Volunteer profile – Dana Nuttley
We acknowledge the Mississaugas of the New Credit on whose traditional lands we work, teach and play. We also pay respect to our Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe and Metis neighbours as we strive to improve our relationships with them.
Dana has been part of Shelldale Family Gateway since the very beginning of the drive to create a hub for neighbourhood services for the Onward Willow catchment area. From being a community organizer to now being Chair of our Board of Directors, Dana’s contribution cannot be understated.
In addition to being the Chair of the Shelldale Family Gateway Board, Dana also holds other positions in the community that helps other organizations understand the needs of various neighbourhoods. Furthermore, Dana is an integral part of our Breakfast Club and his smile and encouragement greets children and families every day as they come to Shelldale Family Gateway to enjoy the benefits of a vibrant community hub.
As Board Chair, Dana understands the need for funding better than most.
Shelldale Family Gateway’s Youth & Community Programs depend entirely on the generosity of the community at large, and of foundations and the United Way. COVID-19 has seriously and negatively impacted our ability to raise funds for the program and now we fear that some programs may need to be cancelled.
If you can, please visit our website at www.Shelldale.ca and click on the Donate Now button. To make it even easier, we have an option to donate monthly, which means you can spread your generosity out over the course of a year or more.
Please help us keep our programs running for this community.
- Published in Fundraising, Program Updates, Shelldale News
A new partnership in supporting the mental health of our youth
Good Day to all of our Friends of Shelldale Family Gateway. I sincerely hope this finds you and your families faring well during these turbulent times, and maybe even able to get outside for a little bit now that the weather has finally turned nicer.
This week I would like to discuss a new collaboration that Shelldale Family Gateway has joined: The Integrated Youth Service Network. A long name, but a fantastic partnership with several other agencies in town and around the County, all of which serve youth – aged 12 to 26. As you know, Shelldale Family Gateway has been providing excellent early intervention and primary prevention programming for youth for decades now. The focus of this new partnership is to specifically look at the mental health and wellness of our young people, and to assist and support them if/when they struggle.
The Integrated Youth Services Network (IYSN) is a complex and collaborative project, with the objective of providing the right services to the right youth in a timely and efficient matter. A network of community organizations has come together to re-imagine a newly designed system to directly address mental health and substance abuse needs of youth in Wellington & Guelph. Under the leadership of the Rotary Club of Guelph, a partnership of service organizations and volunteers has come together to build what is so urgently needed in the community.
Each organization is part of a network, all integrated by technology which allows youth to access the immediate virtual care that they so urgently need. Assessment of a youth’s needs will be provided virtually (and eventually in each facility). No matter the situation, technology will be used so that access to the right services is available no matter where you are. This technology component will enhance access for youth right now, as well as in the future by giving rural regions the same support system as those in urban centres.
In today’s siloed mental health model, each time a youth visits a new location or a new care provider, they are forced to retell their story which can be a traumatizing experience. The IYSN will include 7 locations but will feature the benefit of “one door” meaning that youth will only tell their story once. This is made possible through an interconnected online system and is now of the utmost importance during a time where we are relying highly on virtual care. The IYSN will include 7 sites located in the rural centres of Wellington, as well as in Guelph. They will offer a range of stepped-care services of varying levels of intensity that are co-designed with youth. Physical activity, mental health, substance use, and peer supports will be core services at all IYSN sites.
The 7 sites include:
- East Wellington Community Services – Town of Erin
- Minto Mental Health – Palmerston
- Skyline Community Hub – Fergus
- University of Guelph
- YMCA/ YWCA of Guelph
- CMHA Waterloo Wellington
- Shelldale Family Gateway
As you can see, Shelldale Family Gateway is in outstanding company. Not only that, but SFG is currently the organization that is most able to begin helping immediately because of our original primary prevention – early intervention model. We are placed perfectly to help the youth in our community right away. For more information on The Integrated Youth Service Network visit their website .
Of course, this all comes with a significant cost. While we are part of the larger group, we still need to cover the costs of our sector of responsibility. Any donation you can make towards our Youth & Community programming will go directly to supporting all those who need us so desperately.
Please consider giving what you can afford so we can continue and expand the work Shelldale Family Gateway does so well.
Stay safe and well –
Diana Boal, Executive Director
- Published in Fundraising, Program Updates
We need your help…..
Hello Friends of Shelldale Family Gateway, and much happiness and health to you and your families!
All of us here at Shelldale Family Gateway want you to know we are very busy! We have projects in place for youth and community that are far outpacing our resources. We have extra workloads in EarlyON as required by the County of Wellington that are stretching us thin. If ever you’ve considered donating to Shelldale Family Gateway, now would be the time!
Here’s what we’re doing and why we need your help!
- Youth and Community staff have their hands full: we have prepared over 400 Discovery Bags, which contain activities, snacks and assorted items for all children aged 6-16. This has taken an incredible amount of work on behalf of our 2.5 staff who remain in this program. Without your help, we may have to reduce our staffing level even further and this will impact how much support we can provide for the community at large. Even with the government wage subsidy, we still need over $5,000 per month to pay for costs associated with Youth & Community program as it is now. Any amount you can help with will go directly to Youth: no additional admin fees, just strictly wages for our reduced staff. (pictured above is Dana Nuttley, Community member, President of our Board and dedicated Volunteer ready to deliver Discovery Bags)
- EarlyON staff are being fully supported by the County of Wellington. We are extremely fortunate to have been able to keep most of our EarlyON staff on the payroll, however, their case load grows every day! Now, in addition to providing virtual groups for play dates, and connecting with and supporting families one on one, these amazing staff are also being recruited by the County to work with new moms who may be struggling. It is recognition of the amazing staff we have and the work that they do in our community!
Please consider giving generously to Shelldale Family Gateway (https://shelldale.ca/donate/) in the days and weeks ahead. It is only through donations from the community at large that we can continue the outstanding work being done by Youth & Community in our neighbourhood.
Stay safe and well –
Diana Boal
Executive Director
Shelldale Family Gateway
- Published in Fundraising, Program Updates
We need your help
Good Day to all our Friends of Shelldale Family Gateway. I hope this finds you and your families well and not going too crazy during these crazy times.
We here at Shelldale Family Gateway have been fortunate in many ways: we have managed to retain a number of our staff. We have also managed to create new innovative and adapted programs for our families in need and we have fortunately qualified for some of the government wage programs.
Our EarlyON Program for our children 0 – 6 years old continues to do well, as we have funding from the County. In fact, the County has been tremendously helpful in getting the “new” programs off the ground. We have virtual baby days, we have sing-a-longs and crafts every day on Facebook facilitated by our own staff. The EarlyON staff are well supported and doing a fantastic job in keeping children and their families connected!
Even with this good news, we are still finding ourselves in dire straits.
We are now down to only 2 full time positions in our Youth & Community Programs as this is all we can manage to pay for, even with the available government emergency funds. We are currently serving and helping over 100 families in our Community through our association with Onward Willow Neighbourhood Association food distribution. We have created our own unique “Discovery Bags”, which include activities, treats and surprises for our children and youth. The time and effort required to do this is enormous. It is not just a question of funding for the supplies, but of manpower. This is where we need your assistance in being able to pay our staff. Any contribution you can make will go to supplies and staffing; nothing else. Not overhead, not administration, nothing but staff and supplies.
Any help you can provide to Shelldale Family Gateway will go to our families, and they really need us and you right now, more than ever.
Stay safe and well –
Diana Boal
Executive Director
Shelldale Family Gateway
- Published in Fundraising, Program Updates
A message from Diana Boal, Executive Director
Well as everyone knows, the news is all about staying well and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here at Shelldale Family Gateway, we are monitoring and following the recommendations of our Public Health and Government officials. In order to keep our staff and the families and children that we serve all as safe as possible ALL Shelldale Family Gateway programs have been cancelled until April 6th. Sadly, this includes our March Break Camp, Breakfast Club and all after-school programming. The County of Wellington suspended all EarlyON programming effective March 13th.
As you can imagine, this is a hard time for our staff and the community that we serve. We are supporting staff in the best way we can manage. As Executive Director, I have let all staff know to reach out to me if they need any assistance during this incredibly stressful time. All families in the Shelldale Family Gateway community were made aware of the shut down and we provided as much assistance as we could to inform them about alternate resources in the community during this difficult time.
It is more important than ever that we garner as much community financial support for our families and children when they return. As happens with so many not-for-profit organizations, sustainability of programs is always the number one concern, and certainly this situation will further put strain on our financial resources. Fundraising and grants cover only so much, and only on a program-to-program basis and so sustainable solutions must be found!
This is where you come in.
Please, if you are able, consider making a monthly financial donation to Shelldale Family Gateway. Our support of Onward Willow and neighbourhood makes such a huge impact for our families. With the uncertainly that surrounds us all, Shelldale Family Gateway is a beacon for those families who need us most.
Stay safe and well –
Diana Boal
Executive Director
Shelldale Family Gateway
- Published in Fundraising, Program Updates
Introducing Diana Boal, Executive Director of Shelldale Family Gateway
Hired on as the new Executive Director in October 2019, Diana Boal brings almost 20 years’ experience in the not-for-profit world to Shelldale Family Gateway. Diana has been at Manager or Executive level in Waterloo, Hamilton and now Guelph, adding her knowledge about social services and sustainability to help bring Shelldale Family Gateway to the next level in fundraising.
With an educational background in Economics and International Relations, Boal understands the fundamental interconnectedness as it pertains to sustaining struggling communities and their ability to enjoy the fruits of not just their own labours, but those of friends and supporters across the wider communities in Guelph.
“What we see in Shelldale/Onward Willow is a community that could be brought down by its circumstances,” says Boal. “Instead, we see a vibrant, vital, multicultural group trying their level best to make the most out of the opportunities that are available.”
For Shelldale Family Gateway, this includes EarlyON programming for 0-6 years, provided by the County of Wellington. In addition – and just as importantly – Diana sees the need for early intervention and primary prevention for children and youth as well as their families. This type of programming comes with a significant price tag: one the community can’t afford on its own. However, the social cost of NOT providing these services is even higher, and one no one can afford to pay.
As an experienced social services E.D., grant writer and fundraiser, Diana Boal can see that intercepting behaviours endemic to low income neighbourhoods is critical. “Our community members are struggling: be it on social assistance, a newcomer to Canada, a single-parent household…we at Shelldale Family Gateway see challenges on a daily basis that would burden people and yet we seek to alleviate those burdens and make this a thriving, vibrant community.” Boal points out that Shelldale Family Gateway families disproportionately make up Guelph’s lower income and newcomer stratus of the population. They are immediately set at a disadvantage that Shelldale Family Gateway strives to help them overcome.
New Fundraising Program Launching
As happens with so many not-for-profit organizations, sustainability of programs is always the number one concern. Fundraising and writing grants covers only so much, only on a program-to-program basis and so sustainable solutions must be found. Shelldale Family Gateway is in the process of planning and launching a new, exciting and sustainable fundraising program called “Friends of Shelldale Family Gateway”.
“Friends” will be a way for the wider community to see and hear about the great work Shelldale Family Gateway does on a daily basis. A monthly newsletter with program and funding updates will let donors and friends alike know about our successes and challenges, and most importantly, about the positive changes we are making to this wonderful neighbourhood.
Executive Director Boal sees the establishment of a fundraising committee as a significant first step in aligning our goals with our abilities. “We need strong people: not just in fundraising, but those who know the neighbourhood and the challenges faced and how to best overcome those challenges. Fiscal responsibility will be first and foremost for the Committee so donors are guaranteed that their dollars are going where they’re needed most: to the people of this community.”
Are You A Rock Star?
If you’d like to become part of the fundraising subcommittee, or be on our mailing list or just drop us a line, please connect with Diana at dboal@shelldale.ca
- Published in Fundraising, Program Updates
WINTER WARM-UP FUNDRAISER
Shelldale Family Gateway Raises Over $13,000 During Successful Winter Warm-Up!
Shelldale Family Gateway is thrilled to announce the highest-grossing Winter Warm-Up fundraiser!
Executive Director, Diana Boal shared the great news with the community shortly after the exciting draw for the 50/50 winner, Juanita Harrison. Not only did Shelldale raise well over our goal of $10,000, Juanita donated her winnings back to Shelldale Family Gateway and added close to another $1,500. Add in our Silent Auction, Corporate Donors and restaurant donors…and we have raised well over $13,000.
“The Shelldale Family Gateway neighbourhood has once again come together to share in a sense of family and brought the extended community in to join us in a successful fundraiser. We would not have accomplished this amazing goal without the support of over a hundred volunteers, staff, local restaurants and several business members who all donated generously of their time, food, and resources.”
Boal recommends people take a look at www.Shelldale.ca to see all the food establishments who provided food for the event as well as our major donors. Each one is recognized on the website with their logo and additional information. She asks that “people visit the local restaurants and donors and thank them for their generosity, as this event would not be as successful as it has been without them.”
You can also read more and see photos from this terrific event at:
Shelldale Family Gateway thanks both papers as well as RogersTV and Magic 106 for joining us at our fundraiser and spreading the work about the amazing work we do.
Shelldale Family Gateway offers programming for children and their families, from birth to 18 years, through EarlyON Centre (0-6 years) and Youth and Community for older children and their families. While Shelldale Family Gateway receives funding from the County of Wellington for the EarlyON program, all funding for the Youth and Community is dependent on fundraising. From summer camps to after school programming to leadership and family resources, Shelldale Family Gateway is always working hard to ensure there is enough money to serve this incredibly diverse and needs-filled community of Onward Willow.
Statistics from the City of Guelph and Census Canada describe Onward Willow/Shelldale as a low income, single parent, culturally diverse neighbourhood which is heavily dependent on assisted housing and social assistance. The Executive Director points out the need succinctly: “Our community is high needs, and with Shelldale Family Gateway and our programs, many of these children and families would be unable to partake in organized after school programs, baby programs and leadership programming for older youth. The funds we raise are crucial to the overall success of the neighbourhood as a whole. Without Shelldale Family Gateway, families and children simply lose out on a quality of life that others in Guelph can enjoy and we just do not.”
Sustainability Goal
With the overall goal of making Shelldale Family Gateway’s programs sustainable, the Centre is embarking on a new fundraising challenge of $400,000. More details on this exciting program will be coming in the next months, but be assured, you will be hearing more about the great work Shelldale Family Gateway does for Guelph and our community members.
In the meantime, keep your eyes out for the newly instituted “Friends of Shelldale Family Gateway” newsletter with facts, programs and needs that you can help with!
- Published in Fundraising, Special Events