The Neighbourhood Group is an inspiration to me
“I was introduced to The Neighbourhood Group by another Board Member. She knew I wanted to volunteer at the Board level for a non-profit, and, after years of practicing corporate law, to give back to our community.
The breadth of The Neighbourhood Group’s reach with its range of services, and the fact that it is extremely well-run with caring and engaged staff, serves as a stark reminder that there is an ever-widening chasm between those in the upper-income brackets and those who are at the poverty level. It is up to all of us to work together to make Toronto a great place to live for everyone. Increasingly, low-income people are being asked to make do with less and less. I donate and volunteer because funding is difficult and uncertain.
“Four of The Neighbourhood Group’s programs are near to my heart: Coming from an immigrant family, I am particularly interested in Newcomer Services. I am also focused on the Independent Living & Seniors program, having recently dealt with the transition of my own aging parents to an independent retirement facility. Isolation is probably one of the leading factors of the decline in physical and mental health of our senior population. Also, having worked a number of summers at a Canada Student/Youth Employment Centre in Winnipeg during my long-ago undergraduate days, I have a particular affinity for Employment Services’ work. And giving to the Pet Fund, in honour of my dog Tango, I help people in our supportive housing care for their own pets. I know having pets brings light to people’s lives and for the people The Neighbourhood Group helps, that is extremely important.
“Having served on the Board, and now as Board President, I see more than ever that The Neighbourhood Group is an inspiration to me and that’s why I give.”