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
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
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