2010-2011 Annual Report - English

Annual Report
April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2011
Changing to meet your needs
Member Agency
United Way
Greater Toronto
900 Dufferin St., Suite 104
Toronto, Ontario M6H 4A9
Tel: 416-534-3434
Fax: 416-534-8026
[email protected]
www.abrigo.ca
Abrigo Centre gratefully acknowledges the contributions of our program
funders and individual donors.
Our Funding Partners
• City of Toronto – Community Service Partnerships
• City of Toronto – Employment & Social Services
• Direcção Regional das Comunidades, Açores
• Ministry of Children and Youth Services
• Ministry of Community & Social Services
• Ministry of Health, Promotion and Sport
• Ministry of the Attorney General
• Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
• Service Canada
• The Ontario Trillium Foundation
• United Way of Greater Toronto
Member Agency
United Way
Greater Toronto
A big thank you goes out to our Financial Sponsors
and In Kind Donations
Accountpro Systems Inc., Alberto Culver, Allwood Carpentry Manufacturing, Ana
Paula Lopes, Arnold Santos, Banco Santander Totta, Barbara Oliveira, Brazil Bakery,
Brisa do Liz Bakery, Carpenters District Council of Ontario, Chiado Fine Dining, CHIN
Radio, Churrasqueira Do Sardinha Inc., Cidalia Pereira, CIRV Radio International/FPTV,
Corpap Inc., Costco, Daniel Correia, Daniela Pacheco, David Pearson, David Rendeiro,
Doce Mel Bakery, Doce Minho Bakery, and Pastry, Dr. Susan da Cruz & Associates, Dr.
William Etzkorn, Dufferin Mall, Dundas Portuguese Bakery, Edward Jones, Elmwood
Spa, En Vogue Salon & Spa, Fernando Costa, Frank Antunes, Friends of Dufferin Park,
Gillian Johnston, Gisel Bettencourt, Gregory Donovan, Hildebrando Silva, J.M.C.C., Jack’s
Bakery, Jade Acoustics, Joe Nunes, Joe’s No Frills, Karen Baker, Floral Design & Event
Planning, Karen’s Fine Jewellery, Kevin Perry, Lindt & Sprüngli (Canada) Inc., Lisbon
by Night, Lusitania Supermarket Ltd., MacDonald’s Dufferin Mall, Manata Jewellery,
Mansfield Ski Club, Maplehurst Bakery, Marbles of Portugal, Marca College of Hair &
Esthetics, Maria Helena Monteiro, Maria Salome Alves Silveira & Jose Dias da Silveira
(In honour of ), Marinela Fonseca, Mario Silva, MP, Mastermind Toys, New Casa Abril em
Portugal, Nova Era Bakery, Ofelia Isabel, OMNI Diversity Television, Praia Mira Bakery,
Royal Doulton Canada, Scholastic Canada, Scotiabank, Seraphic Massage Therapy, Shaw
Festival, TD Bank, Tom’s Place, Universal Workers Union Local 183, Valeria Sales, Venezia
Bakery, Viper Team Tech Support & Graphic Design, William Ashley China, Wine Rack,
Winners, Zellers Galleria Mall
Mission Statement
Report from the Chairperson
Abrigo Centre is a multi-service, charitable organization that
focuses on building community capacity in west Toronto by
helping individuals and families achieve their full potential.
Vision
We want to see our collaborative efforts result in socially integrated
and empowered individuals, families and communities.
Strategic Priorities
1. Towards sustainable long-term growth, we will be…
• Collaborating with community partners
• Engaging and developing our volunteer resources
• Developing innovative funding alternatives
• Adjusting our space to meet future needs
graphics by viper team | 416.827.7614 | www.viperteam.ca
2. Towards increasing community relevance, we will be…
• Creating/stimulating dialogue on emerging needs
• Clarifying, revisiting, and communicating our priorities
• Engaging stakeholders in necessary changes
List of Board Members (April 1, 2010 – March 31, 2011)
Kevin Perry, Chair
Donna Cowan, Vice Chair
Barbara Oliveira
Daniela Pacheco
Gregory Donovan
Jennifer Humphries
José Medeiros
José C. Nieves
Lisa Jacek
Marinela Fonseca
Ofelia Isabel
Teresa Correia
Abrigo Centre continued to serve a vital role in the community. After 20 years of helping individuals and families
achieve their full potential the need for Abrigo Centre’s
services continues to grow.
We continue to see an increase in the number of people
that feel the impact of tough economic times. From youth
to seniors, Abrigo Centre provides client centred services
that are supportive and effective. Abrigo Centre has managed funding pressures and program mandate changes
with partners and community input. Our EmployLink program has been successful in helping Ontario Works clients
facilitate long-and-short-term employment goals. Abrigo
Centre’s Grand Carnival Gala continues to raise much
needed funds for our vital programs.
Throughout the year Abrigo Centre staff and volunteers
have grown to service a diverse community. We would
like to thank our staff, volunteers, individual donors and
funders for contributing so much to the success of so
many of our service users.
Kevin Perry
Chairperson
Report from the Executive Director
Abrigo Centre has recently achieved an important milestone having
served the community with passion and caring for two decades! Our 20th
anniversary celebration at Dufferin Grove Park was great fun with multicultural family entertainment, cotton candy, hot dogs, and Portuguese
sweets. Over 500 people were in attendance for the unveiling of our new
logo and the welcoming of our next decade of service to the community.
There could be no better way to celebrate our 20th anniversary than to
be assured that we are helping our communities achieve their greatest
potential.
Not only have we continued to deliver our signature services at the level
of ‘excellence’ but we also achieved some new programming during this
very successful year of 2010-2011. Our board, staff and volunteers continued to demonstrate their commitment to making this organization
even better. With financial support from Service Canada this past year,
we hired a Researcher to conduct an independent and thorough evaluation of our programs. We learned a great deal throughout the process
and were pleased with the fact that we achieved an outcome success rate
of 95%.
We enhanced our services to both seniors and youth with additional
funding this past year. As a result of a grant from the Ontario Trillium
Foundation, we were able to recruit a significant number of senior volun-
teers who helped us develop a new program providing an array
of social activities benefiting a core group of 60 older adults. The
Ministry of Health Promotion funded the development and implementation of a new leadership program for youth focusing on
issues surrounding alcohol, substance abuse and mental health.
We are very excited by the drama and video presentations that
these students are releasing later this year.
Surprisingly perhaps, our successes were not just at home. We
also worked hand in hand with the Portuguese government. We
worked in partnership with the Portuguese Consulate providing services and workshops to the Toronto community. We also
worked in partnership with the Portuguese Azorean government
in the coordination of the “Saudades dos Acores” program where
we have helped over 50 seniors make their first trip back to the
Azores since they arrived in Canada. We formally presented at
the 6th International Social Services Conference of the Azorean
Government in Sao Miguel, Portugal.
All these are just a few highlights of our 20th year. Our biggest
achievements are in those confidential moments when our staff
connect with clients and assist them in their individual transformations. Thank you to each of our clients, volunteers, funders,
sponsors, donors, board members and staff for working together
to make our community the growing success that it is.
Respectfully,
Cristina Santos
Executive Director
Violence Against Women
Supporting Individuals, Couples and Families
Abrigo Centre’s priority crisis services are available to assaulted women
and their children. This includes access to shelter and ensuring a safety
plan. Our Violence Against Women program also provides individual and
group counselling, in both Portuguese and English, to women and counselling to children with their mothers focusing on strengths and wellbeing. We assist with many of the emotional, physical and institutional challenges faced by women and children who experience family violence.
Information and access to essential services such as food, shelter, medical
services and the legal and judicial system are provided. Emotional support and counselling are provided to enable our clients to achieve personal growth and development. Sensitizing the community to the issue
of family violence is a priority for this program with the vision of one day
seeing a community free of violence and abuse. This past year, we served
773 women who have been abused.
Abrigo Centre provides counselling services to individuals, couples and families regarding issues that impact their emotional
health and wellbeing. Counsellors assist families with such issues
as parenting challenges, intergenerational conflict, couples counselling, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, coping with trauma
and difficult life transitions. Abrigo Centre served a total of 250
individuals by providing them with the support required to navigate through their life issues and make informed decisions and
changes in their lives. Success by Six is a parenting group offered,
in Portuguese, to mothers or female caregivers of children age 0-6
years of age. This group, runs for 12 weeks and focuses on how
to provide healthy home environments to children during their
most vulnerable and most impressionable years. This past year we
ran three parenting groups, engaging 55 mothers.
Strengthening Families for the Future
In partnership with the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH), Women’s Habitat, The Four Villages Community Health Centre and St.
Christopher House, Abrigo Centre offers a 14 week parenting program, Strengthening Families for the Future. The group is for Portuguese speaking parents with children aged 7-11 years of age. This prevention program specifically addresses issues of mental health and addiction by helping
families strengthen family connections, build children’s resiliency and life skills, increase positive and effective parenting and improve family communication.
Men in Transition - Partner Assault Response Program
Abrigo Centre provides a 16-week group counselling service to men who
have been ordered by the justice system to attend. Participants learn
how their abusive behaviour affects partners, their children, themselves
and our communities. The group atmosphere balances respect with accountability. Three English-speaking groups run concurrently, along
with one Portuguese-speaking group. Interpreters are available to assist
those who do not speak English or Portuguese. All of our participants
are provided with an opportunity to take responsibility for their abusive
behaviour and make positive sustainable changes in their lives. We also
provide individual counselling sessions to Portuguese-speaking women
or women of Portuguese descent who have been ordered by the justice
system to attend the PAR program for domestic-related offences. In keeping with our Violence Against Women Program, the partners of the participants are contacted throughout the 16 week program and offered a
variety of services including an invitation to make use of Abrigo Centre
counselling services. The PAR program served 192 men and 9 women this
year.
Employ-Link
The Employ-Link project assists unemployed individuals currently receiving Ontario Works in securing employment. Clients are referred to us for
hands-on assistance in helping them secure employment in their preferred fields. Our team of Job Developers provides direct links to employers, one-on-one employment counselling and coaching assistance every
step of the way for a period of six months. This project is innovative in
that it emphasizes job development and job placement activities that are
specifically tailored to the needs of each individual client. Workshops are
also made available to every participant covering topics such as: effective
resumes and cover letters; understanding the labour market; networking; marketing transferable skills; researching job leads and information
on specific employers; cold calls to perspective employers and mock interviews. 171 individuals benefited from these services.
P.A.I. – Participation – Friendship – Positive Influence
The P.A.I. group program is a parenting program for fathers of
Portuguese speaking background. The program engages men
in considering how they can become more positively involved
with their children and invites fathers to discuss their parenting
challenges with other fathers. Clients are eligible for this program
if they do not have any charges pending and are involved with
the Catholic Children’s Aid Society. Topics include Building and
Maintaining Healthy Relationships With Your Children; Healthy
Families; Positive Discipline; Stress Management; Impact of
Violence on Children; Impact of Stereotyping.
Community Development and Integration Program (CDIP)
Information and Referral
Newcomers – First Steps
In combination with our other programs we provide general community
integration services, in both Portuguese and English. This program benefits individuals who do not have the informal family and social supports
and therefore need assistance to access such services as disability pensions, housing and employment insurance benefits. Our primary focus is
to provide assessment, teaching of problem solving skills and facilitate
access to basic needs. A total of 2,769 individuals were assisted this past
year.
Counselling and support is provided individually and in a group
setting to newly arrived, Portuguese speaking immigrants and
refugees, primarily from Angola and Brazil. Information sessions,
referrals & liaison to government programs and community support systems, and self-esteem exercises are provided in an effort
to assist new members of our society to establish themselves. 118
newcomers were provided with these orientation services last
year.
Seniors Assisting Seniors
Free Income tax clinic
Last year, a dedicated team of volunteers helped 960 seniors complete
retirement forms and other related documents such as applying for drug
benefits, Canadian citizenship and Canadian passports. They also assist
in clarifying issues related to seniors’ rights and obligations. Our Seniors
Assisting Seniors volunteers also played a major role during our income
tax clinic completing an additional 450 pension income supplement
forms.
The volunteer income tax clinic completed 945 tax returns for low
income families and individuals. Our partnership with Revenue
Canada continues to flourish and we look forward to continuing
to facilitate this much needed service delivery.
Community Development and Integration Program (CDIP)
Seniors Recreation Services
We are very proud of the seniors’ volunteer workgroup committee who this past year organized and
continued to assist in the implementation of the Recreational Program for Portuguese speaking seniors. Named by its member, the “Life and Hope Group” (Grupo Vida e Esperança). This group started
less than 6 months ago, and has grown to over 100 registered members with an average of 45 seniors
participating every week. The program includes socializing, field trips, information sessions, support
groups, exercise and dance including nutrition information and other wellbeing activities such as massage and meditation.
Volunteer Program
The community and service recipients have greatly benefited from funding received from the Ontario
Trillium Foundation. This grant has made it possible for us to formalize and expand the recruitment
of volunteers and delivery of services. We have recruited 106 new volunteers of which 98 have been
providing direct services. This new group of volunteers has infused a tremendous amount of energy
and skill into our agency.
Reaching Out to Youth/ Dufferin Mall Youth Services (DMYS)
We continue to offer our Youth Outreach Program, which delivers a variety of services that aim to
expand young people’s perspectives on healthy relationships. Our youth services are free and confidential. Services include: employment, information and referral, leadership and anger management
groups, individual counselling, addictions and mental health counselling, housing, and various life
skills services. In collaboration with 10 local schools, and community volunteers, Abrigo Centre provided individual consultations and conducted in-class peer-lead workshops and multimedia presentations on topics relevant to emotional well being, mental health and addictions to over 1,500 students.
Last year, we also connected with over 300 youth as a result of our involvement with Dufferin Mall
Youth Services (DMYS). DMYS is a unique youth outreach model where programs are created by combining forces with other youth serving organizations at a location that is safe and accessible for youth.
Our DMYS partners included Arrabon House, Catholic Children’s Aid Society, Centre for Addictions
and Mental Health, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, City of Toronto Public Health and Dufferin Mall
Management (Primaris Retail REIT).
A big thank you to our volunteers for all their contributions
Staff
Alessandra Marques
Ana Machado
Ana Marques
Anabelle Gonçalves
Anderson Salvador
Angie Cole
Blair Kieley
Cidalia Pereira
Cristina Santos
Diana da Costa Correia
Diana Rodrigues
Gina Banwait
Hugo Mestre
Julia Calabretta
Lina Costa
Mackenzie Kinmond
Maria José Levy
Marilia Dos Santos
Mario Lourenco
Pamela Snell
Paula De Jesus
Ricarda Ventura
Rosane Fernandes
Sehr Athar
Shani Kipang
Teresa Emmanuel
Valeria Sales
Volunteers
Adriana Abreu, Alessandra Nicholas, Alexandra de Sousa, Altair Silva, Amalia da Rosa, Aman
Banwait, Ameris Dias, Ana Beatriz Mogollon, Ana Claudia Bravo, Ana Mogollon, Andre
Kidunaga, Andrea Almeida, Andrew da Silva, Annamay, Antonio Melo, Ashley, Ashley Pariag,
Axe Capoeira (Brazilian Capoeira), Aztec Dance of Mexico, Barbara Oliveira, Brazil Dance
World, Brendan Fernandes, Camila Almeida, Celia Oliveira, Centre Ori Capoeira (Angolan
Capoeira), Christianne Da Cruz, Cirlene Silva, Claudette Pereira, Daniela Pacheco, Daniele
Fernandes, Dayse Correa, Deepinder Bassi, Dina Guarda, DMYS-Urban Movement Dance
Crew, Donna Cowan, Donzilia Veiga, Eduarda Soares, Elisabete Dias, Emilia Camara, Erelys
Madruga, Fabiana Spehar, Fabiano Sales, FAMZ, Gary Godinho, Gisely Signoretti, Grace Levy,
Gregory Donovan, Ilda Santos, Irma Grillo, Ivone Duarte, Jack Bilo, Jacob Ventura, Jennifer
Humphries, Jesse Chrysley, Joao Apolonia, John Esteves, Johnny Righteous, Jordan SantosSparrow, Jose Barbosa, Jose Medeiros Barbosa, Jose Medeiros, Jose Melo, Jose Nieves, Junior
Perry, Kamilla, Kayla Carreira, Kevin Perry, Lauren Hogan, Leonilde Marques, Lisa Jacek, Luisa
Cabral, Lyrical Chemist, Margarete Almeida, Margarida Pedro, Maria Carla Alcantara, Maria
Claudina Souza, Maria Fernanda Conduto, Maria Fernanda Couto, Maria Gomes, Maria Isabel
Peca, Maria Silva, Maria Teresa Moura, Maria Zelia Tavares, Maria Zelia, Marinela Fonseca,
Mario Lourenco, Mateo Barboza, Mateus Almeida, Miko Sobreira, Nadieja Dos Santos, Naly
Lima, Neuza Costa, Nuno Cristo, Odair Costa, Ofelia Isabel, Pamela Souza, Patricia Castro,
Patricia Dos Santos, Patricia Menezes, Paula da Paz, Priscila Correa, Rancho Folclorico os
Camponeses de Toronto, Raquel Teixeira, Richard Castro, Rosa Pontes, Rosalice Vieira,
Rosangela Moracci, Rosangela Oliveira, Roseli Pinto, Roseli Santos, Sabrina Eliadis, Samantha
Hansch, Sanskriti Arts (Bollywood Performance), Sara Celeste, Sergio Dias, Silvada Furtado,
Sofia Godinho, Sofia Rodriguez-Dos Santos, Sonia Oliveira, Sophie Rodrigues, Stephanie
Bento, Steve Sparrow, Taciana Teixeira, Tayna Oliveira, Teresa Correia, Tyrese MachadoGordon, Venilde Ferreira, Viviane Silva, Viviane Torre
GRAND
CARNIVAL
BALL
Colour, warmth and energy gathered at
the Palais Royale at the 3rd Annual Grand
Carnival Gala. On February 26, 2011,
about 300 supporters came out on a
cold, snowy and windy night to celebrate
generosity of spirit.
We enjoyed delectable food, and
excellent entertainment that included
the Samba Connection Dancers, Aztec
dancers, Fernando Tavares quartet and DJ
Dynamic Vibe. The event was emceed by
Teresa Pavlinek, a renowned comic, writer
and actress who, together with fellow
artists, presented an excerpt from Women
Fully Clothed, a sketch troupe that toured
across Canada to sold out audiences.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and
the Staff of Abrigo Centre we would
like to thank everyone who assisted us
in making the event a success. Please
mark your calendars for the 4th Annual
Grand Carnival Gala, on March 3, 2012 at
Palais Royale. Check out our website at
www.abrigo.ca for more details and to
purchase your tickets!
Staff, clients and supporters celebrating Abrigo Centre’s 20th anniversary. There
was food and entertainment at Dufferin Grove Park. A good time was had by all.