The weather held out for what was a beautiful spring evening!  With several familiar faces and new members, we set out on our usual route throughout the neighbourhood surrounding Beacock Public Library [1280 Huron Street]. It was such a pleasure to get together with dedicated walkers who all share common goals . It’s not just about fitness or losing weight, it’s about human contact and socialization. Feeling connected in one’s community.

Like other years we have a minimum of 2 group walk leaders who cover the front of group and one leader is always positioned at the back of the group. We meet each Thursday evening at 7 p.m. from May-October (weather permitting).   One of our Walking Group Coordinators, Sue Henderson or Teresa Johnston, even give participants a reminder phone call either the day of or the night before a scheduled walk.  What personal service!  NELCE’s Walking Group welcomes new participants throughout the session whether you are there for one walk or all of them!
This year we are fortunate to have a wonderful woman come on board with us for at least 4 Thursdays in May and June . She is a fitness instructor with the YMCA and will be guiding us through warm-up, our walk and cool-down back at the library. I am excited to learn from her, as it will definitely aid in my abilities to be a better leader as we journey through this season!

If you are interested in joining our walks, just call 519-659-1271 ext. 500, or email info@nelce.ca.  And put on your walking shoes and come out and join us this Thursday at 7pm at Beacock Library!

Sue Henderson, NELCE Council Member, Coordinator-Walking Group

While there are a lot of groups that donate handcrafted items to the Salvation Army Christmas Hamper Program, many of those items were made by members of one northeast London group. In  total, around 6,300 bags of toys for children under the age of 12 were handed out this year by the Salvation Army.
There are around 30 members of the Cards, Games and Crafts Club, which is run by the North East London Community Engagement (NELCE) council. NELCE gets funding and support through the London InterCommunity Health Centre.  One of the club’s leaders, Nancyann Sweetzir, said the bags and bags of items made by members all go towards charity.

“Every child that is registered gets a hat and a pair of mittens and a sweater or a piece of clothing,” she said.  While Sweetzir said she has been donating knitted items to the Salvation Army since 1992, the Cards, Games and Crafts Club has only been around for about a year. The knitters circle also linked to a group at the London Public Library’s Beacock branch too.

Maj. Pat Phinney with the Salvation Army said any efforts from clubs, groups of women or
individuals are invaluable to the organization.  “When we’re packing the packages for the families, particularly the stocking stuffers for the children, those items are just so welcomed by the families who receive them,” she said. “Those kinds of contributions are greatly valued as we go through our Christmas assistance program.”

The club isn’t just about the community helping the community, but members pride themselves with establishing a place where family-like relationships can be established.
Carol Moss, another leader with the knitting group, said it’s the best thing that’s happened to northeast London in years. She added relationships are built through the club.
Moss moved to London from Toronto a couple years ago.  “I had no friends. I came here and our son and daughter-in-law were the only people we really knew,” she said.
After being bed-ridden for around a year, Moss said establishing relationships was a main priority for her.

“So, how to make friends? Start volunteering,” she said, glancing to Sweetzir who was sitting next to her. “Then it was just a few weeks after that and I met Nancy who was also looking for a friend. It’s been really good.”  While camaraderie and contributing to the community are major aspects of the group, Sweetzir added the club also functions as a haven.

“We don’t criticize anyone at all. They do as well as they can and it may not be perfect, but they did it,” Sweetzir said. She added that when Chris started knitting, she wound the wool around the needles so tightly that they started to coil and warp.  “We’ve got her knitting perfect tension now.”

Moss added when Chris tied off the last stitch in the first hat she made, it was a big deal for
everyone.  “This was the first thing Chris had ever completed because if she made mistakes and that, she would tear everything undone,” Moss said. “We finally said to her, ‘You’re going to do a hat, but there’s no tearing it out. If you think you’ve made a mistake, we’ll help you correct it’.”

“That was first thing she’d ever completed and it was the fact that she was giving it back to the community too.”  Both Moss and Sweetzir grinned as they said the people whom they’ve taught to knit are now teaching others the skill too.

There are many areas NELCE where members can contribute towards the greater good of the area. Established in 2005, the council was created to offer residents a way to get involved in the community.

Along with the crafts-orientated projects, NELCE has also taken on food drives, literacy events, carnivals and community initiatives with the London Transit Commission and the city.

People looking formore information or to get involved with NELCE can check out their website at www.nelce.ca.

Preparations for this popular annual event started in the morning of November 1st at the London InterCommunity Health Centre’s kitchen, with NELCE volunteers Joe Weis, Sue Henderson, Gord Johnston, Donna Darnbourgh, Marlene and Roy Graham and KLAC President, Mark Rose, who worked together to make over a hundred delicious, healthy pumpkin muffins, from scratch, for the evening’s event.

It was a brisk, clear, fall evening just right for the Pumpkin party. NELCE members Donna Darnbourgh, Ben Cunningham and Gord Johnston served the pumpkin muffins, along with Hot Apple Cider (donated by KLAC) to about 150 people who came to the party in the park.

The families that brought their carved pumpkins put them down in a large pumpkin circle pictured below. When twilight befalled us and night began, all the pumpkins were lit at the same time!!  Everyone went “Oooh! Aaahhh!”

As you can see by our photos what a treat it was to walk around the circle in the dark and admire each family’s unique carved pumpkin.

At 8pm, children and adults, were invited to blow out the candles in the pumpkins. The pumpkins were then carried away to a Van that would take them to be retired, i.e. composted at a recycling depot.

The next Pumpkin Retirement Party will be held on November 1, 2012.

We hope you will come out and join us then – ahahahahaha!

Written by Teresa Johnston, NELCE member

It was no different at our weekly NELCE Cards, Games & Crafts (CGC) Club, which is held on Mondays at the London InterCommunity Health Centre at 1355 Huron Street [next to Shoppers' Drug Mart].   As Hallowe’en [shortened from its orignal form of All Hallow's Eve] fell on Monday this year, the CGC Committee decided it was time for another party!  Using our collective, creative genious, and limited budget, the Committee decorated the room, put out a spread of food that lay on top of a skeleton and even had decorative bones,  pumpkins and bloody fingers as trimmings. Blood [aka Tomato juice] was served along with coffee/tea.

Many of the Club participants got into the spirit of this unofficial “holiday” and came decked out in very creative costumes – there were a variety of witches – good, evil, sexy, and even a lesbian witch – with rainbow hair, and costume disguises such as a pirate, jack-o-lantern, hobo, clown, Superman, to name a few, and even a costume tribute to one of our pioneer NELCE members [who shall remain nameless].  It was great to see how much effort people were willing to put into dressing up, including donning make-up, to have some fun.  After all, who says you have to stop having FUN when you are an adult???

As usual, our Needlework group was contentedly knitting/crocheting while catching up on the latest news and stories shared around the table.  Some were receiving instruction from one of the group’s leaders, Nancyann Sweetzir, who was “Miss Ellie” from Dallas for the afternoon. 

In another corner, the regular, occasionally rambunctious, Euchre players were turning their tricks.  And, at another table, we had a game of Scrabble underway.

In our Craft Corner, we offered a variety of Hallowe’en themed wood craft such as door hangars, figurines, and hanging ornaments. Did you know that painting can be very therapeutic and good for the soul?

Do you know what Halloween is all about?  It is observed on the eve of All Saint’s Day which falls on November 1.  With its origins in pagan festivals of harvest time and festivals honouring the dead, many people, of all different cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds enjoy popular Hallowe’en activities including trick or treating, attending costume parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

As we had 32 people at the Club yesterday, many of whom really put in the effort to get dressed up in full regalia, it was impossible to pick just one best dressed or most original costume – so everyone who came in costume left with a small prize.

Our Club is growing in numbers, but we still would like to have more Euchre players and crafters – we often have different “Make It & Take It” craft ideas each week.  It is the perfect place to be if you are looking to make new friends in the neighbourhood, feel lonely, are a senior, homemaker or stay-at-home mom, home-school your children, or just want to give back to your community.  So why not join us if you are looking for something to do on Monday afternoons?

Written by Jacqueline Fraser, NELCE member

NELCE member Donna Darnborough worked the information booth for NELCE and LIHC, doing a fabulous job speaking with people about the volunteer opportunities available and explaining what we do at NELCE. Donna is a wonderful spokesperson for NELCE, which has become like a second home for her.

NELCE members Jerome Crasto, Richard Cook, Marlene & Roy Graham, Sue Henderson, and Gord Johnston held down the “fort” at the Employers’ Lounge with great coffee, tasty muffins, fruit, tea and a warm welcome to all employers who needed a quick break. Later in the day, muffins and fruit were distributed to those employers too busy to leave their booth.

NELCE also helped the Employment Centre with any tasks asked of them with a warm “don’t mind at all” and “let me know if there is anything else we can do”.

Not only did NELCE assists at this first-ever “Shop for Jobs” Job Fair [a 4 hour event], but a lot of work went on behind the scenes days before.  For example, our members were busy with making muffins, creating fruit trays and loading the car for the trip to the Mall, setting up the display and the employers lounge all take time and effort.

Congratulations to all those who participated and a big pat on the back for our NELCE members for a job well done.  You have done us proud!

By Katharina K., NELCE Member & Community Volunteer

After much planning and organizing, several Northeast community partners – Child & Youth Network, Life Resource Centre, London InterCommunity Health Centre, London Public Library, LUSO Community Services and NELCE – came together on Saturday, June 4th afternoon at Beacock Public Library to co-host the 1st Family Financial Fair, with the theme, “Making $ense of your Dollar$ & Cent$”.

In spite of how Saturday started off with a thunderstorm and rainy weather, the skies cleared up and the afternoon was off to a great start! Many volunteers and staff from the various groups arrived at noon to set up their tables, displays, or games, in anticipation of a fun-filled, interactive, and educational event. And they were not disappointed! Approximately 76 people registered and attended that afternoon. The Fair occupied two of the larger meeting rooms at the library. Those who came to the Fair were treated to Subway sandwiches, donated by the local Subway outlet at Huron Heights Plaza.

Some of the activities included: face painting, interactive games about money, and crafts for the children. The adults browsed the various tables and interactive activities that were loaded with helpful information about the Credit Bureau and how to read your credit report, banking and credit card information, fraud protection emergency preparedness, menu planning and budgeting, and other resources available in our community. Representatives from Canada Revenue Agency, Child & Youth Network, Ontario Works, TD Canada Trust and NELCE were all on hand providing information.

A table was set up to distribute Personal Information Organization Binders, which were booklets produced by NELCE and LIHC. These binders help families record and store important personal information properly, so that in the event of a personal crisis or emergency, the information is readily available in one, safe place.

There were fun educational activities for children that kept them busy so parents could participate in the other activities. We had several draws for door prizes too.

All in all it was an amazing day. Thanks to the members of the Planning Committee, our volunteers and all our partners. Thanks too to our community for your participation, we hope everyone enjoyed themselves.

Would you like this fair to be an annual event? We would love to hear from you, so please leave us a comment.

By Pearlette Cassells (NELCE member)

As a member of North East London Community Engagement [NELCE], I pride myself in the volunteer work that I do in the Northeast London community. This is, after all, the community in which I live, work, play, shop and spend most of my days. And, I love helping others, bringing a smile to people’s faces, and just being part of a great community event. Needless to say, I willingly volunteered to join with fellow members in helping out where help was needed during the celebrations, and looked forward to spending my Saturday at Ed Blake Park with people from all over the area.

My day started about 3 pm when I got to Ed Blake Park. I looked around and saw the new splash pad where kids were having a great time. Lots of laughter and giggles could be heard. In spite of the light rain, people came out anyway determined not to let a few drops of rain spoil their fun. I went straight over to our NELCE information booth where I worked with Marlene for an hour. I got to talk to a lot of neighbourhood residents about NELCE and learned about their interests/concerns in the community , All too soon 4pm came, and I headed over to the food tent.

With over 1500 people present, there was a bit of a delay in setting up the food station to serve the food. In spite of this, people were willing to line up to receive FREE food and drink – a hotdog, apple , pop & a granola bar. The music starting playing & the sun finally came out to play with us. The sky turned blue and sunny – and what started off on a dull note turned into a great day!

I noticed people were starting to get bored waiting for their food, so I started dancing to the music to make some fun with my rubber gloves and they started doing what I was doing – having fun again till the food came. After all, isn’t this what it is all about – people having fun together?

Then the food was ready, There were other NELCE volunteers & volunteers from our Community Relations, We worked well together; fast, efficient and happy to see all the hungry faces. It turned into a fantastic day! Everyone I talked to had a great time. We served over 1400 Hot dogs ,350 Apples , 1,150 pop & 2 cases of Granola bars. I think everyone went away happy & full.

We had a flew people donate money to help the hungry people of the world.  I think that is fantastic – people helping other people in this way.

The food was going so fast at first, that we ran out of condiments.  But one of our volunteers saved the day by riding his bike to the store nearby to get some more. We were very grateful for that. Then after a little while, we ran out of buns!

When we had finished feeding the crowd,  all the volunteers in the food tent helped  clean up the food stations and pack everything away as the equipment, tables and serveware  had to be transported back to the various community agency offices from which they were borrowed.  By the time we were finished, it was 8 pm and the festivities were coming to a close.

I was done for the night so I watched the people for a bit till my bus came. They were all enjoying the music, especially the boy that played the drums – the kids just loved him.  I think he going be our own next Justin Beiber of London! He’s that good! Everyone was trying hard to get his autograph. Then all the kids danced to the music.  As people were leaving the Park, I overheard many of them commenting on how great a day it was in spite of the inclement weather, how very happy they felt, and how they hoped there would be more free community events such as this planned and organized for the area.

From my perspective, it was a great day overall.  I just love seeing people having a great time. That’s why I like volunteering at these kind of events because I get a great sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and gratitude that I can make a difference in a person’s day/life.

By Donna Darnbrough [NELCE member]

It’s Summer time again!  I love this time of year, I just want to get out there and do stuff.  I enjoy going to picnics and BBQ, BBQ, BBQ.

I have so many recipes and my stack was getting out of control.  I finally decided to  organize them because  I’m wasting too much time trying to find the recipe I want and the frustration was just ridiculous.  As a person passionate about organization, I thought I would share with you a few tips that really helped me get organized:

Problem: I had a collection of recipes that I desperately needed to organize and save time searching for them.  It was too much of a large task to get done in one sitting so I had to break it down in small steps. I needed a simple system that was easy to use and maintain.  Life is busy, I needed something that really works because I want to keep up the practice of staying organized.

What’s needed – Helpmate Toolkit: Functional products that help get things done quickly and efficiently.

• Timer
• Recipe Organizer   (preferably in a 3-Ring Binder format). This format allows you to add and remove recipes as needed.   You can create your own using a 3-Ring Binder, Tab Dividers, Labels and a 3 hole punch).
• Pen
• Highlighter

I bought most of the items at the Dollar Store.  If you prefer, you can buy a Recipe Binder already made up.

I like to have some upbeat music playing too, it gets my energy level up! (ssshhh).

Time Required:

“The 10-3-2 Routine System”: Decide now…  Start small… See results.     Choose 10 minutes, 3 days per week which totals 2 hours per month to get tasks done.  Select the task you want to work on and get started!  Add extra minutes when you can.  This process gets you in a routine and helps to maintain an organized lifestyle.  Before you know it, you will be well on your way to successfully completing your tasks using these small steps.

Steps to a successful solution:  –

1. The 10-3-2 Routine System: Choose  10 minutes, 3 days per week which totals 2 hours per month to get started.
2. Select a small stack of recipes that you’ll work on for 10 minutes.
3. Sort them in categories.  For example, salads, soups, main course, dessert, etc.  or Breakfast, lunch , dinner, snacks whatever works for you.
4. Start filing your recipes in the appropriate categories.  Before you know it, you’ll have them organized.

Pitfall to avoid: Feeling overwhelmed – it can be difficult to look at the huge task ahead.  Just break it down in small steps and before you even realize it, you’ll be well on your way to successfully completing this task!

Solution: I can find my recipes at my fingertips. They are all organized in categories. When I get new recipes, I know exactly where to put them.  I’m very happy with the outcome.  Yeah – Life is good!

Please leave a comment.   I would like to hear from you!  Share this article with your friends and family.

By Pearlette Cassells (Organizer at heart, entrepreneur, and NELCE member)

We have averaged anywhere from a dozen to one member coming to join in our weekly journey.  Just last week one member showed up as the weather was quite threatening and thus the rest declined. The girl that came was thrilled to have the three of us (John Henderson, Teresa Johnson and I, Sue Henderson ) ‘all to herself’ for the hour or so we spent together.  John lead the group and also lead the warm-ups in the local school yard near-by. Our walking group will not be cancelled due to low attendance.  If, however, the city has issued a weather advisory or perhaps it is really storming, then this is when we would have to wait to join together the following week.

Each Thursday afternoon, one of us leaders attempts to contact members by phone to remind them of the walk. Anyone can always call NELCE at 519-659-1271 ext. 500, to leave a voicemail with any concerns or enquiries about joining our group. All are welcome! We have a lead person and someone always walks towards the rear of the group to ensure that everyone is safe and well.

The positive atmosphere continues on from previous years as the group expands . We are hoping for more members to join us and welcome anyone. There is no pre-requisites or required fitness levels. I, personally am so very proud of each and every person who has come out and participated ! We are a happy, care-free bunch which makes it all that more fulfilling!!

By Sue Henderson (NELCE member, LIHC volunteer)

Our beginner level players, however, decided to turn their tournament into a Yahtzee competition instead as some of the players could not remember the Euchre game rules!

Anyway, it was a good two-hour tournament and our winners were: Darlene W. who had the top score in Euchre, and Joe L. who is a Yahtzee maestro!  Both winners won a $15 gift card. As tournament convenor, I had fun putting this together, especially since it is the first time I have organized such an event.

Congratulations to our winners, and I hope those who participated enjoyed themselves.

J. Fraser, NELCE member