The recent fundraising dinner for YWCA’s Rockhill apartment residents is a good example of what our Community Connections program is all about.
Community Connections helps newcomers to Canada connect with people, events, and activities in the city while improving their English skills.
There were many donations and efforts to help the families devastated by the September fire at the site of the YWCA NWT Transitional Housing Program in Yellowknife. Community Connections participants saw the outpouring of support for the fire victims. Many of them could relate to the loss and suffering of the Rockhill residents. They wanted to do their part and suggested the fundraising dinner.
People from many countries came together to prepare, cook, and serve the meal – Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, India, Japan, and Canada. They all worked together chopping mountains of onions, peppers, and garlic. They made many dishes at William McDonald School, the dinner location offered up by Yellowknife School District #1. Thanks too to Mainstreet Donair and Falafel and Javaroma for their donations and help.
We’re proud of our Community Connections participants for the contributions they make to our city as well as for the superb community dinner they prepared. We’re also proud of the program coordinator, Karen Johnson, who helped with the logistics and planning necessary to the dinner’s success. Thank you to everyone who came out to eat delicious food and connect with your community. Your generosity contributed to raising $4,170 for the YWCA Rockhill fund.
— Kathryn Barry Paddock
