Fernwood NRG 2022 Annual Report

Annual Report 2022

A Word from the Chairs

Laying a solid foundation

In 2022, it seemed like our community had finally passed through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Fernwood, things were not ‘back to normal’, but new patterns began to emerge that started to feel a little bit more familiar. What remained constant before and throughout 2022 however, was the ongoing need and role for neighbourhood programming and supports for Fernwoodians and the greater Victoria community. Looking back, the year saw Fernwood NRG taking a breath, finding our footing, and rooting down to support our staff, community, and partners.

In 2022, Fernwood NRG remained steadfast in delivering programs and events that help form the fabric of our community. Throughout the year, participation in our core programs increased back to prepandemic levels, with a trajectory for even higher need into 2023.

New families continued to seek out the Best Babies program to help navigate the adventures (and challenges) of welcoming a newborn into the world. The laughs and cries of small children echoed through the play yards each afternoon from our various childcare programs. Seniors were welcomed back to the Seniors Lunch where they shared stories and saw familiar faces each week. Good Food Box volunteers continued to be an anchor for delivering

healthy fresh fruit and veggies to community members across Fernwood and Greater Victoria every Wednesday. Events like a weekly Dungeons and Dragons night, seasonal craft fairs, or Nuu Chah Nuulth Drummers night welcomed community members into the Fernwood Community Centre. And, FernFest returned! It was the community festival balm we were all looking for over the last two years.

Neighbourhood buildings have played a key role in Fernwood NRG’s history; from restoration of the Cornerstone building in the early 2000s to the construction and eventual sale of 1310 Gladstone from 2017-2021. This past year, Fernwood NRG fully said ‘goodbye’ to 1310 Gladstone, as our family programs moved out of the basement offices. This was a happy occasion however, as it marked the start of a renewed partnership with the Fernwood Community Association. Fernwood NRG is now renting office space in the FCA building at 1923 Fernwood Road. The new offices have given our programs much-needed expansion space, not to mention more comfortable working spaces for our staff and volunteers. It’s exciting to see our two community organizations working together and looking for opportunities to support each other.

The pandemic highlighted the strength and commitment of our staff to the organization and our programming. For Fernwood NRG to thrive and our programs to grow, as an organization we need to model

this strength and commitment back to our staff and community. In 2022, the organization focused on building a solid foundation from which to grow. This work, which included developing new HR and operational policies and procedures is ongoing. We are committed to making Fernwood NRG a place for our diverse staff to feel welcomed, supported and able to thrive in their careers as they make an incredible impact on our community.

This past year Fernwood NRG laid the foundation to invest and grow our organi-

zation. Looking ahead, the board and staff asked ourselves how we might engage with our staff, the community, and our partners to build a new strategic vision for the organization. This work will be a key focus for the organization in 2023. We invite you to meet with us, share your ideas, and help us shape the values and programs you think we need to help us support Fernwood and Victoria in the years to come. Stay tuned for opportunities and community conversations around Fernwood NRG’s strategic planning in the months ahead.

›› Kelsey Singbeil & Eric Swanson

Fernwood NRG Co-chairs Eric Swanson (left) and Kelsey Singbeil (right). Photo: Don Craig

A snapshot of Fernwood NRG’s work in the neighbourhood in 2022:

We provided secure affordable housing for 10 households

We packed and distributed

12,242 Good Food Boxes

We provided 105 Child Care spaces and are a $10aDay Child Care site which drops parent fees to only $200 per month

We gave 4,918 haircuts and services at Studio 1313, our social enterprise

Fernwoodians volunteered thousands of hours in programs and at events

We raised over $152,000 for the Gift of Good Food—which will provide 225 families with fresh produce for all of 2023

We distributed vegetable and herb seedlings to 112 households through Get Growing Victoria in partneship with the City of Victoria

We supported over 300 families through Best Babies & Community Programs

3 office spaces in the Fernwood Community Association

142 musicians and artists performed at FernFest 2022

We rented

We served

15,825 meals at Community Dinner, Seniors Lunch, and in our Child Care programs

A year in review

As we reflect on the past year, we are pleased to share with you our 2022 Annual Report, highlighting the successes and achievements of our organization. The amazing staff at Fernwood NRG have continued to serve and support the Fernwood community in so many ways.

We were thrilled to bring back FernFest after a two-year hiatus in 2022, and the community response was overwhelming. It was an opportunity for us to gather once again, celebrate our community spirit, and enjoy music, food, and entertainment together. On a personal note—this was my first FernFest! I felt so grateful to

Our Board

Kelsey Singbeil, Co-Chair

Eric Swanson, Co-Chair

Michael Lancaster, Vice-Chair

Rob Gillezeau, Treasurer

our team and our community for hosting such a magical event that brought so many people together.

And we kept bringing people together all year: we hosted an all-candidates meeting for the municipal elections, providing a platform for community members to engage in the democratic process and have a say in who represents them. Community dinners, seniors lunches, family services, and child care programs all brought people in our neighbourhood together each and every day.

In 2022, we also watched as the lots across the road from us transformed. The Vic High upgrades and the new

Our Funders

Justin Best, Secretary

Tonny Kiptoo, Director

Lisa Matthaus, Director

A big thank you to Jackie Robinson who stepped down from the Board in 2022.

A warm welcome Tonny Kiptoo, our new director, who stepped up to serve his neighbourhood.

Our Donors & Supporters

Executive Director

Caledonia housing project are both exciting developments for our community, and they will bring a lot of growth and changes. We are thrilled to welcome back youth to the school and the 158 families who will be moving into the Caledonia housing project.

With these significant changes happening in our community, we took the opportunity to review our “13 Guiding Principles & Values” and gather feedback from community members. The feedback indicated a need for a refresh, and we launched a strategic planning process in 2022 to redefine our Vision and Mission, as well as our values as an organization.

The new plan will focus on our role in the community for the next 5 to 10 years. We hope to “unveil” the new strategic plan at our AGM in September of this year. We are grateful for the support and dedication of our community: our community are our staff, our Board of Directors, our volunteers, our neighbours, our participants, our funders, and our supporters. It is thanks to your unwavering support and dedication that we have accomplished so much in the past year. We are excited about the future and look forward to continuing our work in building a strong, resilient, and equitable community.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the following funders in 2022:

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada

We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia

City of Victoria

Community Housing Transformation Centre

Fernwood NRG Holdings Inc.

Vancouver Island Health Authority

Mustard Seed

Vancity Community Foundation

United Way of Greater Victoria

Victoria Foundation

Community Action Program for Children

Public Health Agency of Canada

We are tremendously grateful to the following individuals and organizations for their support in 2022:

17 Black Events

7 Rays

Sage Aaron

Abigail's Hotel

Absolute Therapy

Austen Adams

Kayvan Aflaki

Dan Aire

Douglas Alexander

Alive Mindbody

Brent Alley

Marcia Anderson

Meghan Anderson

Michael Anderson

Andesign Interiors

Eric Andrusyszyn

Angels K9 Services Inc.

Torrey Archer

Artavi Skate + Snow

Aryze Developments

Shannon Ash

Jade Ashbourne

Axe and Grind

Azariah Designs Jewelry

Backpack Buddies

Christian Baerike

Jane Baigent

Elena Bailey

Donald Bain

Madeline Bakker

Ballamarama

Jesse Baltutis

Robin Bancroft-Wilson

Lauren Bard

Judy Barefoot

Paul Battin

Tania Baumfield

BC Association of Pregnancy Outreach Programs

BC Farmer's Markets

Beadworld

Stephen Bean

Bean Around the World

Patty Beatty

Beehive Wool Shop

Carla Beer-Carpenter

Belfry Theatre

Jordan Bell

Eileen Bennett

Josie Bergman

Lisa Bernardin

Justin Best

Paul Best

Big Wheel Burger

Big Wheel Community Foundation

Abigail Bigam

BIOPHILIA design collective

Catherine Blanchet

Christine & Michael Bloomfield

Celine Boisvenue

Bon Macaron Patisserie

Fiona Boothman

Trevor Brady

Mary Jo Braid

Kate Braidwood

Audrey Braun

Brewery & the Beast

Leonard Brillon

Brother Sea Productions

Peter Brown

Browns the Florist

Elysia Brunet

David Bulinckx

Alli Bunting

Burnside Gorge

Community

Assosication

Marleen Butchart

Butchart Gardens

Claire Butterfield

Norma Butterfield

Butteryfly Gardens

Cafe Brio

Linda Cain

Camargue Properties Inc

Jae Cameron

Jennifer Cameron

Kat Camfield

Camosun College

Capital Bike

John Cassidy

Catrin Jones RMT

Brodie Cawdell

Celina Lyons

Acupuncture and Medical Arts

Jon Chabun

Jody Chambers

Lorne Charbonneau

Marc Charlebois

Patrick Charpentier

Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites

Deb Chen

Homan Cheng

Suzanne Christensen

Linda Christie

Cinecenta

City of Victoria

Ben Clark

Coalition of Neighbourhood Houses

Cobs Bread End of Day

Giving Program

Cold Comfort

Cold Star Freight Systems

Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria: BC

Transit Ticket Assistance Program

Compost Education Centre

Diana Cooper

Ira Cooper

Core Connection

Mobile Physiotherapy

Country Grocer

Lauren Cox

Craigdarroch Castle

Don Craigmyle

Mary Jane Crawley

Cream Life and Style

Crooked Goose Bistro

Byron Crossley

Kristin Crossman

Culinare

Kennedy Cullen

Troy Cunningham

Cycle BC

Roman Czemerys

Sherri Daniar

Lorne Daniel

Darcy's Westshore

Alex Davies

James Davis

Anna De Luca

Paula Debeck

Elizabeth Dechert

Hilary Dechert Ayres

Susan Dempsey

Elisabeth Deom

Blair Desjardins

Jennifer Di Fabio

Discovery Coffee

Edie Dittman

DockStars!

Brenda Doiron

Don Craig Photography

Allyson Downs

Dr. Amarjot S Sajan

Dr. Brett Livingstone Inc.

Dr. Caren ZilberShlensky

Christina Drake

Tammy Dubnik

Marc-Antoine Dufault

Marc Dufort

Allison Dunn

Brittany Dunstan

Helen Durie

Robin Durkin

Cindy Dyck

Early Childhood Pedagogy Network

Jane & Hermann Edler

Allison Edwards

Elite Security

Enid Elliot

Trevor Elton

Diana Emtage

Bonnie Eskelson

Amanda Evans

Eveofchange Executive Coaching Inc.

Denis Farling

Amanda Farrell-Low

Katherine Farris

Shanna Faulkner

Fernwood Coffee Company

Fernwood Community Association

Fernwood Inn

Fernwood Makers Party

Fernwood NRG Board of Directors

Fernwood NRG Child Care families

Fernwood Social Run Club

Erika Finestone

Fired Up!

Brianna Fitzgerald

Fix It Fernwood

Flavour

Monica Flexhaug

Andrew Flynn

Food Share Network

Foodraising Crew For Good Measure

Linnea Fouracre

Jenny Fraser

Kerrilyn Fraser

Nancy Frederickson

Alix Freiberger

Fry's Bakery

Howard Fuchs

Funtime Inflatables

Gail Sibley

Gala Fabrics

Garside Signs

Marria Gauley

Lauren Gaultier

Brett Gaylor

Don Genova

Get Growing, Victoria!

Beth Gibson

Mary E. Gibson

Patricia Gilchrist

Moira Gill

Lisa Gleinzer

Eldan Goldenberg

Goldilocks Wraps

Solara Goldwynn

Goo Goo Goggles

Tony Gooch

Eleanor Good

Rowan Good

›› Chantille Viaud,