Testimonials
THANK YOU FROM HOPE FOUNDATION INDIA
Thank you HOPE worldwide Canada:
For all the things that is provided through the fund that you have sent. We are really very grateful, the students are also very happy to sit in a proper maintained class. All the tables have been utilized for the computer classes, and chairs have been set in both Computer and Spoken English Classes. There are 30 students using them every day, and new students are being added to the list. New batches will start soon, so around 200 more students will be taking the benefits of your generosity!
All the teachers and students at the Hope Foundation School would like to express our deepest gratitude to HWW Canada. Your donation has been invested into our pre nursery class which contains 30 students aged 3 years old. Your generous funding has enabled us to purchase uniform for 80 students, buy 40 pairs of shoes and buy Hindi, English and Maths books for the entire pre nursery class. Not only have the essential school equipment been supplied for, but the teacher’s salary for a year will ensure the students get a high standard of education and at their young age be nurtured and develop manners and good behavioral skills. These little ones may not understand the value of this aid now because of their innocence but we are hopeful that they will reap great benefit from it. Once again, your help to provide school equipment and the teacher’s salary is an invaluable gift and Tigri Hope School cannot thank you enough.
Sangham Vihar
Vocational Training Centre
HOPE Foundation India
LIFE SKILLS CLASSES FOR SILOAM MISSION EXIT UP PROGRAM
A big thank you to all the volunteers that took the time to present for our life skills classes. Some groups were smaller than others, however the presenters all did an excellent job providing relevant and useful information to those that took the time to listen. To all those that take the time to volunteer their time to share their knowledge in areas they are either passionate about or very knowledgeable in, or both we truly appreciated your efforts. I hope we can once again call upon you folks down the road to work together again as our participants change over and we have new people come into our program. A big thank you from Kara and myself and all the participants that participated in the teachings.
Kevin Koroscil
Exit Up Coordinator
Siloam Mission
THANK YOU FROM THE MADISON – SILOAM MISSION
This year my favourite Christmas memories will be of December 24th, at The Madison where I work as the Resident Relations Coordinator.
The volunteers from HOPE came to interview our residents who wanted to share a bit about themselves, and at the same time, tell them what they want for Christmas. Their stories were posted online for community members to and view and pledge to purchase that item for that person.
I never realized how much more special it is to receive a gift that is something you have been wishing for, not something generic, that someone else picked for you.
On December 24th the gifts had all arrived, and were piled up in my office. My supervisor, Brenda and I, were so fortunate to be able to have people come one or two at a time and open there gifts while we watched. I will try and share with you some of the reactions we saw….
One gentleman had asked for long underwear and socks, he had also mentioned that he would like some bus tickets. When he opened his gift and saw not one, but two pairs of long underwear, and two pairs of socks, he was so excited and pleased with how nice they were! Then he opened the card and found a bus pass in it! He couldn’t believe it! Someone had bought him even more than he asked for! He kept saying, “look not one but two pairs, and a bus pass, can you believe it? Someone I don’t know did this for me??”
This type of reaction was seen over and over again. One of our residents is a very large man with size 15 feet, he has a hard time finding shoes, and we rarely get donations in that size. He had said that he would love a pair of boots. When this big man, who is normally very in control of his emotions, began to tear up, it brought tears to our eyes as well. I think his first words when he opened the box and saw size 15 Sorel boots where – “Oh my, #%@^#@%. I can’t believe it! Do you know how much these cost? I didn’t really think someone would buy these for me!” He gave Brenda and I both hugs and left with his boots.
One of the ladies here had told the volunteers that she liked jewellery. She was so surprised! In that box, was a necklace with her name engraved on it! She has an unusual name, so someone had this made for her! She also received a ring with Grandma written on it, she is a very proud Grandmother, and lives to see her grandchildren a couple of times per year. She began to cry, and so “Oh thank you! Oh thank you” over and over again. She was overwhelmed that someone would do this for her!
I will tell one more story….This gentleman had asked for only one thing, a brown wool sweater. He thought that this would be a real luxury. He received not one but two wool sweaters, a brown one and a grey one, and wool socks, and a wool scarf! He was so grateful and happy, he couldn’t’ stop laughing!
Next year I am hoping that more people will be interviewed and therefore more people will receive a gift that they have longed for. Thank you HOPE worldwide Canada for giving me the best Christmas ever!!!
Heather Karlenzig, Resident Relations Coordinator at The Madison
THANK YOU FROM DRESS FOR SUCCESS - HALIFAX
“Dress for Success’ aim is to have an impact on the lives of women in our community through the type of assistance that we offer. We are so grateful for the support of HOPE worldwide Canada, for their support and for all the donors who helped make this event such a success. We had a great time and we had a lot of fun together. We also learned a lot about each other’s organizations. Most importantly, we teamed up and partnered together to have a positive impact on our community!”
Brenda Todd-Saunders
Executive Director
Dress for Success Halifax
THANK YOU FROM WINNIPEG CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES
We are extending our heartfelt thank you to all those who participated in this "Stock the Shelves"! Thanks to those who arranged it, donated, picked up and delivered the HUGE load of all sorts of goodies. Our staff were overjoyed at the work you have put into this to help support our youth and families who just need some extra care at this time in their lives. So far, we put together 29 hampers and sent them out yesterday to some of our youth and we have heard back that they have been received with thankfulness, tears and JOY.
THANK YOU From Wpg CFS Staff at Stafford!!!!!!
Dana Reuther, Winnipeg Child & Family Services
THANK YOU FROM 'Come On Down' SCHOOL SUPPLY FRENZY!
I THOUGHT there was a lot of school supplies this year … but not so much as we’ve had a ‘Come On Down’ school supply frenzy! Nine workers have dropped in and picked up for 26 families which equals 68 children! One family had 10 children! All the backpacks are long gone! I booked Room A for four days, but we were cleaned out way before then! Such gratitude from all the eager workers.
Debbie Smith
Volunteer Connections
Winnipeg Child and Family Services
THANK YOU FROM THE SALVATION ARMY
The Salvation Army, Peel Shelter and Housing Services would like to express their deepest gratitude for your recent donation of Gift Baskets to the shelter this past Christmas season.
Your generous donation, and the amazing others we receive from donors just like you, help to provide ongoing care and moral support to the individuals we service. It is only with this type of support each year that we are able to successfully fulfill our mission of helping the homeless in our community to the fullest extent. Such faithful support repeatedly contributes to our success in providing those who live temporarily in the Salvation Army Shelters with an uplifting and enjoyable Christmas.
We at The Salvation Army are continually inspired by the dedication and generosity of donors who answer the call to give again and again each year. Your kindness is so greatly admired and not a single gesture outstretched to our clients goes unnoticed by our organization. As such, we continue to express our gratitude for your contributions.
Lucy Botchway
Manager, Volunteer Services & Donor Relations
The Salvation Army, Peel Shelters and Housing Services
THANK YOU FROM NEPAL
“I want to take the time to sincerely thank you all the brothers and sisters, Canadian Churches for your donation to Nepal. Thanks again for your outstanding support and generosity. I appreciate you making the effort to come to our Village Project for the Earthquake relief. By the Grace of God, we had an amazing turnout and we managed to bring more in donations for this project. Your attendance and support have played an important role in our project. With your contribution, we’ll be able to help the earthquake affected villagers. We and the villagers are very happy and grateful to you. The villagers can now reap benefits in many ways through this project in the areas of education, training, support etc.”
Anu Dangol, Program Coordinator, HOPE worldwide Nepal
“It is wonderful and pleases God whenever people in need receive special care and experience the compassion of Christ. The Chhaimale Center in Nepal will be such a blessing for many people for many years to come. The fact that the Chhaimale Center is the fruit of so much love and sacrifice as well as of the collaboration of brothers and sisters in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia and Nepal makes this labor of love even more powerful. It has been a privilege and tremendous source of joy to me personally, to be part of this tremendous endeavor.”
Barbara Porter, Governance Officer, HOPE worldwide ltd.
”It has been very encouraging to work together with HOPE worldwide in Canada, Nepal and the US, combining resources and expertise to develop the Chhaimale Centre which will have a long-term impact in the local community. We have developed a very positive relationship with HOPE worldwide Canada. It has been great to work in partnership, learning from each other and working with Nepal towards a common goal. We look forwards to continuing to work together on this, and hopefully on future projects.”
Wil Horwood, Chief Executive, HOPE worldwide – UK
“The earthquake in Nepal devastated the country and villages. Helping the people survive after the earthquake was influential as the supporters of HOPE worldwide participate globally and in Canada. Thank you for your compassion for the people of Nepal. What is more exciting for me is not only helping the people of Nepal survived the impact of earthquake, but to rebuild better. The initiative that HOPE worldwide Nepal is doing in rebuilding Chhaimale village is going to benefit the people in the long term. We all hope that the center of hope there will be bridging the poverty and disaster preparedness for the future as well. Once again, thank you for the generous supports!”
Charles Ham, Global Disaster Response Coordinator, HOPE worldwide
THANK YOU LETTER FROM WINNIPEG CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES
This message is long overdue but I wanted to take some time to thank you and all the HOPE worldwide volunteers involved in supporting and teaching the WCFS Life Skills Classes. We simply could not run these classes if it weren’t for the graciousness, effort and knowledge of each and every HOPE worldwide volunteer. WCFS would be hard pressed to be able to replicate what you are doing given each volunteer has a particular interest and/or expertise in the subject matter they are teaching.
We greatly appreciate the time each of your volunteer takes out of their busy lives to support our young people. The volunteers have been so accommodating and flexible throughout the pandemic, adjusting to a virtual forum with less participants. In spite of these barriers, the volunteers have continued to amaze us with their commitment to teaching. Such a fabulous team of people at HOPE worldwide Canada!!!
Often times the young people we are working with have a very limited support network comprised mainly of paid professionals. Most workers at one time or another have encountered the statement “what do you care anyway, you are paid to do this.” Of course caring and being paid aren’t mutually exclusive, but I can tell you that it means something to our young people when adults engage with them purely because they want to and it’s not a requirement of their job.
HOPE worldwide Canada is a key contributor to equipping our young people with the tools they need to navigate their way through their independent living transition. The transition process can be a frightening one for our young people, particularly given they are having to transition at a young age, often times in the absence of healthy natural supports and in the context of the residual effects of abuse, neglect and disrupted attachment. The information they are receiving in the classes from the volunteers plays a role in decreasing some of the anxiety and fear they have about moving out into the world on their own.
Our hope is that in the giving of your time, not only will our young people benefit from the information sharing itself but also learn about the importance of volunteerism, generosity and knowledge sharing so they too can bring these values forward at some point in their lives. Further, as an agency, our practice is increasingly focused on developing networks around our families and around our children in care. Strong networks result in healthier young people and in better outcomes for their lives. We view HOPE worldwide Canada as part of that broader network supporting and encouraging our young people along in their journey.
We also know that individuals have different learning styles and needs. We are fortunate in that we are able to offer both a class format and one to one life skill support because of the contribution of HOPE worldwide Canada. Therefore, we are maximizing opportunities for life skill information to be absorbed and incorporated into daily living.
There is really no way to capture our gratitude and to put into words the impact you are having because that impact is sometimes hard to see in the here and now. We do have a couple of former life skill class participants whose words will hopefully communicate some of that sentiment to you. They wrote the following:
"A huge thank you to each and every volunteer who take the time out of their days to help me and the others in this round of independent living. It means a lot to me and I will definitely be using all of the knowledge I gained from these classes in day to day life. The class in my opinion doesn’t need to change it was fine. I have already used my money management skills I learned from here for a zero based budget. Thank you again! :))"
~ Breanna L.
"Thank you to the volunteers who took the time to talk to us. I still have my notes and think back to what was said. I know with COVID you are not getting the eye to eye contact but the way you guys speak is impacting us. A lot of us have been through stuff kids shouldn’t have gone through. So you guys taking the time to try and help us, teach
us things not knowing if it’s even sticking. Some don’t care but I know for me, it really made me feel like things are alright. We were taught about rent, drugs, personal safety, protecting on line. I am very cautious with what I post now. I just want to say thank you for continuing to help. Hopefully COVID will calm down and it can be in class again, but it’s really more that you are taking the time and have you give the information. We always had a good time. Thank you!"
~ Sabrina O.
In closing, thank you for your partnership with us and for each volunteers investment in creating a
supportive transition experience for our young people.
Warm Regards,
Heather Wonnick
Resource Supervisor
Winnipeg Child and Family Services