An Evening of Thanks and Celebration

Our annual end of year celebration for all of the volunteers was held on Monday, June 20th. While we were eating pizza, we were able to watch a slide show of the changes that have evolved in the Wish Closet in the four years that it has been open. It was also a bit of a history lesson for the newer volunteers who had no idea about our humble beginnings.

As she does every year, Betty presented the volunteers with gifts that reflects the uniqueness of each person on her team.

First and foremost was Mrs Murray our wonderful principal and one of the major supporters and advocates for the Wish Closet. Here is what Betty had to say about her piece of pottery:

As the Principal you run the “ship” so I give you a pottery “boat”. This boat has experience in the grooves, some deeper than others and multi-coloured. Not very smooth on the inside but still very functional and smooth on the outside. You have allowed us to share in your boat, you supported us when the water was literally in our boat and when there were bumps along the way. I hope this pottery piece will hold fabulous memories of your time here at Major B & all of the people that you helped by simply supporting our efforts in the Wish Closet.

One of the main players in the Wish Closet team is our wonderful, flexible, super organized secretary, Mrs Comeau. Mrs Comeau takes on so many little tasks that no one ever sees - phone calls from clients, donations, finding assistants to help unload donations, acting as a buffer when things don't go according to plan. And she manages all of these tasks in stride - competently and without complaint. Here were Betty's words to her:

Your pottery this year is the biggest piece of my collection because you have to hold so many different aspects of life in this school for staff, students, visitors to the Wish Closet and community members dropping off donations. Your bowl has some sharp edges on the top just like some of the people you encounter and at the bottom look at how close the glaze was to going “over the edge” also symbolic of what can happen in a day at Major B. I decorated your piece on the inside by rolling wallpaper into the clay and I chose this beautiful colour blue as it is a stable colour---just like you represent stability for the school, the Wish Closet and for me several days a week.

Our custodian, Mayor Dowden, is another major player on the Wish Closet team. He is always there to lend a hand, listen to concerns, offer suggestions. He is a wonderful support to all of the volunteers each and every shift. In Betty's words:

I give to you a very functional piece of pottery that you can use that looks a little “exotic” but represents you and all of your history at Major B. The Mayor needs to relax so your handle has ridges to make sure you don’t lose your grip, all the patches represent all of the events you have witnessed in your time here and it is a golden brown colour because you Dave Dowden are loyal like brown and golden to all of us here with your big heart. Thank you from all of us for all you do to help us make a difference.

Similarly, Cathy, our new custodian has taken on the challenge of the Wish Closet and has taken this role on without complaint and by offering support and assistance with a very cheerful demeanour. Cathy, welcome to Major B, welcome to the Wish Closet and thank you so much for your support. Here is what Betty had to say about Cathy's piece of pottery:

You are the proud new owner of a square bowl that is functional and unusual….just like your time since you joined Major B. Look at the inside of your bowl with the bumps inside at the bottom, you can feel them just like some of the people feel when they enter the Wish Closet hoping to find items that can remove the bumps and challenges that they may be facing in their lives. Thanks for your support this year Cathy.

Each and every volunteer on the Wish Closet team receive a unique gift reflective of their individuality and the gifts that they each bring to the team. Betty's words were generous and heartfelt. As always, it was a wonderful night of celebrating the success of the Wish Closet and everyone's contribution  to that success.

Good Food Box

The Wish Closet was the lucky recipient of a donation from our Local Food Bank who generously donated Good Food Boxes. These are food "boxes" that provide quality fresh fruit and vegetables. 

The fruits and vegetables vary according to each season.

We raffled off the Good Food Boxes at the Teen Parenting Night as well as part of our Father's Day draw. The teen parents that received their Good Food Box were thrilled and were able to put some of their grocery money to other things like diapers. The dad that won a Good Food Box was thrilled to get fresh strawberries - a luxury he can't normally afford.

Many thanks to Chris Quinlan for her generous donations to the Wish Closet.

The Wish Closet Runs on Volunteer Power

There are no paid staff at the Wish Closet. Every "helper" is a volunteer. And we all have our unique reasons for wanting to volunteer at the Wish Closet. But we all share a deep desire to nurture. We all want people to know they are cared about no matter what their life circumstances may be at that moment in time.

Since January 1, 2011, more than 650 volunteer hours have been clocked at the Wish Closet. And that doesn't count our Super Organizer's hours. Audra is a dynamo behind the scenes. She nestles away in the "dungeon" - the room where all of our donations are dropped off. She spends countless, tireless hours each and every week sorting through the donations and carefully making piles for each "shift" of volunteers to put on the racks and on the shelves. We would be in quite a pickle if it weren't for Audra' dedication.

I remember in the early days of the Wish Closet, we would open the smaller storage room and literally surf over bags of donations to try and find a specific request for a customer. When the storage of donations moved to the larger room, which we lovingly call "the dungeon", the piles just spread sideways and really were a fire and safety hazard. Not to be deterred, our Wish Closet Creator, Betty Finley, called Audra in to put her organizational skills into action. Now when we go to seek a specific item, we know exactly where to look and we can get there without endangering our limbs! A huge big thank you to you, Audra!

And speaking of a strong need to nurture...our Wednesday Morning volunteer, Bernadette learned about the Wish Closet through a group that she belongs to. Not long after that, she offered to volunteer and has been with the Wish Closet for about three years. One of Bernadette's behind the scenes contributions are the gifts that she puts together for special occasions. Every year as we approach Mother's Day, we have a raffle draw and Bernadette is the person who works away each week, gathering gift items, then making them up into gift baskets to be raffled off for our Moms. This year, Bernadette also made up gifts for our dads who come to the Wish Closet

Every year, twice a year, since our inception in 2007, we have hosted the Teen Parenting Program at the Wish Closet. These are always very special evenings for us. We have been the very fortunate recipients of donations from the Multiples N More group's garage sale. This allows the teen parents to get really good quality items that they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford for their babes. This is such an amazing partnership and we are so proud to be able to broker this connection.

Early on, we recognized that the moms were reluctant to "shop" for themselves. So much of their time, energy, money and resources go towards their babes. So, as a way to let the moms know how much they are appreciated, we started giving out gifts. We used to raffle them off. But this year, Bernadette, receiving fair warning that the moms were coming, made up gifts for each mom. The moms were THRILLED to be able to take a gift bag.  Thank You Bernadette!

While we try to put out items that are in good repair, clean, and untorn, we occassionaly get an item that needs a little bit of TLC. Such as a button. Another one of our Wish Closet volunteers is only too happy to take on the task of making sure clothing is in good shape and ready to go for our customers. Thank you Sharron!

It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child. At the Wish Closet, it takes an army of angels to make our endeavour successful. THANK YOU to each and every volunteer. We can not do this without you.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.  ~Margaret Meade