HomeBridge Youth Society 2021 Annual Report

HomeBridge Youth Society Annual Report

2021

Fiscal Year April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021

www.homebridgeyouth.ca

VISION

All youth and their families living in health, safety and harmony

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

As I reflect upon the last year to formulate my thoughts for this report, I can say with complete certainty it was a year like no other. I can also say, however, it has made me more grateful than ever for those I am connected to through the Board and the entire HomeBridge Community and its partners.

The past twelve months have seen us face a health pandemic and as a result a constant state of emergency in our province with public health restrictions that fluctuated with the rise and fall of COVID-19 cases. It has been a stressful time for any of us to manage, but as an organization that provides essential services to vulnerable youth in Nova Scotia we have had to continue to adapt and keep moving forward to ensure the safety and well being of both the youth we serve and HomeBridge employees. This has been unmeasuredly taxing and there are many who helped to make it possible.

To our cornerstone partners, I extend sincere gratitude to you for continuing to support us and help us ensure that we had everything we needed to keep everyone in the HomeBridge Community as safe as possible. To our Board members, I thank you for wrapping around the organization with your inspired leadership and for adapting to video meetings since gathering was no longer a safe option. To the Managers who worked around the clock, sacrificing weekends and evenings adjusting, adapting, and managing programs during this unprecedented and ever-changing time – thank you hardly seems sufficient. And finally, to our employees on the front line, your bravery, resilience, and dedication to the young people is nothing short of inspirational. You have an insurmountable task in the best of conditions ensuring the youth we serve are safe and cared for. I continue to be proud to be connected to all of you and this organization.

Management and Staff will find ways to improve the quality of youth care. Our Community will continue to support HomeBridge in the quest. I am confident of these things because, at the heart of it all, is our desire to support youth and their families.

Serving as Chair of HomeBridge’s Board of Directors has been a great experience. To Ernie, and the management team, thank you for allowing me to participate in building our vision of youth care and moving it forward. It has been an honour to serve as your Board Chair and I am looking forward to continuing to serve in my new role as Past Chair.

As we all continue to make our way through these challenging times, I am reminded of the lessons learned in the HomeBridge Community. The Youth Care experts that make up this organization specialize in facing challenges, building resilience, and finding the grit to move through difficult times and towards a better tomorrow. That is what they do best and that is what we all need to do now - be resilient and know that we will get through this together.

Sincerely, Peter Wong, CPA, CA Board Chair

This is my last report as chair of the Board. Our incoming Chair, Jim Perrin, will be an exceptional leader. The Board will continue to provide great governance.

be resilient and know that we will get through this together 1

SEPARATE BUT TOGETHER This artwork was created by the Reigh Allen Centre Youth by dividing the canvas into sections, and painting one section at a time, in order to follow the Public Health protocols and maintain social distancing.

I would like everyone to know that we are not bad kids and that some of us, if not all of us, have been through rough times.

We don’t always know how to cope with things the right way, so if you think we are struggling just talk to us.

-HomeBridge Youth

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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

HomeBridge is fed up with being frightened. We know we are of little support to youth and their families if we are more frightened ourselves than the circumstances that surround their pain and trauma. When the third wave of COVID-19 hit Nova Scotia in the spring it was frustrating for all of us. It is exhausting focusing on an additional concern other than our mission to help youth and their families thrive. At HomeBridge we know that if we see the problem bigger than us, we are not in control of creating change, rather change will happen to us.

I am grateful to live in Nova Scotia, surrounded by people who pull together, who listen to their health care professionals as they help us navigate this pandemic ensuring a balance of our physical health with our mental health so we can stay strong.

All the efforts to stay well notwithstanding, I stay up at night worrying about the health of everyone within the HomeBridge Community. Languishing for extended periods of time or to remain caught in the uncertainty of prolonged liminal space is devastating to the human spirit. We are not meant to be troubled for this amount of time and to turn off our generosity and kindness to self-preserve and withdraw from everything and everyone.

Last year we had to succumb to pairing back many of our services and supports to avoid laying off employees and to avoid having young people forced to leave our childcare settings. We had to temporarily conflate two different programs because the equivalent of approximately 16 full-time employees were unable to come to work as a result of the pandemic and we were unable to find replacement Youth Care Workers. Much of our fundraising efforts, and in-person therapeutic programming had to be halted for significant periods of time and our summer recreation program couldn’t take place at all. Traumatized young people do not heal sitting in buildings. HomeBridge Youth Care practitioners do work magic, but these conditions have been unbelievably taxing on them. Many put in extra hours of overtime to keep us going and avoiding shutting down.

If it were not for HomeBridge Managers and Supervisors, we would have closed. They staffed isolation sites, worked evenings and weekends after their regular day, responded to the ever-changing health regulations, securing an abundance of personal protective equipment to keep us safe, even had employees sew masks when none were available, and making sure important information was communicated daily to every employee. The end result was that we had one employee test positive for COVID-19 and had to shut down a program and isolate the team as a result. The safety protocols we had in place, however, worked well and that's where it stopped so it's still a very positive thing to report. There will never be a convincing debate made to me over who should be deemed essential service workers ever again.

Last year I stated HomeBridge needed to do better with responding to the over-representation of African Nova Scotian and Indigenous youth within our community. I said when we know better, we do better. As soon as we were able, we embarked on an organization wide education to have every employee, manager and Board member learn more about anti-black racism, and the historical experiences of African Nova Scotia youth-in-care to avoid complicit repetition of the same outcomes. It hasn’t been unrolling as fast as we would like but given the circumstances, we have been moving our competency and awareness along within the health restrictions. There is more to come as well as we have partnered with experts to continue our education and be current and knowledgeable with youth at HomeBridge who identify within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Our commitment is to collaborate and build a community for the youth they do not want to escape from, rather to help them understand how to create a space where they love to belong.

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It is time to create a HomeBridge Community that youth choose to leave versus have to leave. Now is the time to create services and supports that recognize the outcomes that matter to young people; their life isn’t simply a conveyor belt to move them along on. We all have similar desires of respect, value, connection, being heard, trust, belonging and of course mattering to others. These desires permeate all generations. These developmental outcomes have been guaranteed to some by virtue of being born into a privileged context. The young people we serve have not been guaranteed that privilege and we need to deliver on those outcomes that matter to them. Our systems need to change and evolve and at HomeBridge we are ready to do our part to make the lives of the youth we serve fit their outcomes and dreams, not the other way around. No more languishing, no more fear, hesitation and excuses. Our commitment is to collaborate and build a community for the youth they do not want to escape from, rather to help them understand how to create a space where they love to belong.

Like many, we at HomeBridge were devastated to learn of the mass graves of 215 children found at the site of a former largest residential school for Indigenous children in Kamloops, British Columbia. This horrific discovery comes as a wretched reminder of the atrocities that Indigenous people have endured. This residential school ran from 1890 until 1969 then the federal government finally closed it in 1978. These environments were part of an inexcusable period of Canadian history that resulted in intergenerational-trauma that continues to harm Indigenous communities across the country to this day. If we don't collectively work together it will continue to perpetuate the dire impacts that have undermined Indigenous communities for hundreds of years. If we as a land of people cannot come together to heal each other over 215 murdered children we are no better than those who committed the murders of these children. We cannot continue to be complicit in the action of ignoring another experience of the putrid and vile treatment of Indigenous communities, their culture and their children. Enough already, these are children...babies! Surely we can come together over 215 murdered children?

Finally, to get through this pandemic, it may be time to take a lesson from the youth and families we serve and that is to never give up despite the fear and adversity. It may be time to humbly learn from the youth we serve about resilience. It may be time to align and learn from their regular daily hardship that was there before the pandemic and will likely be there after.

Maybe the key to understanding how to get through this pandemic is to ask the youth we serve how they get up each day with a desire to thrive despite what they don’t have and despite their fears and desires to be together as a family again. I wonder what leadership insights they would provide us if we asked them how they do it, everyday of their life; not just the last 15 months. I have been told that what we need is usually not missing, rather it may be in a form we take for granted or a form we choose to not appreciate. I will leave you with this question...Where is love not?

Thank you and stay safe, Ernie Hilton, MSc. CYCA.

HOMEBRIDGE YOUTH SOCIETY OUR VISION All youth and their families living in health, safety and harmony

VISION MANDATE

OUR MANDATE Using an inter-disciplinary approach to youth care HomeBridge provides youth with experiences of stabilization, emergency placement, therapeutic programming, educational opportunities and longer-term interventions in a youth care setting.

This mandate is achieved through a collaboration with stakeholders, a community orientation, a commitment to youth education, continued professional development, implementation of current evidence based interventions and therapeutic programming.

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HOMEBRIDGE YOUTH SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2020 - 2021

Peter Wong, CPA, CA,

Tanya Ozard,

Carissa Bordeleau, CPA, CA,

Chief Financial Officer, Hercules SLR Inc. & Stellar Industrial Sales Ltd.

Owner / Broker, Oceancrest Realty Inc.

Controller and CFO-for-Hire, Stream Financial Services Inc.

Chair

Vice-Chair

Treasurer

MEMBERS AT LARGE

Shawn Carter, Director of Research, Analytics & Information Management, Nova Scotia Legal Aid

Steve Foran, Owner, Gratitude at Work

Lyn Frankton, RN, BScN, CPMHN(C), Manager, IWK Health Centre, Mental Health & Addictions

Angela Kelly, Account Manager, Bell Media

Johneen Kelly, Social Worker, IWK Youth Forensic Services Centre

Michelle McCann, Legal Counsel, Health Association Nova Scotia

Dr. Herb Orlik, Psychiatrist, IWK Health Centre, Department of Psychiatry

Jim Perrin, Physical Security Manager, J.D. Irving, Limited

Jenny Roche, MBA, Assistant Manager, Deloitte LLP

Brandon Rolle, Managing Lawyer, Youth Criminal Justice Office, Nova Scotia Legal Aid

Jalen Sabean, Senior Manager, Assurance & Accounting, Deloitte LLP

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DIRECTOR OF YOUTH CARE SERVICES REPORT

If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s to get ‘er done now because you don’t know what’s coming tomorrow. I’m proud to say this is what we have done over the last year at HomeBridge. Throughout all of the chaos this pandemic has brought to Nova Scotia, HomeBridge employees were able to adapt and adjust as we strive to maintain as much normalcy as possible in these abnormal times.

For the young people this meant our Youth Care Workers had to get creative with in house programming, physical distancing as well as all extra health and safety precautions in order to maintain their work. For the teams this meant adapting to facilities being either single site staffed or paired in cohorts to reduce movement throughout the HomeBridge Community, with many Youth Care Workers working overtime hours to ensure the youth were well cared for and safe.

No easy task! Everyone also adjusted to virtual team meetings and training in order to balance our regular operations with our efforts to keep everyone safe and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

For Youth Care Supervisors this meant digging deep, being flexible and creative. There was also a lot of change within this group with some taking on new roles and responsibilities and all embarking on a journey of learning and growth.

With a group effort they took on the responsibility of conflating and relocating two HomeBridge facilities, and creating and staffing isolation sites for youth awaiting test results. It was all done with a smile and many masked up selfies!

Throughout all of the challenges, we were able to move forward with expanding our learning this year also. We were incredibly fortunate to secure Tony Smith to begin work with Youth Care Supervisors and Youth Care Workers to guide us in the areas of diversity and inclusion. Youth Care Supervisors were able to participate in relational leadership training led by James Freeman. The Sullivan House team continued to receive training offered to those working with youth involved in sexual exploitation. As well, Youth Care Workers continued to receive training and education on a harm reduction approach with substance use, led by our partnership with IWK. As we move forward into the future of our new world, we are fortunate to have such an incredibly dedicated group of employees who continue to show their commitment to adhering to best practice. They have truly excelled this year at ensuring they continue to create relationally safe experiences for each of the young people we work with. I see this in the games of crib being played at Hawthorne, the focus on Ramadan at Johnson, the piano in the living room of Cogswell for one of the boys to shine, the last minute pick ups of youth in the Sullivan House vehicle, the morning breakfast sandwiches and coffee for youth at Jubien, and the ability to hang in time after time with young people at RAC who often have nowhere else to go. I have always been proud to work at HomeBridge, and this year even more so.

Caroline Moore, Director of Youth Care Services

we are fortunate to have such an incredibly dedicated group of employees who continue to show their commitment to adhering to best practice.

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FACILITIES

HAWTHORNE HOUSE

HAWTHORNE HOUSE TEAM

Part of the HomeBridge Community since 1979 Owned by HomeBridge Youth Society Operating Costs Covered by the Department of Community Services Mandate Hawthorne House is located in Dartmouth and focuses on providing care for six youth under 18 years of age.

JOHNSON HOUSE

JOHNSON HOUSE TEAM

Part of the HomeBridge Community since 1981 Owned by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Operating Costs Covered by the Department of Community Services Mandate Johnson House is located in Dartmouth and focuses on providing care for four youth under 18 years of age.

JUBIEN HOUSE

JUBIEN HOUSE TEAM

Part of the HomeBridge Community since 1982 Owned by St. Paul’s Home Board Operating Costs Covered by the Department of Community Services Mandate Jubien House is located in Halifax and focuses on providing care for six youth under 18 years of age.

SULLIVAN HOUSE Part of the HomeBridge Community since 1993 Owned by St. Paul’s Home Board Operating Costs Covered by the Department of Community Services Mandate Sullivan House is located in Halifax and focuses on providing care for youth 12 years of age and over who are or have been involved in sexual exploitation. The program has been in operation since 1993, but adjusted its mandate last year to work exclusively with sexually exploited youth.

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SULLIVAN HOUSE TEAM

REIGH ALLEN CENTRE

REIGH ALLEN CENTRE TEAM

Part of the HomeBridge Community since 1999 Owned by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Operating Costs Covered by the Department of Community Services Mandate The Reigh Allen Centre is located in Dartmouth and is licensed as an emergency placement and crisis stabilization center. It focuses on providing care for up to 14 youth under 18 years of age who are in need of a stabilization, respite, or short-term placement. The center utilizes an inter-disciplinary approach to create opportunities for cognitive behavioral changes within a safe environment allowing young people to experience themselves differently.

CHILD WELFARE SPECIALIST BEDS PROGRAM Part of the HomeBridge Community since 2009 Located in the Reigh Allen Centre Operating Costs Covered by the Department of Community Services Mandate A separate two-bed unit designed to focus on providing care for youth with extraordinary needs that cannot be met in a standard group-care setting.

COGSWELL HOUSE

COGSWELL HOUSE TEAM

Part of the HomeBridge Community since 2003 Owned by St. Paul’s Home Board Operating Costs Covered by the Department of Community Services Mandate Cogswell House is located in Middle Sackville and focuses on providing care for four youth under 18 years of age.

Youth Care Workers helped me by teaching me some life skills, like laundry.

-HomeBridge Youth

Here I know I always have someone to talk to.

-HomeBridge Youth

HomeBridge helped me by moving me to a safer environment.

-HomeBridge Youth

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BRIDGES FOR LEARNING

The Bridges for Learning program (BFL) had another successful year providing individualized educational services to youth-in-care. During the 2020-21 academic school year, BFL received 26 applications and serviced a total of 24 students. BFL continues with its strength-based approach in developing specialized educational plans to meet the unique learning needs of every student.

The students who are in high school continue to accomplish completion of their studies through correspondence courses while being supported and guided by the BFL team. The junior high students finish their work from packages received from their community schools. Depending on the school, some students receive a hard copy of their work to be completed while other students are able to get into the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) Google classroom system. Our team has not yet been able to access Google classroom as BFL is not included in the HREC schools, which presents difficulty in accessing real-time course content and communication with teachers.

This was our first full school year with an outreach component as part of the program in order to support the students who are unable to come to the BFL classroom. The outreach component was put on pause early in the year and again in late April due to spikes in COVID-19 cases in our community. While outreach was performed, the BFL team had success with some students as they were connecting with BFL team members and were active in their academics. The BFL team have also relied on IXL as a teaching tool with the students. This has proved to be particularly beneficial for online learning as the students can use this as a personalized learning platform while the BfL team are able to assess the work being done in real time.

The BFL outcome-monitored and evidence-based reporting system continues to effectively assess the students’ progress on a daily basis. Beyond the daily assessment, this tracking system measures academic work completion which assists in determining whether the student has reached the necessary outcomes for credit attainment. This system has become an excellent communication tool which is utilized to streamline information to each student’s caregiver.

The BFL Team maintained our partnership with the Youth Employability Project (YEP), a program that continues to provide support and guidance for the students to explore the educational and vocational opportunities available to them. The YEP program also meets many of the outcomes for the social and emotional learning curriculum that is already a part of the students’ education in BFL so it’s a great addition. Unfortunately their classroom lessons had to be put on hold early in the school year and again in late April due to HomeBridge’s adherence to Public Health guidelines and restricting visitors inside of the buildings due to COVID-19 community spread.

The students also have the opportunity to participate in the Expressions Program of the Arts right in their classroom.

Music Therapy and Art sessions are offered once weekly as part of their learning experience. The students enjoy the Expressions program and see it as an opportunity to freely express themselves in a safe, creative and supportive environment that focuses on them experiencing success.

“Safe Spaces and Relationships”, a three-day boat building program hosted by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, was planned for May. Sadly due to the increase in cases of COVID-19 in our province, it has been postponed until July 2021. Since it will be outside of the school year this will open up the program to all HomeBridge youth, not only the youth who attend BFL. This program has run in previous years with the support of both the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and Mount Saint Vincent University, but this year we have added a new partner. YDI will be providing financial support for the program and it is hoped that this support will include several youth who complete this program moving on to employment opportunities. Our partners at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and Mount Saint Vincent University are reaching out to their connections in the community to secure places of employment for youth participants and if successful YDI will subsidize their rate of pay.

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The Bridges for Learning program continues to be funded through both the Nova Scotia Departments of Education and Community Services. Their support has allowed HomeBridge to provide an essential service to vulnerable youth with complex trauma who have often struggled in the mainstream education system. The students have demonstrated courage and resilience, despite the many roadblocks in their educational path, the students have demonstrated a desire to achieve academically.

Child Welfare Agency Referrals August 2020 - June 2021 6

I like how BFL is kind of a second chance school and that I can get credits.

5

5 4

4 3

BFL Applicants from Junior High and Senior High School August 2020 - June 2021

3

3

3

1

1 0

Junior High (6) Senior High (20)

-BFL Student

2 0

0

0

0

26 Students

23%

77%

1

0

D Ha ar lif tm ax C W ou um in th be dso r r Sa lan ck d vi K lle M ing M s Ke FC Ya nt S v C rm ille ol o ch ut es h Lu H ter ne an nb ts Sy urg dn ey

Number of Referrals

6

BridgesforLearning

DCS Agencies

HomeBridge helped by giving me a chance to do things to get back on track and having a real education program. This place is like a second family to me. I appreciate all the support.

-BFL Student

BFL Referrals/ Accepted/ Admitted August 2020 - June 2021

Total Admitted

24

Total Accepted

26

Total Referrals

26 0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Bridges For Learning Team Community Schools connected to BFL 2020-2021 Bedford and Forsyth Education Centres Bluenose Academy Brookside Junior High School Citadel High School Dartmouth High School Horton High School J.L. Ilsley High School Millwood High School Northumberland Regional High School Riverview High School

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THE EXPRESSIONS PROGRAM OF THE ARTS

Helping vulnerable youth recognize their strengths and build resilience has always been a focus in the HomeBridge Community. After all the challenges Nova Scotians have faced in 2020, however, focusing on resilience seems even more important now than ever.

Unfortunately, the young people served in the HomeBridge Community have experienced significant challenges in their lives such as family breakdown, emotional trauma, academic difficulty, and social isolation and this was before a global health pandemic changed our world and our province was hit with multiple tragedies in a very short period of time. These are definitely challenging times. Many of the public campaigns we hear right now talk about us all “being in this together”. This may be true, but not everyone’s experience is the same. Most youth-in-care do not have family support or connections to help them through the feelings of isolation and uncertainty that this pandemic has heightened for many.

The circumstances that surround the youth coming into care are vast, but one common element is always present: a need for support and connection. Through our Youth Care Teams, we are able to provide this support each and every day. We are also fortunate to provide additional, experiential support through the Expressions Program of the Arts. This program provides opportunities for the young people to feel successful without pressure, without unrealistic expectations, and without judgement. Feeling success in just one activity can lead to an increase in self-esteem, self-expression and resilience. This experience can also inspire the young people to try other things they were reluctant to before, like joining a group or returning to class.

Participants are provided with opportunities to tap into their imagination and create personal works of art, music and photographs. Many of the young people struggle to express themselves and this program provides them with a safe and supportive space to be their authentic self. They are encouraged to follow their own artistic inspiration and path no matter what that looks like. This really helps us learn valuable insights into how they are feeling and how we can help.

With this year’s theme of “Rising Strong through Self Expression” participants were supported to learn new skills and discover talents they weren’t aware they had. They built connections with the facilitators and their fellow residents which help to create a sense of belonging and connectedness. This is especially important at a time when many are feeling isolated and alone. We want to build their strength and their resilience by encouraging them to express themselves in a safe and supportive environment. We want to help them learn how to rise strong from their past experiences and face the future with confidence. We want them to thrive instead of merely surviving.

As always, Music Therapy sessions offered group and individual music sessions and youth were invited to participate in a variety of musical activities centered on our theme. Group activities such as song-sharing and song analysis provided an opportunity for youth to listen to and discuss music that expressed how they were feeling. Many youth demonstrated the ability to think deeply and engage thoughtfully during these song-sharing activities.

Instrument learning and improvisation / jamming gave participants the opportunity to gain new skills and express themselves non-verbally. Many engaged in song writing and one young person even wrote a song to express frustration from their past. The students from BFL wanted to learn about the recording process (using a laptop with Garageband software), with the goal of recording a few songs by the end of the school year. A variety of Master Classes also took place this year. These individual sessions focused on instrument learning, creativity, and self-expression. One youth who participated in weekly piano lessons was even able to receive a Grade 10 credit in music for his efforts. Every music session is different, but when the youth step foot in the music room, they know that they can take a load off and express themselves in their truest form.

Rising Strong through Self Expression 11

The youth have experienced a lot of transitions this year. Between changes in the facilitator of the Art component and multiple shifts in the pandemic’s impact on public health measures, they have been asked to do a lot of adapting, changing and adjusting on top of their lived experience within the HomeBridge Community. While this has lessened the opportunity for our new Art Instructor to build relationships with the participants, there have still been some amazing opportunities to make connections and for the youth to explore their creativity.

In line with the theme, the Art Instructor began by meeting the youth where they are – supporting their choice and agency by exploring art activities based on their interests, and adding some extra elements to extend the creativity where some encouragement was needed. The youth’s ability to take these elements and create has been inspiring. It has led to exploring the lack of control and dynamic results of paint pouring, the high containment of wood burning and the extended augmentation of adding watercolour to the wood afterwards, as well as exploring more traditional activities such as clay and ink printing. Also, during lockdown, art kits were delivered to all programs (via the Wonder’Neath Art Kits) to encourage the youth to stay connected with their creative side despite the pause in programming.

The Expressions program runs from September to June throughout the entire HomeBridge Community. Art and Music Therapy Sessions each take place twice weekly rotating through all programs, including Bridges for Learning. Circus and Photography sessions take place once a week for 10 week blocks throughout the year. As a result of COVID-19, things looked a little different for periods of time throughout this year. The facilitators were innovative however in their methods to stay connected and keep the creativity going. Creativity is a vital element of the human experience. The self awareness, regulation, and problem solving gained through these creative endeavours are a key element in navigating the transitions that life has delivered this year.

This program is entirely funded by our donors. Thank you to the generous individuals and organizations listed below for believing in this meaningful program and making it possible for the young people who live in the HomeBridge Community.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

My favorite part of Expressions is being able to learn one-on-one and learn new things. A lot of the stuff I’ve learned I never knew how to do before.

-HomeBridge Youth

I learned that I am capable of anything when I try hard and put my mind to it.

-HomeBridge Youth

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THERAPEUTIC PROGRAMMING

The purpose of our therapeutic programming is to facilitate activities that will develop the daily living skills of the youth we serve.

Our objective is for the young people to grow and progress and to be able to adapt these learned life skills in a variety of settings.

This skill development is implemented through a unique blend of Activity Based Therapeutic Life Skill Development enriched with Service Learning opportunities. Program planning remains deeply rooted in our Care Planning Framework, which includes Mastery, Generosity, Belonging, and Independence.

What our therapeutic programming looks like is constantly evolving and changing to keep up with the latest evidence-based practices and the ever changing needs of the young people served in the HomeBridge Community. This year, however, things changed even more as we adapted and adjusted to do the best we could during a global health pandemic. The stress reduction programs, such as, sleep hygiene, aromatherapy, Heartmath (bio feedback program), meditation, yoga and Tai Chi are even more imperative as the young people learn to cope with feelings of stress and isolation while complying with the public health restrictions that were put in place. Thanks to funding from Halifax Region Children’s Aid Foundation, the youth have a steady supply of aromatherapy oils, relaxing teas, yoga mats and blankets to support their stress reduction practices and good sleep hygiene.

Our regular recreation activities at the Zatman Sportsplex has been replaced with backyard games, skipping stones and walks in the park. Social entertainment opportunities, such as movie theatre outings have been changed to renting newly released Cineplex movies, creating a backyard movie theatre and propane bonfires. We have had to get creative in our pursuit of hope, health and fun.

The Cooking Toward Independence Program funded by Halifax Region Children’s Aid Foundation, focuses on teaching the youth a variety of healthy lifestyle, food delivery and employability skills. These skills include budgeting, shopping, health, nutrition, meal preparation and food safety. A very popular part of this program is affectionately known as “Food Fridays” in the HomeBridge Community. This cooking program provides the youth with experience in food prep, planning and preparing a meal for others. Typically, the young people select their menu, plan and prepare a meal on Friday that can be enjoyed by anyone at the Reigh Allen Centre that day. Employees who take part donate $2 for their meal and this allows the young people to raise money for their chosen charity, FEED Nova Scotia, while they are learning valuable cooking skills. This program was paused periodically throughout the year depending on what public health restrictions were in place at the time, but whenever possible a version of it continue with dinning limits that supported social distancing and gathering limits at the time. Unfortunately, the service learning component of this program that allows the young people to volunteer at FEED Nova Scotia was not possible this year, but they were still able to make a financial donation through the money they gathered on Food Fridays.

Over the summer restrictions loosened a bit and we rented a van for outings. This allowed us to transport the young people while keeping within the public health restrictions. Despite the limited opportunities we still managed to provide the youth with some memorable experiences. We visited the Cat Café, wildlife parks, Oaklawn Farm Zoo and Shubenacadie Park’s off-leash dog areas in order to get some animal therapy. We enjoyed many Nova Scotian beaches, Clay Café’s take home painting kits on the picnic tables outside and some good old fashion backyard competitions. We were very pleased that some of our most popular summer activities, like deep sea fishing, Tidal Boar Rafting and go-karting, were still possible with some modifications for safety reasons. Despite the extra precautions and challenges, the young people had fun and many special memories were made.

This year’s Youth Farmer’s Market, which is funded by the Youth Development Initiative, mirrored the changing structure of most businesses. This program is based on the premise of the youth participants operating a business for a week. They are responsible for every aspect of this project including harvesting, purchasing and marketing of all produce and goods. In previous years the participants operated two separate markets throughout the week. One of the markets is set up at at the Dartmouth Senior’s Service Centre where they sell produce at a reduced cost to the seniors, and the other is community market held at Alderney Landing. Since this was not an option this year we decided to move to a pre-ordered curbside pickup model.

The young entrepreneurs were very busy prior to our trip to the Annapolis Valley securing food orders that would be filled on harvest day. The bulk of the orders were blueberries, corn, cucumbers, beans, squash, beets and onions. Moving to pre-orders turned out to be beneficial in some ways as they young people were able to harvest only what was needed and eliminate waste that would cut into their profit margin. The youth still gained experience in weighing, pricing, and calculations. What they didn’t get to experience this time was the sales pitching, bargaining and customer engagement. The new challenge however was packaging and organizing orders and they did still enjoyed interacting with the customers when they came for pick up.

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Our Annual Holiday Coffee House was unfortunately a casualty of the pandemic. This festive event typically provides an opportunity for the young people to share their talents through performances and a craft sale. In lieu of the craft show this year, the young people concentrated their efforts on creating and selling preordered seasonal crafts. It may not have had the same excitement as operating a craft show but it did teach the participants a lot about marketing and fulfilling orders.

March Break was a combination of special outings and homemade fun. The youth were able to experience a trip to Clay Café.

This was a treat because by actually going to the café they were able to access so many more tools and paint colors than we have in our art room. We also took a trip to Halifax Circus, a social program that teaches circus skills including unicycle, juggling, tightrope walking, and a variety of other challenging skills. This program is available weekly to the youth in our day program, but by going on March break young people who are typically in school during the week were able to experience it as well. The week also included indoor go-kart racing, lazer tag, lunch out and since St Patrick’s Day was included, we had a makeshift carnival where the young people participated in quizzes, puzzles, and other competitions. The week ended with a snowstorm so the young people spent their last day of festivities snuggled in their pajamas watching movies and eating takeout. For some, this was actually their favorite day.

After 11 consecutive years of leading ALATEEN at the Reigh Allen Centre every second Tuesday, facilitators Marlene Lecky and Beverly Gillis have retired. The program has now moved to an online venue. As sad as we are to lose these excellent facilitators, the upside of the program moving online is that youth can now access this support no matter where they reside.

As touched on throughout this report, the success of our therapeutic programming depends a lot on creativity, collaboration and supportive community partners. The collective focus of the components of programming offered in the HomeBridge Community is to assist the young people in developing skills to enhance their lives both now and in the future. Please see below for a more complete list of the components offered.

The 5 Agreements Personal/Moral Development Conflict Resolution- ART Aggression Replacement Training Drug and Alcohol Awareness Smoking Cessation Healthy Relationships Sexual Health Cultural Awareness Caring for Your Body (Hygiene/Puberty) Cooking Toward Independence (Nutrition, Budgeting and Culinary Skills) Self-esteem Recreation and Leisure Development Communication Skills Assertiveness Peer Pressure Understanding Your Emotions Visual Arts Music Therapy Circus Skills Development (Unicycle, Juggling, Tight Rope, Flower Sticks etc.)

Yoga Gardening Cooking with Aromatherapy Shelley is my Sleep Hygiene favorite part of Production of Natural Products (Cleaning and Personal Care Items) programming. She Tai Chi is like a second HeartMath (Bio-Feedback) mom and she Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety makes me laugh.

The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens -HomeBridge Youth The Anxiety Workbook for Teens The Anger Workbook for Teens Employability Skills, Entrepreneurial and Service Learning Volunteering with Feed Nova Scotia YWCA Discovering Life Skills What Have I Done? A Victim Empathy Program for Young People MAPSTARS Conflict Resolution – Bully Prevention Program The Six Pillars of Character Development (Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship) Respectfully Submitted Shelley Teal HomeBridge Youth Program Coordinator Dr T.C.M., Dr. A.C., R. AC

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ADVANCED TRAINING FOR BEST PRACTICE

In the HomeBridge Community we believe continued professional development is important as we strive for best practice in all areas of our work. This involves researching the latest practices for therapeutic interventions and programming for vulnerable youth as well as keeping up on the trends in all of the other professional jurisdictions that make up our team. This year employees have been involved in the following educational opportunities to keep our knowledge current and provide the best possible service:

External training: ACRC

ADP

Cultivating Safe Spaces to Address Racism What about the boys?

Building Trauma Informed Organizations Understanding Policies and Running Payroll During the Coronavirus Outbreak Year End Payroll and COVID Impacts

Association of Children's Residential Centres Essential staff in Therapeutic Residential Care Association of Fundraising Professionals Adjusting Fundraising Activities Pillars of Donor Relations Fundraising at Home Jackie Barkley Anti-Black Racism

`

Youth Care Workers are helping me to try to become a better person.

They listen to me when I talk and are supportive. I haven’t always been supported in bad situations, so that is nice.

-HomeBridge Youth

Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia Understanding Mental Health and Wellbeing Chartered Professionals in Human Resources The ‘E’ (Equity) in DE & I: Why Diversity and Inclusion Can’t Happen without it.

Annual Law Seminar Confronting Performance Issues Whistleblower 101 Compass Pharmacies / Moffat’s PharmaChoice Medication Awareness Training Naloxone Training DCS / IWK Working with Youth Who Have Been Sexually Exploited (Three Day Training including: Motivational Enhancement, Concurrent Disorders and Harm Reduction) Dr. Cathy Stewart Trauma Informed Theory Dr. Thom Garfat Supervision Coaching Consultation on Intervention Planning Integration of Circle of Courage Domains

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External training continued: Gallup ISANS

Manager Development: The Key to Resilience and Better Performance Race in the Workplace: Navigating Difficult Conversations and Leadership Leveraging your Workplace Culture

Mindwell RX Academy Naloxone Training Mount Saint Vincent University Cultural Studies on Communication and Personal Interactions Senior Seminar in Communications Nova Scotia Non-Profit COVID-19 Coalition Anti-Black Racism: A moment in Time RBC

Protecting your Business: Cybersecurity and Fraud Awareness Cyber & Payments Fraud

Saint Mary’s University Leadership Skills for New Managers

The Youth Care Workers have been motivational and I’m not shy with them anymore.

-HomeBridge Youth

Simply Good Form Beyond Binary Tony Smith Historical Account of Abuse Inside Care Facilities Springboard Weed out the Risk Traincan – the Source for Food Safety Basic Food Safety in Canada Training Grounds (James Freeman) Foundations of Relational Leadership

Internal Training: Cultural Awareness Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Basic fire safety WHMIS Introduction to Occupational Health and Safety for new employees Responsibilities of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee Cultural Awareness Non Violent Crisis Intervention - Trauma Informed Care Non Violent Crisis Intervention, Enhanced Verbal Skills: Applications of Life Space Crisis, and Advanced Physical Techniques Safety Oriented First Aid Student Advisor Training HomeBridge continues to use various video conferencing platforms to make consult, mentoring and learning opportunities possible with out of region experts at minimal cost. Whether it is one-on-one consults with experts in the field of Child and Youth Care from around the globe or group training that would typically require flights and accommodations for the facilitator, this technology has made training and consult opportunities much more feasible. This has also allowed us to continue with professional development opportunities when public health restrictions prevent us from gathering and / or traveling.

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INTERDISCIPLINARY SUPPORT TEAM

SUPERVISORY TEAM

MAINTENANCE AND HOUSEKEEPING TEAM

KITCHEN TEAM

I like meeting all the youth and making friends that have been through what I have been through.

-HomeBridge Youth

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I learned to accept people for who they are because we have all been though our own things and there is no reason to judge.

-HomeBridge Youth

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

The work we do with vulnerable youth is very important, but that does not mean it is easy. Our vision of all youth and their families living in health, safety and harmony is a lofty goal, but we believe it is one that is worth striving for and we are fortunate that others share in this vision as well. We have some incredible community partners who bring with them supports and services that we could not otherwise offer to the young people we have the privilege of serving. With the support of these partners, we feel we are closer to reaching our vision.

For eight years now CHOICES, the IWK’s Community Mental Health and Addictions Services Program, has supported our efforts to increase our capacity in concurrent disorders by sharing one of their experts with us. A Clinical Social Worker has been seconded to the HomeBridge Community in the role of Mental Health and Addictions Counselor. This partnership has provided both the youth and our Youth Care Teams with guidance in this crucial area. The counselor works directly with the youth and also consults with the Youth Care about substance use, mental health and concurrent disorders.

This invaluable resource has been a great support for everyone.

This year the IWK also supported HomeBridge to hire a Recreation Therapist to work with the youth in our programs. The majority of youth residing in the HomeBridge Community have had minimal opportunities to engage in physical activities and other programs related to wellness. The goal of the Recreation Therapist is to provide opportunities for the youth to have experiences that will contribute to their physical, emotional and spiritual well being. To continue to provide best practice for the at vulnerable youth we serve it is essential to capitalize on resources that specialize in decreasing high risk behaviours. The Recreation Therapist will work with the Youth Care Teams to provide relational solutions to engage youth in physical and other wellness activities.

door” to contribute to the project. The team in Dartmouth Crossing have supported HomeBridge through this means since it started in 2014. In recent years they have been holding two in store campaigns per year, one during the holiday season and one in the spring. Due to COVID-19, they have had to alter this campaign at times. Their holiday campaign continued this year, but out of an abundance of caution they asked that we not join them instore to support their efforts. They have also decided to delay the spring campaign until July since most of our country is currently in the middle of “wave three” and the case counts are once again high.

The family behind Links of Love also continue to provide invaluable support to our organization. Started by Sarah MacDonald-Miles, Links of Love, sells handcrafted bracelets in support of local charities. This community minded teenager, with the support of her parents, has raised thousands of dollars for charities that are close to her heart and we are very grateful to be one of those chosen organizations. Her efforts have helped to ensure that our Holidays of Hope Campaign is successful and also that we can provide therapeutic programming for the young people.

We truly could not do the meaningful work we do without the support of the community partners mention here hand everyone else who shares their time, talent, or financial support with us. We continue to be grateful for everyone who contributes to our vision. Together we are changing the lives of vulnerable youth in our province.

We are also incredibly fortunate to have partners in the community who want to help us raise the funds needed to make many of our therapeutic, life-skills programs possible. The Home Depot, Dartmouth Crossing has supported us through The Home Depot Canada Foundation’s Orange Door Project for a number of years. This campaign raises money to provide vulnerable youth with the housing, support and hope they need to live safe, healthy and productive lives through a number of initiatives. Their efforts includes an instore campaign where customers can purchase an “orange

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SHARING OUR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

HomeBridge has been providing therapeutic services for vulnerable youth for more than four decades. We have employees that have been with the organization for decades and some who are only at the beginning of their career with us. All of them bring different experience and expertise to the work we do and this is something we are happy to share as we help to build capacity in the professionals of tomorrow. Offering student placement opportunities is one of the many ways that we try to give back and support the profession of Child and Youth Care. This is equally important to us as those just starting their careers in this field have fresh perspectives and new insights to share with us as well. The knowledge sharing and learning goes both ways.

HomeBridge offered placements to 12 students looking to gain some hands on experience in human services this year. As always, each student was matched with a HomeBridge Student Field Advisor to guide them on their educational journey and ensure their individual learning objectives were met. This year’s student placements came from the following institutions and programs: Nova Scotia Community College, Ivany Campus - Child and Youth Care Nova Scotia Community College, Truro Campus - Child and Youth Care HomeBridge employees also contributed their time and talents by sitting on the following Boards and Committees outside of the organization: Relational Child and Youth Care Practice Journal Board NSCC Child and Youth Care Practice Provincial Advisory Committee (CYCP-PAC) Curriculum Advisory Board: Holland College Child & Youth Care Worker Program International Child & Youth Care Network Board (CYC-Net) Gordon Foundation for Children and Youth Board

Project Management Institute, Nova Scotia Chapter Association of Fundraising Professionals, Nova Scotia Chapter CPA Canada (Chartered Professional Accountants) CPANS (Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia) Nova Scotia Child and Youth Care Workers Association Chartered Professionals of Human Resources Association of Nova Scotia (CPHR Nova Scotia) Trafficking an Exploitation Service System (TESS) Canadian Welfare League of Canada Association of Children’s Residential Centers International Child and Youth Care Network (CYC Net)

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Sign created for Bridges for Learning Students

Memberships:

IN THE COMMUNITY

In the past year, more than ever, we have heard a lot about how we are “all in this together”. This may be true, but all of us take different paths and face different challenges in our journey through life and sometimes we need to be reminded of the power of connection and community.

We believe that open communication can break down many of the barriers that divide us. The youth served in HomeBridge’s facilities come to us for a variety of reasons, but what they share in common is they have all experienced significant trauma.

Nothing about their current living situation is normal. For this reason, it is important for them to live in a typical looking home, in a typical neighbourhood. This helps to create some normalcy in their lives and also helps them experience the sense of belonging that comes with being part of a community. We have highly trained employees who are with the young people around the clock to help them work through their pain and sadness. Healing from complex trauma however takes time and understanding. We take our responsibility to be good neighbours very seriously. For this reason we make an effort to connect with those who live around our facilities and make every effort to lessen any impact our work could possibly have on them.

Every year we produce a Report to the Community which is typically hand delivered to the neighbours who surround all of our facilities to keep them informed about the happenings in and around the HomeBridge Community. This is an important part of our neighbourhood relations strategy as we truly value the opportunity to connect with members of the community and to hear their feedback. The report which includes information on our programs and what is happening in and around the HomeBridge Community. Over the past year visiting our neighbours has not been possible due to the spread of COVID-19, therefore we had to simply deliver the report and encourage them to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. This is not our preferred method of connecting, but it is the socially responsible thing to do for now. We look forward to meeting with everyone when it is once again safe to do so.

WORKING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC During this challenging and unprecedented time, the health and safety of everyone in the HomeBridge Community continues to be our number one priority. As a residential care provider for vulnerable youth in this province, we have had to forge on and adapt our practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19 while we continue to support the young people who live in our facilities.

Since the beginning, we have carefully monitored the progression of this situation and closely followed the recommendations of our public health authorities. We continue to take every measure possible to support our employees as well as the young people as we navigate this ever-changing situation. At times, when cases were high and public health restrictions were tighter as a result, we had to temporarily suspend programs that gather youth and outside facilitators together. Our on-site school program, Bridges for Learning, moved to online learning during these times as well and we took steps to restrict visitors and reduce overall traffic in our facilities.

Working in residential care during this health crisis is not easy, but our Youth Care Teams have embraced the challenge and their passion for supporting youth has never been stronger. The creative approaches that are being taken are truly inspiring.

We continue to adapt our practices in an effort to provide the young people with the best services possible. Mask wearing, sanitizing and social distancing have become part of our regular routines. An electronic bulletin board has been used to keep all employees up to date with the latest information from public health. Everyone in the HomeBridge Community is also encouraged to make asymptomatic testing part of their regular routine. We worked with the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the IWK to set up mobile testing within our organization to support this practice. A number of on-site testing clinics were held at the Reigh Allen Centre for employees and residents that are not able to make it out to the permanent testing sites.

Like everyone, we look forward to resuming our usual operations, but in the meantime we are doing our very best to keep everyone safe and happy. We are grateful that Nova Scotia managed the pandemic fairly well until “wave three” and have faith that if we all continue to follow the recommendations of the public health authorities we will get through this together.

Wash your hands, wear a mask and be kind to one and other.

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OUR CORNERSTONE PARTNERS

Department of Community Services - fund HomeBridge’s operating budget St. Paul’s Home Board - own Sullivan House, Jubien House and Cogswell House Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal - own Johnson House and the Reigh Allen Centre Department of Education - fund two Teaching positions for our school program, Bridges for Learning

DONATIONS/ FUNDRAISING - FISCAL 2020/2021 General Donations................................................................................ $ 18,225 Holidays of Hope (Including St. Paul’s Christmas for Youth).......................... $ 17,556 Recreation Program.............................................................................. $ 15,073 Expressions Program of the Arts............................................................... $ 18,354 Bridges For Learning (Department of Education grant)............................... $140,000 HomeBridge received/fundraised over $209,208 in fiscal 2020/2021

HOMEBRIDGE YOUTH SOCIETY ANNUAL STATISTICS Facility Placements of Youth from Outside the Central Region - 32 total individuals

Individual Youth per Department of Community Services Region or Child Welfare Agency Residing in Facilities - 79 Total

15%

Mi'Kmaw Family and Children Services

9%

(7 Individuals)

7%

Reigh Allen Centre (23)

28%

Long Term Facilities (9)

Central Region (40 Individuals)

18%

Western Region (14 Individuals)

51%

72%

Eastern Region (6 Individuals) Northern Region (12 Individuals)

79 individual youth were served during 2020/2021, however there were 106 total youth admissions to all facilities, which includes a number of youth who had multiple admissions and were served by more than one HomeBridge facility.

Average Length of Stay Requiring Emergency Stabilization at the Reigh Allen Centre (RAC)

40 604 Sullivan

500

397

400 300 200 100 0

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219

Johnson Hawthorne

185

Jubien Cogswell

31

30 Days

Days

600

36

35 25 20 15 10 5 0

RAC Cedars Unit

700

40

RAC Maples Unit

766

800

RAC Birches Unit

Average Length of Stay in Residential Care - Long Term Homes

HOMEBRIDGE YOUTH SOCIETY OPERATING STATEMENT UNAUDITED - For the year ended March 31, 2021

REVENUES

ACTUAL 2021

BUDGET 2021

ACTUAL 2020

$ 7,082,743

$ 7,246,909

$ 6,831,285

Per diem (occupancy)

950,256

1,047,278

886,172

Retroactive monies

339,732

-

-

25,000

-

-

Funder reimbursements

1,466

-

23,195

Investment income

6,769

-

25,278

Grants

Temporary wage subsidy (TWSE)

Donations

EXPENSES

Wages & benefits

18,225

-

5,495

8,424,191

8,294,187

7,771,425

6,766,635

7,639,293

6,702,761

Retroactive wages and benefits

339,732

-

-

Food

155,318

155,001

151,982

Office

103,099

38,250

125,660

Repair & maintenance

155,958

83,000

135,236

Light, Power, Cable

94,034

82,601

80,644

Professional services fees

94,749

32,810

64,786

Household & cleaning supplies

51,213

26,100

39,889

Household furnishings

41,332

14,213

36,463

Travel

52,373

51,401

57,522

Insurance

55,283

40,500

44,918

Fuel

24,211

39,500

35,318

Youth Life Skills Programming

31,361

14,619

18,900

Telephone

33,736

23,999

27,604

Staff Training

20,601

23,200

30,974

Water

12,003

11,999

12,792

Pharmacy

11,390

8,701

8,423

7,068

4,000

6,766

-

5,000

-

1,413

-

6,353

Total Expenses

8,051,509

8,294,187

7,586,991

Net Income (loss)

$ 372,682

$-

$ 184,434

Property Taxes Psychological testing materials Board development

For a copy of HomeBridge Youth Society's audited financial statements please contact Colleen Clark, CPA, CA HomeBridge Director of Finance at (902) 466-1439 x 224 or cclark@homebridgeyouth.ca

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HOMEBRIDGE DONOR LIST - FISCAL 2020/2021 Accutive Valerie Allard Anonymous Arthur J. Gallagher Canada Ltd. Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance - Halifax Staff Account Athens Restaurant Bake My Day Courtney Barbour Lori Barker Sandra & Kevin Barratt Robert Bartlett Craig Betts Ashley Blissett Robert & Patricia Boulton Paul & Louise Bourbonnais Alex Bruce Bev Budden Maggie Burton Tammy Campbell Jennifer Campbell Canada Helps Canadian Coast Guard Canadian Tire - Chain Lake Drive Halifax Todd Caruthers Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership Clintar Landscape Management Compass Distillers Compass Pharmacies Congregation of Notre Dame Visitation Province Centre Carole Cooper Credit Union Atlantic Jackie Crouse CUPE Local 4471 Tim David Audrey Davison Lyndon Deslauriers Verna Docherty Sara Drisdelle Eastern Passage Education Centre - We Act Committee Allison Edwards Shelley Farguson Kenneth Foran Jessica Dawn George Tanya Godin Shirley Graham Nicholas Graham Gratitude at Work Green Shield Canada and the Community Foundation Gerrie Grevatt Halifax Air Traffic Control Tower Staff - Nav Canada Halifax Region Children's Aid Foundation Halifax Youth Foundation Hartman/Matthews Family Trust Hawthorne Elementary School Terry Higgins Home Depot Canada Foundation IG Wealth Management Matching Gift Program IMP Solutions Kay & Tom Inkpen IODE Mary Lawson Chapter

Brooke Ireland Lisa Jackson Kellye C. Johnston Peggy Keating Cathy Keating & Mike Foran Cabrini Kelly Brian Kelly Karen Kirk Shauna Krasuski Kelly Lawrence Krista Lawrence Stu Lawrie Darlene Laybolt Links of Love Joanne MacDougall Leanne MacKenzie Joan MacKinnon Olive MacPhee Kelli Matthews Leanne McCarron Robyn McGregor Erin Miller Pam Mountan Thomas Munro Diane Murchison Sara Napier & Family Beth Newman Nan Nichols Christina Norman Nova Scotia Association of Realtors Nova Scotia Insurance Women's Association Tanya Ozard PayPal Giving Fund Canada Lisa Peck Darlene Petipas PSAC Young Workers Committee Halifax Queensberry Rules Boxing RBC - Royal Bank of Canada RBC Tacoma Eric Richards Claire Richardson Rudy's Catering Scotiabank Bedford Commons Tara Spurr St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church St. Paul's Home Stars of Tomorrow Dance Academy Renee Stevens Stone Pizza Carla Taylor Touch of Gold Employees Michele Trider Ultramar United Way Halifax Patricia Vardy Carrie Lynn Wall Linda Wilson Tara & Ryan Wood David Woodford Helen Wright

Thank you to those who contributed to the Annual Report:

Thank you to all who donated!

Peter Wong, Ernie Hilton, Renee Stevens, Caroline Moore, Jackie Woodford, Colleen Clark, Carol Lethbridge, Tanya Shaw, Shelley Morgan, Anna Plaskett, Evie Dunville, and Margaret Lawton.