Youth Health Centre and Calgary Community Resource Centres.

The Winter Provisional Class members learned about the JLC by implementing the sixth annual Kids in the Kitchen event. Advisors guided class members through all the components of a JLC project. The KITK program and accompanying Tote Bags were delivered to 175 grades four, five and six students at Cambrian Heights School on May 3.

In March, the JLC participated in Safety Expo at City Hall, demonstrating Kitchen Safety techniques at our double-wide booth, providing JLC members with the opportunity to impact over 2,500 students at this two-day event.

Check out this youTube video to see more highlights from the 2010-2011 year.   

• In the 2011-2012 JLC year, Community Impact program components will include: Treasure Trunk at Brenda’s House, which will start at a later time on Wednesday evenings;

• MUM program being delivered at the new Highbanks Society kitchen on Tuesdays and Thursdays;

•  Fall Provisional Class creating Teen Totes;

• Safety Expo on March 14-15, 2012;

•  Winter Provisional Class implementing KITK on May 1, 2012 at Rundle School in NE Calgary;

•  A Future Program Planning Group starting to explore new Community Impact opportunities within our Issue Area.