Aunt Leah's Society values all of the donors and volunteers who contribute to our endeavors. It is our intention to profile donors and volunteers on an ongoing basis.

Profile of a Donor:

Lois Walker

Lois Walker is a long-time supporter of Aunt Leah's Independent Lifeskills Society. Aunt Leah's Society values that support very much, and wanted to ask Lois the reasons that she has continued to donate to Aunt Leah's so consistently over the years.


"I've been watching Aunt Leah's for a long time," she says. "I have always appreciated the creativity, the spirit that says we can find our way through difficult things."

"I enjoy all of the ideas that germinate-from the mobile coffee carts, to the tree lot to the art studio or the drama program." Lois is a Marriage and Family Therapist with an office in St. Augustine's Church. From this office she saw the beginnings of the Aunt Leah's Restaurant Training and Community Meal program, as well as the drama program that was held in the church.

She remembers the growth of the community meal and how it contributed to the community as a whole. "A wonderful mix of strength and frailty," is how she remembers the atmosphere of the meals. "I appreciated the hospitality and the effort to make this a welcoming environment to people."

"Aunt Leah's is the best of non-profit. They are both entrepreneurial and they experience all of the avenues and resources to stay viable," she says.

In her work, Lois sees a range of people including those who are really struggling to those who are just trying to see their way through a marriage or how to raise a child. Her work allows her to see the struggle that many vulnerable youth have within their families.

"I have also appreciated the kind of respect Aunt Leah's has for people with pretty rough stories who work right alongside the others," Lois says. "Everybody has something to contribute."

"What I find remarkable about Aunt Leah's is the leadership," she says. "Part of what I think has set Aunt Leah's apart is a very clear vision and a very committed group of people who have supported that vision.

They bring such a solid commitment to that, and their children and their spouses are also bringing that vision." "There's a lot of laughter in this organization," she remembers. "I think that is a sign of a healthy organization, and that is not to say there haven't been a lot of challenges. You are working with the most impoverished people and it can be very hard to keep hope and perspective."

"That's why I support Aunt Leah's-it's tangible, I know these people, the work they do and the good that has come out of it," she says. "Aunt Leah's stays in excellent contact with the community and that keeps me in a personal relationship with these folks."

By Tracy Sherlock

Profile of a Donor:

Jocelyn and Walter Hill
From our Christmas 2001 Newsletter

Jocelyn and Walter Hill have been actively involved with Aunt Leah's Society for several years, both personally and through their children. The Hill family originally met Gale and Paul Stewart wehn Paul coached Nancy, the Hill's daughter, in soccer before the Aunt Leah's Society was established.

A few years later, it was Nancy who brought the family into the Aunt Leah's community in a more formal way. She was involved in a car accident that resulted in a large settlement, of which she thought it would be a good idea to donate a portion to charity. When she approached her mom about who to donate the money to, the two decided together on Aunt Leah's.

"It's easy to get involved once Gale Stewart gets a hold of you," says Jocelyn. And soon after the donation was made, the Hill family was volunteering at Aunt Leah's Tree Lot and the Aunt Leah's Gallery.

Eventually Nancy became chairperson of the Board of Directors. She moved to Paris last year, and replaced herself on the board with her brother, Graham. Two years later, Graham is now the chairperson, having taken over following Todd Walter and Harry Ng. The Hill's other child, Patrick, also volunteers for the society, putting time in at the Tree Lot every Christmas.

"We've been doing the Tree Lot since it started," says Walter. When asked what motivates them to volunteer, he continues, "It's donating right to the source that helps people. The need is right here in the community."

"The people at Aunt Leah's are so wonderful," says Jocelyn. "Everybody, starting right with Gale and her family, are such genuine, caring people." Jocelyn was an active volunteer at the Aunt Leah's Gallery on Marine Drive when it was in operation. She enjoyed the contact with the young people as well as seeing the local creations. She also worked with training young people in the coffee cart and helped to look after the garden at the Gallery.

On the subject of the Aunt Leah's Society's work with teen mothers, Jocelyn says, "These girls are probably vulnerable and open to assistance because now they've got the responsibility of their baby." She recognizes that "intervention at that early stage in a baby's life could break the cycle of poverty."

"Somebody cares about these girls - it might be for the first time. When you've got a baby,if somebody cares, I think it must touch them. If anytime they are going to change, that would be it," says Jocelyn.

Walter adds that the relevance of programs like the Restaurant Training Program is another way that Aunt Leah's serves the community. "The Restaurant Training Program gives young people an opportunity to get into the working community." he says. "You can see the results right in your own neighbourhood."

written by Tracy Sherlock

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