Community Recreation & Wellness

The Community Recreation and Wellness Centres’ offer a variety of programs and services to support individuals to remain healthy in the community. This past year has introduced new programs, new team members, re-established relationships with community partners/funders, and forged new ones. Throughout the year, we supported our members to get back to participating in community outings and offered programs in the community. Members walked in the Pride Parade, visited the Black Cultural Centre, and enjoyed an afternoon at the Lieutenant Governors’ annual tea. At Ward 5 Community Centre, we have been offering a weekly Pilates class.

In collaboration with community groups and our internal departments, we are bringing back community integrated programming. Prescott Group has been hosting a weekly tea at our Almon Street location; MacPhee Centre for the Arts and the Second Chances Band have performed at our Halifax location; and Mocean Dance has been offering a free weekly dance program. We are also excited to have Spira, Choirs for Change, join us this summer for a weekly choir rehearsal at our Halifax site. In partnership with Chebucto Links, we have been offering a weekly yoga class virtually and have increased virtual program offerings across the sites.

Through grants and other financial supports, new programs and infrastructure projects were made possible. The Pauline Potter Fitness Centre was able to replace most fitness equipment with newer, safer models, and the Bedford Community Garden beds were completely replaced with sustainable materials in 2023. In 2023 Northwood added to our environmental stewardship commitment by partnering with Alveole and adding a working beehive to our beautiful community garden at our Bedford Campus.

A specialized Music Therapy program to support isolated seniors living in community settings was introduced in Halifax and Bedford. A special thanks to the Mental Health Foundation of NS for supporting the music therapy program and to the Province of Nova Scotia, Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage for supporting the Live More Community Garden replacement project.

Volunteer Services

Volunteers strengthen the fabric of our community. As restrictions have lessened, Volunteer Services has been able to welcome volunteers back to the campuses in a variety of roles. In 2022, Volunteer Services was able to successfully reinstate most of their volunteer lead programs that had been paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2023 for Volunteer Appreciation week, the team was able to host appreciation lunches for our very dedicated volunteers. As of May 2023, we are excited to be welcoming back the Leadership Class from Charles P. Allen High School to our Bedford Campus as volunteers.

While, volunteer hours have been steadily increasing, we are also looking to the future in how we support recruitment and retention of volunteers. As part of the strategy, we applied for and were the successful recipient of the Community Services Recoveries Fund. The fund will support a review of Northwood’s current processes, look to industry trends and provide a road map for growth.