Issue 58 April & May 2018 Volunteers • sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com where we celebrate the good news from our communities in Saint John NB
Cheers for the volunteers
Steven Wills, a returning Saint Johner now helping newcomers to the city
The Crescent Valley Community Tenants Association has been working in the community for over 25 years (photo by Debbie McLeod)
by Debbie McLeod, Community Involvement Coordinator with Social Development Housing Thank you all so much for volunteering! The world is very rarely changed by just one person; instead it’s the collective efforts of a group of committed individuals, working together, that makes the difference. When you get to work with people who are so passionate about their ideas and their communities, this is when you have the biggest impact. I am so fortunate to work with people every day who are passionate, committed, selfless, creative and energetic. For that I am very thankful. Thank you all for allowing me to be part of your team. I am looking forward to many more years of working and volunteering together so we can continue to grow and strengthen our communities. Thank you for all you do.
by Valentin Boinitski Steven Wills is a native of Saint John, who recently returned to Canada after fifteen years in South Korea where he worked as an English teacher and consultant. As a volunteer at the Saint John Newcomers Centre, Steven leads English language groups and helps with other projects too. In Korea, Steven taught students ranging from kindergarten to corporate CEOs with the same enthusiasm regardless of whether he was teaching a phonics class or a program of cultural sensitivity for international business.
Coordinator’s Comments Juanita Black, 647-4850, sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com
Now that he has returned to Canada, Steven looks forward to continuing his passion for helping others.
Welcome to issue 58 of Around the Block and our theme of “Volunteers”. The 16 pages of this issue are full of stories from across our communities and from our partners that celebrate our amazing volunteers. Many of our communities depend tremendously on the hours volunteers give to events that might take place on weekends or holidays, events that might not otherwise take place. Volunteers working side by side with staff bring many smiles to the faces of participants who enjoy celebrations from barbecues, to Pass Port to Parks and bike rodeos, to name a few. At this time of the year we are preparing our taxes. Remember when you file your annual income tax and benefit return, you may be eligible to receive benefits or credits, which would include GST/HST Credit, Canada Child Benefit, School Supplement Benefit and or the Canada Learning Bond. And you need not worry about paying to get your taxes completed if you make under $30,000. per year. There are many free tax clinics across the city. Call one of the community groups listed in Around the Block. That is where I had my return done and guess what, the clinic are run by volunteers.
Proud Sponsors of Around The Block
Steven Wills (photo by Valentin Boinitski)
The return of community policing by Penni Eisenhauer and Mary LeSage The neighbourhoods are pleased to announce the return of our community police unit. In the past several months the Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG), which comprises leadership from the five focus neighbourhoods and partnership with the Saint John Human Development Council (SJHDC), advocated on behalf of our low income residents to the city of Saint John the importance and value of this unit. Two important aspects of our advocacy were to create an advisory committee to the police commission and to have the community officer terms extended to five years. We are happy to say this has been achieved. We are meeting regularly with the advisory committee in hopes in future that community policing will be held in high regard in future decisions that impact our residents.
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