February 2012 Insert - Annual Report 2011

Annual Report 2011

A Word from the Chair ››

Lisa Matthaus

completely revamped our website as well as created a social media presence in the past year. We are now on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Issuu with Fernwood NRG content – these channels, in addition to the Village Vibe all help us get out our message to the neighbourhood and the world.

The past year was one of community development and outreach.

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he following is a report on Fernwood NRG’s activities and accomplishments in 2011. The past year was one of community development and outreach. In the summer of 2010 we opened our outreach office at 1313 Gladstone and have now had a street presence in Fernwood for over a year. For the first time, we’ve been available for casual meetings, questions, and drop-ins in the heart of the neighbourhood, which has allowed us to meet more of our neighbours than when we were hidden away in the Community Centre.

We have created a very solid fundraising and fun-raising weekend in FernFest and Fernwood Bites. The summer of 2010 was

the first time we combined these events in the square but I can say with certainty that it’s here to stay. This past summer, FernFest was definitely an amazing event enjoyed by an estimated 4,000 people over the course of the weekend, and Fernwood Bites was another great success. Over the course of the weekend, we raised nearly $15,000 to support the work of Fernwood NRG. We have increased programming at the Community Centre with a wide range of activities available almost every day of the week. Last fall we offered 31 regular registered or drop-in programs at the Centre at all hours of the day, 6 days a week.

We have also expanded the ways we communicate with you and with others. We

In the last year, we have had a huge amount of cooperation from the City of Victoria with respect to re-investment in the Community Centre. The Community Centre has been fully painted inside, and the downstairs kitchen has been renovated to be more functional. We are also very grateful to the City for their work and investment in upgrading the intersection and curb in front of the Cornerstone Café last fall. Since spring, the Cornerstone Café has had a sidewalk patio as well as a patio in the alley behind, both of which have enhanced Fernwood’s living room even further.

Two great events in the past year were the Visioning Forum last March, and the

Pole Painting Project in May. The visioning forum saw 120 Fernwoodians come together for a day to discuss the future of the neighbourhood (see article on p.4 of this report). Some ideas from that day have already taken shape. The newly formed Fernwood Business Association was an idea discussed during the day, as was pole painting. The Pole Painting Project was hosted by Fernwood NRG, Beth Threlfall, and the Paint Box School of Art in May, and brought out 300 people to paint over 100 poles in the neighbourhood.

A more recent development is that we have created a stand-alone subsidiary business, Fernwood NRG Holdings Inc. to take over the day to day operations of the Cornerstone Café. This was done in order to remain in compliance with Canadian tax laws as they pertain to charities, and the subsidiary remains wholly owned

by Fernwood NRG. We don’t expect anyone has noticed any changes to the quality of the coffee, the friendly service, or neighbourhood vibe of the Café, nor should it cause any changes in the future.

For me, these are a few of the highlights of the past year. I’d like to thank my colleagues on the Board of Directors, our members and volunteers, and our committed staff for working day in day out for the neighbourhood to make it better for all of us.

2011 Annual Report

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Report on our Principles & Values 2011 In 2005, Fernwood NRG adopted our Declaration of Principles & Values which have guided our work since then. The following report outlines how our efforts in the past year have advanced these principles & values on behalf of the neighbourhood.

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WE are committed to creating a socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable neighbourhood.

Sustainability is a difficult concept to grapple with. It’s impossible to prove something is sustainable, except by looking backward. Institutions, organizations and civilizations that have survived a long time are evidence that the people involved (maybe even multiple generations) have figured out how to get this far—but in and of itself, that is not proof they will continue on indefinitely. Times change, and most organizations and institutions (and even most civilizations) eventually disappear, some “with a bang” and some “with a whimper.”

One key idea for sustainability is that to survive and thrive, one must be open to change in response to changing circumstances. To be sure though, that in changing, we don’t lose sight of our purpose or our essential character, it helps to codify those “timeless” ideas in Principles and Values. And in order that these Principles and Values remain the living spirit that moves us to action, it’s helpful (at least once a year) to measure ourselves against them.

That’s the purpose behind this report—to report back to the neighbourhood on how we feel we are upholding our promise to you as laid out in our Principles and Values.

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WE are committed to ensuring neighbourhood control or ownership of neighbourhood institutions and assets.

Throughout 2011, we have worked in partnership with the City of Victoria to make numerous improvements to the Fernwood Community Centre (operated by Fernwood NRG) which have extended the life of the building. These include replacing the floors through the entire building and repainting a number of rooms, modernizing the paint palette and generally making the facility more welcoming. We continue to work with the City of Victoria to ensure the Fernwood Community Centre is wellmaintained for a long life of service to the neighbourhood.

In the 2010/11 fiscal year, Fernwood NRG invested $29,042 in capital assets, much of which was replacement of worn equipment and furnishings, but which also included the addition of a deck (an outdoor play space) to our Infant & Toddler Childcare, and the improvement of the seating in the alley behind the Cornerstone Cafe.

We also retired $21,681 of debt (principal) related to the mortgages on our properties (1222 Yukon and 1301-13 Gladstone).

Overall, our assets declined by 1.3% or $41,353 in the last year. This is mainly due to the fact that our capital assets depreciated

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2011 Annual Report

slightly more than we were able to reinvest given the resources available. Although we would like to see our assets grow year over year, we book almost $75,000 in depreciation each year, making it hard to re-invest enough to overcome depreciation.

Also, we did not have any major development projects running in the past year, and it is development projects that lead to growth in our assets. On the flip side, our liabilities also shrank by $41,788. We are slowly reducing the outstanding principal portion of our mortgages.

The end result is that our Net Assets are essentially unchanged ($971,758) in the past fiscal year. However, one concern is that our Unrestricted Net Assets (in essence, our working capital) has been more or less at breakeven for the past two years. This is due to our decision in the previous two years to reinvest back into our programs as quickly as we had resources available. We will, however, need to rebuild our working capital in future years in order to ensure the long term sustainability of the organization.

Our financial statements for the 2010/11 fiscal year are available at www.fernwoodnrg.ca/financials11.

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WE are committed to using our resources prudently and to becoming financially self-reliant.

In the 2010/11 fiscal year, our revenues grew by 6.8% or $104,045, year over year. This growth was driven almost entirely by sales in the Cornerstone Café, while program revenues were down slightly in a continually challenging fiscal environment. It was this incredible growth in the sales of the Café that led us to the decision to formally separate the business operations of the Café from the core of the organization in order to comply with Canada Revenue Agency guidelines around charities and business operations.

In the past year, we continued to find ways to cut costs in insurance, office, and professional fees, while reinvesting in program expenses and wages, salaries, contracts and benefits. This led to growth in expenses of 6.3%, somewhat lower than the growth in revenues.

Overall, we realized a modest income from operations (approximately 0.6% of revenues).

Normally, this would produce a deficit after the amortization of our capital assets and the deferred contributions related to those assets, but last year Fernwood NRG settled an outstanding legal matter that resulted in a significant financial benefit to the organization.

In future years, we need to be generating more income from operations in order to repay our mortgages and allow for replacement of our capital assets. We are aware of this challenge and have been actively working to increase revenues and further pare unnecessary expenses.

Our financial statements for the 2009/10 fiscal year are available at www.fernwoodnrg.ca/ financials10.

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WE are committed to the creation and support of neighbourhood employment.

Fernwood NRG employs nearly 45 people which represents close to 25 full-time positions. In all, 92 people were paid for work with Fernwood NRG in 2011, many of whom live in the neighbourhood. We settled into our 1313 Gladstone Avenue office, with three of us working there full-time along with two student positions throughout the year. At the Community Centre, we

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had a more than 10 students working with us for parts of 2011, each gaining valuable work experience and learning what it’s like to work in a neighbourhood-based organization. In the past year, we added a full-time position in communications and event planning, meaning we’ve added to our capacity to keep the neighbourhood informed and engaged.

WE are committed to engaging the dreams, resources, and talents of our neighbours and to fostering new links between them.

Fernwood NRG hosted the second Neighbourhood Visioning Forum in March 2011 (see “Perspectives from an attendee” on p. 4). At our last forum in 2004, some ideas that came up were to purchase the boarded-up and graffiti-bedecked building in the heart of the neighbourhood (we did—it’s called the Cornerstone Building now), to open a Community Café (we did—the Cornerstone Café), encourage more affordable housing (we went one better than just encouraging and have built ten three-bedroom affordable rental units since 2006), and many more.

This time, we heard a lot more about the general business environment and the need for cooperation (a new business association has already formed), as well as the ongoing need for affordable housing, and

the desire for greater food security. There were far more ideas that day than there is space here to print, so if you missed the day you can learn more by going to www. fernwoodnrg.ca/fernwood-nrg-events/ neighbourhood-visioning-forum/. We’ve

already moved to put some of the ideas into action, but stay tuned as we move on opportunities to do more as resources permit.

Last year, we also hosted the second annual Fernwood Bites fundraiser in Fernwood Square. This hugely successful event showcased the talents of local chefs and was a great demonstration of cooperation between Fernwood NRG, neighbourhood businesses, and countless volunteers. The event raised almost $15,000 to support our continued work in the neighbourhood.

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WE are committed to taking action in response to neighbourhood issues, ideas, and initiatives.

In the past year, Fernwood NRG organized the Swap n’ Shop as an effort to encourage people in the neighbourhood to “recycle” their used goods. In part, we were motivated by the amount of waste created by the dumping of used goods (especially in Fernwood Square). Although a number of residents took advantage of the giant indoor “garage sale,” it didn’t quite catch on in the way we had hoped. Sometimes, when you’re committed to taking action, you don’t quite get it right the first time. So you take your lessons and move on. We did learn that nowadays, most people are more comfortable swapping used goods online. We also learned that dumping is dumping, and the people who dump aren’t likely to take advantage of a used goods exchange like the Swap n’ Shop no matter what.

Nonetheless, no doubt you’ve noticed there is a lot less dumping in the square. That’s because the newly formed Fernwood Business Association has taken responsibility for keeping it clean. Be sure to thank a Fernwood merchant when you see them!

Of course, if you’re committed to taking action, it’s important to succeed once in a while too! Who could forget the hugely successful Pole-Painting Day in May, where 300 people came out to paint over 100 utility poles, mostly along Fernwood Road and Gladstone Avenue? While poles without art, or those painted over in a neutral colour are an ongoing target for graffiti and vandalism, almost all of the artistically painted poles are still in good shape. We will be organizing this event again this year on May 26th (which will involve touching up the ones that have been tagged, as well as painting some other streets), so come out and get involved.

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WE are committed to governing our organization and serving our neighbourhood democratically with a maximum of openness, inclusivity and kindness.

Fernwood NRG’s membership is open to anyone 14 years old and older who lives in Fernwood. The Board of Directors of Fernwood NRG is drawn from the membership, meaning Fernwood NRG is run by and for residents of Fernwood, and cannot be controlled by non-residents. There is no fee to join Fernwood NRG, so there is no financial barrier to membership. This is our third year of distributing our Annual Report through the Village Vibe so that it gets to every household in the neighbourhood. We are doing this again this year to continue to raise awareness in the neighbourhood of who we are and what we do.

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WE are committed to developing the skills, capacity, self-worth, and excellence of our neighbours and ourselves.

Last year we told you that we were putting out the call for volunteers to help with events. Well we did, and you responded!

Volunteers provided hundreds of hours of support for neighbourhood activities, beginning with the Swap n’ Shop in January, to the Neighbourhood Visioning Forum in March, to Pole Painting in May, and FernFest and Fernwood Bites in June.

We couldn’t have done any of those things without the willing support of nearly 100 people who helped us through the year.

Of course, we also have many regular volunteers at the Community Centre who help us with all of our regular programming, including the good folks from Garth Homer who come every week to help with landscape maintenance and toy-washing.

We’re now at the point where we will be calling for volunteers on a regular basis to help us with hosting events, coordinating activities, and taking on projects. This is a huge inflection point for the neighbourhood, because with a large group of committed volunteers, many incredible projects become possible that would never happen if they could only be completed with paid staff. If you’re keen to help us continue the transformation of the neighbourhood, watch the notice boards, the Village Vibe and our website for volunteer opportunities. Or better yet, become a member of Fernwood NRG at www.fernwoodnrg.

WE are committed to focusing on the future while preserving our neighbourhood’s heritage and diversity.

The past year was one in which we spent a lot more time “focusing on the future” than we did “preserving our heritage and diversity.” We didn’t have a major development project ongoing in the past year, and so didn’t have an opportunity to manifest our commitment to heritage in a physical sense, the way we have in previous years. This principle is really focused on continuing to move ahead without diminishing what we’ve already got. It’s the heritage charm of Fernwood that is part of what makes it special, as well as the happy vibe that is so welcoming to all. The Neighbourhood Visioning Forum, attended by a mix of young and old, along with a solid representation from groups who are active in the neighbourhood from the SpringRidge Common gardeners to representatives from the neighbourhood churches, is probably the past year’s best expression of this principle.

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WE are committed to creating neighbourhood places that are vibrant, beautiful, healthy, and alive.

In July last year, Fernwood Square was selected as one of Spacing magazine’s Top 5 Public Spaces in Victoria. On the national list are places like Kensington Market (Toronto), the Rideau Canal (Ottawa), Mount Royal (Montreal), and the Seawall (Vancouver), to name just a few. Clearly, Fernwood Square is a pretty humble addition to the list, but

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nonetheless, we’re on it. We feel that this acknowledgement is an important recognition of all that we’ve striven to accomplish in Fernwood since our purchase of the Cornerstone Building in 2005. Hopefully as a result of this national acclaim, we won’t be overrun with tourists the way some of the higher profile locations on the list are.

AND, most of all, WE are committed to having fun!

The Swap n’ Shop, the Neighbourhood Visioning Forum, the Bubble Mob, Pole-Painting Day, FernFest and Fernwood Bites, partnering on Neighbours for Change with the Fernwood Inn… If this doesn’t sound like fun to you, we don’t know what would. The Victoria News recently said “Many of Victoria’s 13 neighbourhoods hold an annual summer festival, but none can hold a candle to the shaker known as FernFest.” It would be immodest to agree too wholeheartedly with that statement, but agree we do. Don’t miss out on the fun in 2012. Watch the Village Vibe, or www.fernwoodnrg.ca or just come on down to the Cornerstone Café to find out what’s going on. Fernwood Bites will be held June 24th in Fernwood Square. Mark your calendar now and watch for tickets to go on sale as it will sell out quickly. You won’t want to miss it!

You can support our work by joining our organization (membership is free) at www. fernwoodnrg.ca/fernwood-nrg-get-involved/become-a-member/ or by making a donation www.fernwoodnrg.ca/donate/.

ca/fernwood-nrg-get-involved/becomea-member/ and tell us what skills you can

offer as a volunteer.

2011 Annual Report

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Perspectives from an attendee ›› s a relatively new resident of Fernwood I had no idea what to expect from the Neighbourhood Visioning Forum . With coffee and croissant in hand, I began the day by moving through the various business kiosks at the event setup in a traditional ‘trade show’ format. I was enjoying the details of the Urban Village and Community Mapping initiative when a racket took my attention away.

Only in Fernwood would a lovely tin-pot and acoustic guitar Beatles cover alert us to the ‘press conference’ down below in the gymnasium. This was a fitting way to end the warm up and start the real show. In front of a large turnout, Fernwood NRG Executive Director Lee Herrin spoke directly, asking us to bring Fernwood our dreams. The floor was then handed over to Peter, an able facilitator.

One of Peter’s themes in his remarks, bringing the global down to the local, appeared to pull the whole meeting into this grandiose historical narrative. His aca-

A

demic journey into the meaning of words, such as revolution (revolving, never ending) or conversation (to dance together), furthered the idea that we were a part of a larger, shared community.

We were then asked to move to well decorated and colour-themed tables, set up into three sections each focusing on a specific type of issue: Cafe Verde (Environment), Cafe Cultura (Society) and Cafe Prospero (Economy). I grabbed my fourth cup of joe and sat down with three other strangers. All of a sudden it hit me: what do I actually want in Fernwood?

Compared to other neighbourhood’s in Victoria, I had fallen into complacency by all that Fernwood had to offer; the recent addition of a grocery store had settled my largest community complaint. But then I realized that food security was still a big issue, and that a local general practitioner would be quite useful, and that a beer and wine store was on a few other people’s minds as well... and all of a sudden we had more ideas than three 20 minute

Our Staff 2010-2011

conversations could hold. Luckily, a trusted ‘Table-Host’ got everything down. Still, the most common theme throughout the discussions was someone discovering that their idea was already in place. This was wonderful, but it also showed that communication was still a big issue even in such a small neighbourhood.

Breaking for lunch, things flowed nicely out of the cafe conversations, emboldening people to sit down and chat with more strangers. Representatives of each Cafe then attempted synthesize all of the issues in a ‘Talk Show’ on stage in front of the now-seated audience. Although helpful for summarizing, this proved difficult in expressing all of the nuanced ideas pouring out of the audience. Not by chance, large swathes of blank paper had been posted up on the walls to help with this problem. People had filled the sheets of paper, affectionately named ‘graffiti walls,’ with ideas for Fernwood’s future. Every attendee was then given three red dots, each counting as one vote, to place near

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Bailey Jensen Fariyal Karmali Mizuho Kashiwagi Nausheen Khan Moyuru Koga Alexah Konnelly Denyse Koo Ayleen Larsen Jean Lawson Sarah Laxton-Scott Lauren MacKay Sahra MacLean Shannon MacLeod Victoria McColl Danielle McInnis Kayliah McKinnon Jamille Morrison Jeremy Morrison Kate Naugler Breanna Neden Angie Nolan Sarah Anne Playle Nicole Poirier Sharon Policnick Yuri Pomeroy Jesikah Post Patrick Pouponneau Sarah Primus Phoebe Ramsay Kirsty Rankin Lenore Rankin Sean Rashleigh-Berry John Roche Lauren Rumiel Johanna Saunders Heather Schiedel Josh Schmidt

2011 Annual Report

an idea of their choosing: ‘dot-mocracy,’ as it was called. As people eagerly placed their votes and wound their way out of the Fernwood Community Centre, the day came to an end.

Only now in retrospect do I see how well organized the whole operation was.

Attendants to clear tables, ample portions of good food, note-takers ensuring our discussions weren’t lost in the heat of the moment, a simple ‘dot-mocratic’ mechanism and quaint music cues for the audience quietly kept the event on course.

Such organization and enthusiasm seems to be contagious, as I left eagerly awaiting my next opportunity to dive right back into my newly shared community!

This article was originally printed in the April 2011 special insert on the Neighbourhood Visioning Forum. The event was held on March 19th, 2011. You can find more information at www.fernwoodnrg.ca/fernwood-nrg-events/ neighbourhood-visioning-forum/ and please email any ideas to vision@fernwoodnrg.ca.

Our Supporters Aubergine Specialty Foods

Garde Collins

Renaissance Wine

Averill Creek

Garth Homer Society

Merchants

BC Gaming Branch

Gower Design Group

School District # 61

The Belfry Theater

Hilary’s Cheese

Sea Cider

Beth Threlfall

Industry Canada

Silk Road

Blanshard Community Centre

Inoui Design Collective

SOMA Active Health

Kulu Restaurant

Spinnakers

La Piola

Sprott Shaw

Landeca

St. Patrick’s School

Café Bliss Maia Anstey Shohei Arato Cheyenne Arnason Germaine Asplin Christian Baerike Nicole Ballard Alison Barnett Shonna Bell Sina Betschart Pamela Beyer Natalie Bishop Fiona Bongarts Elena Clark Jenna Cotton Ashleigh Cyr Mila Czemerys Caroline Derksen Jasmine Dixon Breanne Dry Lanna Duffy Sherrie Dunlop Ona Dunn Claire Eide Greg Enkel Domonique Fenton Pauline Flebbe Steve Fosker David Gilchrist Dee-Ann Gordon Celine Grandbois Jerry Hayes Lee Herrin Janice Hoffman Melissa Hotar Chris Howard Olivia Hurst Amy Ingram

Tanner Oscapella

Leah Seltzer Nicole Setka Harry Siegel Sean Solberg Staci Sten Judy Swanston Steven Taddei Debra Tattersall Shelly Taylor Talia Turner Kathleen Unfreed Shannon Vickers Vladimir Vukmirovich Janet Walker Naomi Walmsley Robyn Watt Caitlin Webb Kara Webster Samantha Wylie Caitlin Wynne Current Board Members

Lisa Matthaus Caitlin Davies Paula DeBeck Matt Takach Kelsey Singbeil Tony Nelson Andrea Scott Outgoing Board Members

Lauren Warbeck Steve Parr Simon Nattrass

Camosun College Canada Helps

The Little Piggy

Stage Small Plates

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Little Thai Place

and Wine Bar

Canada Summer Jobs

Mike Demers

Stir it Up

Charelli’s Cheese Shop & Delicatessen

Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development

Studio 1284

Ministry of Children and Family Development

The Superior

Monthly Donors

Thrifty Foods

Moon Under Water Brewpub

University of Victoria

Christine Lintott Architect City of Victoria Coalition of Neighbourhood Houses Cold Star Foods Community Action Program for Children Cornerstone Cafe

Oak Bay Bistro Oak Bay Kiwanis

Darband Tea House

Obara & Co Chartered Accountants

Devour

Paladin Security Group

Discovery Coffee

The Paint Box School of Art

Dogwood Initiative Enterprising Non-profits Fernwood Bites Silent Auction Donors Fernwood Coffee/ The Parsonage Cafe Fernwood Inn Fernwood Urban Village

Success By 6

Telus Mobility

Vancouver Island Health Authority V.E.M.A. Victoria Firefighters Foundation Victoria Spirits Victoria High School

Paprika Bistro

Village Vibe Advertisers

Peacock & Martin Imports

Wildfire Bakery

Pedersen’s Rentals

Woodward and Company

Phillips Brewing Company

YMCA

Public Health Agency of Canada

Zamian Parsons (Pemberton Holmes)

Queen Alexander Centre for Children’s Health

And a BIG thank you to all our volunteers!