Holiday Message & Christmas "Wish List"
Dear community partners & supporters,
On behalf of our staff and the people whom we have served over this past year, we want to express our sincere thanks for your dedicated support and encouragement, as well as take this opportunity to wish you a warm and happy holiday season.
With your support, we have been able to accomplish many things and have helped make the lives of the people we serve better. This year’s 2009 Small Victories luncheon at the Marriot Pinnacle Hotel
in downtown Vancouver was a tremendous success. With the cost of the event covered by sponsors and donors, guests recognized the need in our community and gave generously. With attendance of over 260 people, the funds raised at this event go directly towards the programs and services provided at St. James Community Service Society.
Scott Mason, President of Land Sea Tours, responded: “St. James I think, of all the charitable organizations in Vancouver is most closely associated and on the ground with the Downtown
Eastside. One of the things I like most about it is just not providing shelter, St. James is providing support for individuals to get them back on their feet and back into main stream society.”
Awards were also presented to four students from Magee Secondary School for their part in raising $5,000 from their Youth in Philanthropy project. Receiving their community achievement awards, this is what they had to say:
“Through our youth in philanthropy initiative project we have learned more than we ever could through text books. After visiting the Downtown Eastside, we have seen first hand the incontrovertible difficulties that the homeless face. However, we have also seen that thanks to organizations just like St. James Community Service Society, they are given hope and also make change and given a possibility. St. James Community Service Society is more than a grass root organization situated in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. This is a family of dedicated and determined staff and volunteers who do truly inspirational work every single day. We hope that our project inspires you to give back to your community because together we can make homelessness history.”
These youth leaders were one of the first set of supporters to help launch our new project to expand
our emergency housing services for women in the Downtown Eastside. The highlight of the 2009 Small Victories luncheon was the announcement of the opening of an additional 26 beds available 24 hours a day for women in need of emergency housing and support: a project made possible through contributions from both private donors and the government.
Located at a temporary site, these additional 26 beds will immediately serve to double our current Downtown Eastside capacity while we undertake the expansion of our permanent Powell Place facility.
Each year we accommodate 800 individuals in our Women’s & Children’s Program, but turn away more than we serve. Last year, we were able to place 334 women in our program into permanent housing.
This is not a band-aid solution, but a real end to homelessness for many of the women we help.
As Trudi Shymka, Manager of our Women and Children’s programs said, “The women that come to
us are unique. They all have a different story but I can tell you the one thing they all share is a dream
of a better life. With the support we have received from donors such as you, we can make this dream
come true for so many more women in need.”
Please Help Us Do More
While we have doubled our capacity to help women in need, they still have great need for programs and support to help turn their temporary stay in our emergency housing into a permanent, safe and more sustainable way of life.
This Holiday Season, please consider making a gift to the people who are in need and benefit from the programs at St. James Community Service Society. Your contributions help make “small victories” happen on a daily basis.
To make a donation on-line, click here.
If you have any questions about this project or how to make a contribution to St. James
Community Service Society, please contact Rose Gidzinski at 604-606-0305. Thank you.
Christmas Wish List!
Every year, we have a list of items we need to purchase to keep our programs and services running.
Since many people ask us what some of these items are, we included the following list for
you to review. If you would like to direct your contribution to provide any of these items, please contact Rose Gidzinski at 604-606-0305 or at rgidzinski@sjcss.com.
Gift range:
$10,000 plus
van • wheelchair accessible path through garden • wheel chair lift • a ramp for patio wheelchair access
$1,000 - $9,999
commercial mixer • computer for resident and family use • children’s play equipment • washer and dryer • freezer • fridge • ice machine • intercom system • television
$100 - $999
blender • coffee maker • frying pans • microwave • beds and bedding • comforters (micro fiber reversible twin size - dark color)
$100 and under
art and crafts supplies • diapers • fleece blankets • new pajamas • towels • face clothes • gloves • socks
Adult Guardianship Program
We offer personalized services as well as peace of mind that personal finances will be well managed.
Videos
The best way to tell our story is through the eyes and voices of our clients.
