The Winnipeg Chapter of HOPE worldwide Canada is holding a six week English Conversation Club series…starting the week of May 18th!
Our English Conversation Club is a weekly meeting where English language learners can practice in a relaxed setting with English speaking volunteers who like to support and get to know their neighbours. These classes are CASUAL and FUN and are not formal and academic ESOL classes.
Spring 2021 classes will be held online via Zoom
The Spring 2021 series will all be ONLINE due to COVID-19 provincial guidelines and will be held TUESDAYS at 7pm and SATURDAYS at 11:30am. Classes begin on May 18th and May 22nd. You can join a Tuesday or Saturday session…or both!
Register below to join our English Conversation Clubs and we will send you the Zoom link information. Hope to see you online soon!
HOPE worldwide Canada is calling on Winnipeggers to help make the holidays a little more special for young people living alone in care and without a strong support network.
Our Winnipeg Chapter has created a Christmas Wishlist for young people who have been identified by Winnipeg Child and Family Services as those really in need of some Christmas cheer, especially during this unprecedented time with the COVID-19 pandemic. One might say we could all use a little more Christmas cheer and HOPE.
The original plans for the Christmas Wishlist program had to be shifted in order to adhere to current Manitoba COVID-19 restrictions. So now, instead of purchasing physical gifts for the young people on our wish list, we are requesting donors to purchase and send electronic gift cards as presents. This will ensure that donors do not have to leave their homes to shop and volunteers do not need to drive around the city to make deliveries which could put them and the recipients at risk.
Heather Wonnick, Resource Supervisor for Winnipeg Child & Family Services stated “It is important that these young people know that they are cared about and are not alone. With the act of giving, it emphasizes a sense of community for them, which they would not normally have or may have but in a limited connection. Fulfilling the wish list also teaches these young people the concept of volunteering and the concept of generosity. Hopefully this may inspire them to do acts of kindness for others when they are able to.”
The Wishlist Administrator will confirm receipt of the electronic gift card to each donor and will email the presents and any accompanying holiday greetings out to the recipients before Christmas morning.
Our Winnipeg Chapter is excited to launch this new program and invites everyone to help make the holidays extra special for youth in need of extra Christmas Cheer!
Questions on the Christmas Wishlist program can be directed to Anna Petter, Winnipeg Chapter Director. Merry Christmas!
To increase our impact in the local community and beyond, Winnipeg’s Chapter of HOPE worldwide Canada is making a point to partner with local organizations. Thanks to Diane Nickel, a teacher at Leila North Community School and a HOPE worldwide Canada volunteer, we have joined forces with the staff at her school to provide hampers for a Manitobans in need.
For over 25 years, Leila North Community School has been providing hampers for Indigenous children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, some of whom attend school at Leila North. These families have made the difficult decision to leave their homes in northern communities in order to seek ongoing medical care for their children at Health Sciences Centre.
“The division provides a hamper, we top up that hamper with additional staple items and the items Diane collects (from the Winnipeg Chapter volunteers). In addition we provide a hot meal through the work of our staff…The hot meal lets the families know we are thinking of them and miss them” says Melissa Delaronde, Principal of Leila North Community School. The staff also makes an effort to ensure there are fresh fruits and vegetables in each hamper.
“Providing a hamper alleviates the financial burden and the worry of having to go get groceries, especially during this isolation time” says Diane, who works directly with some of these children. “When a student comes to you and says ‘This is the first meal I’ve had in days.’ it touches your heart… If I can ease some of that burden for just one kid, one family, I know that child will forever be grateful.”
Diane Nickel sorting through hamper supplies
Over the month of April, Leila North Community School provided 80 hampers for these families, 1/3 of which were donated by HOPE worldwide Canada volunteers.
“Being a volunteer for HOPE worldwide Canada for many years, I knew this was a program they could get behind” says Diane, who has been an active volunteer for 15 years. “I love being a HOPE worldwide Canada volunteer because I love seeing the smiles on people’s faces and just chatting with a child who is not listened to every day. I also think it’s important to give back to the world that God has blessed us with” she adds.
We will continue to work alongside Leila North Community School to provide hampers, and once this pandemic is over, we look forward to seeing how we can help this community in new ways. Thank you to Diane and the staff at Leila North Community School for allowing us to be a part of your vision to bring hope and change lives!
How can we continue to serve during a time when loving our neighbours means staying home and keeping a physical distance? Volunteers in Winnipeg have found several ways and are busy serving the community while keeping safe!
Hampers for a Community In Need
Our volunteers recently donated supplies for 15 hampers for First Nations families from Winnipeg’s North End community. The families affected currently reside in transitional housing specifically for First Nations patients who require ongoing lifesaving treatment for renal failure, cancer, and other chronic health issues. Many families are unable to work as they are displaced from their homes or are without work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Winnipeg Chapter is partnering with a local middle school, Leila North Community School, whose teachers have been supporting the program for many years. Collection of items will be ongoing over the next several months!
Just some of the many supplies collected to form 15 hampers for in need families during the pandemic.
Foster Care Support
HOPE worldwide Canada is also working with our main partner, the Winnipeg Church of Christ Inc., to meet needs of youth and families being supported by Winnipeg Child & Family Services Agencies. Needs are found through the Care Portal, a tool that connects churches to youth and families in need. Since the pandemic began, the Campus Ministry volunteers have been able to meet the needs of 2 families, including helping a University student move off of campus as the University he attended was requesting all students leave residence.
Looking Out for Needs
As the pandemic situation continues, we hope that more needs can be met using creativity and the many tools available in Manitoba to match volunteers with people in the community. We are asking all volunteers to examine the online tool options available to them for serving:
Nextdoor App – connect with people in your neighbourhood
helpnextdoormb.ca — the Manitoba government website that lists needs in the community that volunteers can offer to meet.
So whether our volunteers in Winnipeg choose 1 or more of the options we’ve listed to serve or find other ways to meet needs, we know they will do so with a heart to serve while also maintaining the physical distancing protocols of the Manitoba government.
If you have any more suggestion on how our volunteers can serve our neighbours in need or if you would like to get involved with our Winnipeg Chapter, please contact krista.wiebe@hopewwcanada.org.
The impact COVID-19 has made on our world is unprecedented. Our entire nation is striving to stay indoors and maintain physical distance so as to ensure the safety of not only ourselves, but our neighbours as well. And while the pandemic has forced us all to stay at home, the call to serve our neighbours in need is as loud as ever.
HOPE worldwide Canada volunteers are answering the call by staying true to the mission of Jesus — transforming our world through love and support for our neighbours in need. As we have changed our programs in order to follow government and medical mandates, we have looked to other ways to meet needs in our communities.
HOPE worldwide Canada volunteers in Ontario are spending time while physically distancing making mats out of milk bags to be used by local shelters
Chapters across the country are providing critical volunteer support and community connection to food pantries, Child & Family Service agencies, shelters and other helping organizations. Volunteers are also creating neighbourhood collaborations to identify and help elderly and other vulnerable neighbours with day-to-day needs. Social media and online tools are other methods by which our volunteers are identifying needs they can address around their community.
The people, families and communities we love are in desperate need right now. HOPE worldwide Canada remains focused on prayer, as we know our God can do immeasurably more than we can imagine. We appreciate all the efforts and hard work of our volunteers and supporters as we all strive to overcome this crisis together. Thank you for your continued support!
“Teamwork makes the dream work” – this couldn’t be more true for the Winnipeg chapter of HOPE worldwide Canada. As we reflect on the past year in celebrating our amazing volunteers there are many examples of collaboration with community groups and volunteers working together to bring hope and change lives!
January brought an opportunity to partner with École Leila North to support families in need. Our volunteers focused on collecting clothing for youth while teachers and students collected non-perishable foods to help fill the cupboards. In previous years, staff and students have generously provided props for an annual picnic event and have also collected cases of non-perishable foods to support our Stock the Shelves drive (see both below!). What a great partnership!
February saw many of our volunteers young and old braving the cold alongside other charitable groups to raise funds for Main Street Project as part of the “Coldest Night of the Year” charity walk.
The spring months were focused on our partnership with Winnipeg Child and Family Services. The month of March was spent engaging friends and family to help collect necessities (food and household products) to “Stock the Shelves” for youth struggling to make ends-meet. During April and May (as well as in the autumn months) volunteers were busy teaching life skills classes to youth preparing for independent living while in care.
In May close to 200 of our friends, family and community partners came out for a delicious breakfast while helping us raise $1,745 to support the Centers of HOPE in the Philippines. At the end of May volunteers joined forces with Centennial Community Improvement Association to help clean the neighbourhood while building friendships along the way.
Volunteers heading out for the Centennial Neighborhood Community Clean up
The summer was a time for picnics and festivals! Volunteers helped with face painting, serving food and playing games with kids and families at the Kids in Kare picnic hosted by Winnipeg Child and Family Services. Our HOPE chapter and OHEYS Autism Programs teamed up for another fun Autism Community Family picnic featuring hot dogs, games and a superhero photo-booth with a backdrop created by students at École Leila North! We also promoted our programs at the Manitoba Filipino Street Festival – a partnership that has lasted for many years.
In July and August the Winnipeg chapter hosted our second HOPE Volunteer Corps where volunteers from across North America travelled to Winnipeg to serve as Camp Counsellors for youth living in foster care in our 2 week Max Out! Summer day camp.
In early October – 31 dedicated volunteers braved the rain walking and riding to raise over $7,000 for our local programs in the Ride for Refuge.
We ended off the year with the Max Out! The Holidays pancake breakfast and family fun event. Families that participated in the Max Out! Summer day camp were reunited with many of the volunteers from the summer to celebrate the season together. Our plan is to continue with this relationship and hold other events throughout the year.
Wow what a busy year! Please help us to honour our volunteers with a virtual hug and high five! We are unable to hold our annual volunteer appreciation service due to the current COVID-19 pandemic but rest assured that we are still busy trying to find creative ways to serve our community during this challenging time.
On December 14th, our Winnipeg Chapter put on a fun-filled holiday party for the campers from ourMax Out Summer! day camp. 35 volunteers served up pancakes and some heart- warming fun to 33 youth and their families to help max out the holidays!
Throughout the morning, the kids and their families enjoyed
face-painting, getting their pictures taken in a snowman themed photo booth,
creating reindeer gift bags and gifts for family members, as well as participating
in a slew of holiday themed activities. The day ended with a door prize draw for
board games packs, movie and Manitoba Moose tickets, as well as some nice
Winnipeg Jets swag. The spirit of the season could also be seen as one of the
young participants decided to donate his door prize back so that someone else
could win and enjoy the gift.
It was wonderful to reconnect and continue to build on
friendships that began with these kids in our Max Out Summer! day camp. Most of
these kids have attended our free summer day camp for children involved with
Winnipeg Child & Family Services for the past 2 summers. The day camp is part
of our Winnipeg HOPE Volunteer Corps with the goal of teaching and mentoring youth in care
to build life skills and friendships while having simple, good old fun. Volunteers,
young and old, were inspired that many participants remembered their time at the day camp
and the special connections they had made with volunteers they had met. It
brought joy to see the hearts of the children be encouraged and excited.
Winnipeg volunteers look forward to continuing to build these relationships with more opportunities to meet up throughout the year. We would like to extend a huge thank you to True North Sports and Entertainment, Giant Tiger Store #446, Safeway Inc. and our many volunteers for helping to make this event so special for everyone.
Kimberlee Potter of Winnipeg receiving the “HOPE worldwide Volunteer of the Year award” at the HOPE worldwide Global Conference in San Diego. Pictured with Terri Loso (Right), SeniorDirector US Programs, HOPE worldwide
Congratulations to Kimberlee Potter, our Co-Country Director.
At the recent HOPE worldwide Global conference in San Diego, Kimberlee was recognised for her dedication and outstanding volunteer work with the “HOPE worldwide Volunteer of the Year” award. We are excited to share this great news with you.
Kimberlee is passionate about helping others in her community and beyond. Ever since she took on the Chapter Director role in her home city Winnipeg, she has started and led various charitable initiatives, using her talents and gifts to help vulnerable members of her community. She is now a Board member as well as Co-Country Director of HOPE worldwide Canada.
In the last 2 years, Kimberlee created and led a HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps program in Winnipeg for “At-risk youth, “ based around a Summer Day Camp. This highly successful program aims to provide summer fun and life skills training for children under the ward of Child & Family Services agencies. The city of Winnipeg is home to just over 800,000 people, and yet it has one of the highest rates of children in foster care in the world. During the Summer Day program, children learn life skills such as cooking and working with tools, mentoring on how to build friendships in a fun and loving environment.
Kimberlee’s commitment and volunteer work is an inspiration to all us. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours.
We would like to say a huge “Thank You!” to everyone who participated in this year’s Ride for Refuge.
Every year, HOPE worldwide Canada participates in this event to raise funds for local charities that provide refuge and hope for some of the most vulnerable people on earth.
This year over 104 participants of all ages joined our teams in Toronto Central (downtown), Toronto East (Ajax), Toronto West (Brampton, Mississauga), Halifax, Edmonton, and Winnipeg.. They rode, walked and enjoyed lunch together, a fun filled day for a great cause. Our teams raised just over $16. 355.
Here are a few pictures from the HOPE worldwide Canada teams across Canada. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s event.
For more pictures, please view the full album at our Facebook pagehere.
The Winnipeg chapter of HOPE worldwide Canada along with OHEYS Autism Programs will be holding our third annual Autism Community Family picnic on Saturday June 22. The event will take place at St. John’s Park in Winnipeg starting at 1:00 pm! Space is limited so please visit the link below to register your family!
Individuals (children-to-adult) on the autism spectrum and their families are welcome to come out and enjoy activities, games and a free hot dog picnic lunch! We are organizing activities to ensure everyone at all ages and stages is fully engaged and having fun. Respite workers are welcome to bring participants with autism as well. Attendees last year had a great time and felt comfortable being around other families living with autism.
ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: Free Hot Dog Picnic Lunch (get tickets on arrival), Photo Booth (bring your camera), ball and beanbag games, Frisbee, running games, parachute games……… and more…check out the slide show to see all the fun from last year!
Please sign up for the picnic on our registration page so we can plan for food and supplies – space is limited!
