Nellie’s board member Dale Yurka first learned about Nellie’s when she was trying to find somewhere to donate her old couch. “I learned that there was a shelter named Nellie’s, and the origin of the name fascinated me,” explains Dale. “I’ve always admired Nellie McClung [who Nellie’s is named after], and her efforts to have women recognized as persons under the law.”

The name was the hook, but the important work that Nellie’s was doing was what kept Dale coming back. While she was still working full-time, Dale volunteered with some smaller fundraising events for Nellie’s, but once she retired from working at the Department of Justice in 2015, she decided to dedicate more of her time to the organization. Dale has been a member of our Social Justice committee and our board of directors. This September marks the completion of her three 2-year terms on the board.

Although Dale’s time at Nellie’s did not lead to working directly with the actual population that we serve, it was her own family experience with domestic abuse that acted as a driving purpose for her work here. She explains that her father was forced to retire early due to a cancer diagnosis, but that he then went on to live for a very long time afterwards. “He became really ornery and difficult to live with, and my mother suffered the brunt of that,” she says. “Looking back at it now, I really wish that there was something someone could have done for her to help her deal with that situation. Because even though it would have been the best thing for her, she never would have left him. And that really gave me an appreciation of what women in that situation have to deal with. So trying to understand that, and then at some level contribute to helping other women in that situation, has been really important to me.”

Dale considers herself to be an operational-focused person, and as such, she really enjoyed helping with interviewing new candidates for the board over the years. “I think my proudest achievement is that I’m leaving the board in really good hands,” says Dale. “Over the years I’ve seen us evolve into a professional and dynamic board. The breadth of experience that our board members have is incredible.”

Looking to the future, Dale plans on taking a well-deserved break from board member life — not only has she been on the Nellie’s board for the last six years, but she was a member of her condo board for the last seven years, as well. She plans on continuing to give back to her community by volunteering at a local food bank branch near her home.

Thank you, Dale, for your time, service, and dedication to Nellie’s over the years!

15 years ago, Erin Pollon moved to Toronto from Ottawa and decided to run in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon to get to know her new city. She looked through a list of charities she could support through her run, and she ended up choosing Nellie’s. The rest, as they say, was history.

“After running the marathon, I wanted to learn more about what Nellie’s was doing,” explains Erin. “I started volunteering with them and I thought what they were doing was so important — giving women a safe space.” After volunteering for a few years, there was an opening on the Nellie’s board of directors, and they were specifically looking for someone with experience in human resources. Erin currently works in HR at Women’s College Hospital, and has previously held similar roles at York University and Sunnybrook Hospital. “I thought I could bring my expertise, and Nellie’s felt really meaningful to me,” says Erin.

Now, six years later, Erin has completed three 2-year terms on the board and will be moving on in September. One of her proudest accomplishments during her tenure was helping to arrange the sale of our old shelter building. “Selling it during the pandemic was really an all-hands on deck situation,” explains Erin. “We all put in a lot of work, and it was such a relief when the shelter was sold.”

Erin also sat on our strategic planning committee for two cycles, which has helped her feel really connected to the organization’s future vision and goals. Through her time at Nellie’s, she’s come to have a deep understanding of how Nellie’s is providing crucial support to the community. “Donations really mean the world to Nellie’s,” says Erin. “Contributions empower Nellie’s to provide safety for women and children in need. With these donations we can ensure that women don’t feel alone or without a place to turn to, and I really feel it makes a genuine difference in our community and in Toronto.”

Although Erin plans to take on another board position in the future, she’s looking forward to a bit of a break after the last few busy years with Nellie’s. Or, as much of a break as her two kids under 3 will allow! In the immediate future, she plans to give back to her community through soccer coaching — but she’ll definitely still be watching what Nellie’s is up to next. “It’s been such a rewarding experience being on the board at Nellie’s,” says Erin. “I really can’t wait to continue to watch the organization grow.”

Thank you, Erin, for your time, service, and dedication to Nellie’s over the years!

A board member since 2017, Dana Granofsky has played a key role in guiding Nellie’s through a number of major changes, primarily the purchase, renovation and move to our new shelter.

“Being a part of ushering in this evolution for Nellie’s and seeing the final results come to life is something I’m really proud of,” says Dana, who first sat on the Fund Development Committee as a community volunteer prior to joining the board.

Dana is a single mother of two and the owner of a BGM Strategy Group, a Toronto-based consulting firm that advises governments, charities, non-profits and the broader public sector to design shared decision-making processes within complex stakeholder environments. She is also a Harvard trained mediator. In the spring of 2022, she took on the role of Nellie’s Board of Directors co-chair, alongside Donnalea Sparling.

“Volunteering as part of this organization, I’ve watched Nellie’s grow and develop. Right now, Nellie’s is in a really exciting place and I’m excited to be able to bring my knowledge and experience to further its evolution before my [three-term maximum] time on the board is up.”

With the move to the new shelter now behind us, Dana says the board can now shift its focus to leading social change through education and advocacy by introducing new vital programs and services that will meet immediate, specific and emerging needs. What Nellie’s has always known about the prevalence of gender-based violence in our society garnered more attention throughout the pandemic and is resulting in greater investment in services for women and children facing poverty, violence and oppression, says Dana.

“Nellie’s has been at the forefront of identifying needs, generating solutions and pushing the envelope for decades. It is what uniquely positions us to be a leader in this space,” says Dana. “We recognize that any woman, or woman-identifying person, could be a client of Nellie’s and unfortunately at some point in their lives, might have to.”

But, Dana says, the barriers and challenges faced by the women and their children at Nellie’s today are far more complex than our founders could have envisioned. She’s honoured to be leading the board toward building the next generation of approaches.

“Nellie’s is building the future, brick by brick. Change is not something you suddenly see, it happens gradually. First you build the necessary foundation, then you are ready to start placing all the rest of the important work on it.”

Thank you, Dana, for your time and service to Nellie’s.

Once a year, Joanne Fong takes an evening or two to personally call and thank some of our donors for their support. One year, a name on her list was that of a woman who gave just $5 a month, every month. When Joanne called her, the woman was very quiet for a moment before telling a story that Joanne will never forget.

“She said that it’s only $5 a month and it’s all she could afford but she wanted to give back to the organization that gave her her life back,” says Joanne, adding that the woman had explained that in her culture, spousal abuse was common and when she chose to leave with her sons, her own family had refused to support her. “That was the moment when I realized it is one thing to know the privilege I have, but it’s another thing to hear about someone’s terrible circumstances and know that, because of Nellie’s, they turned their life around from one of fear, abuse and shame, to one where they are thriving.”

It was that call, she says, that truly solidified her sense of purpose in serving on Nellie’s board.

A board member since 2015, Joanne’s three-term maximum tenure is coming to an end in September. She brought to the organization a strong background in social work, as well as a solid knowledge of the non-profit sector from her work in management roles at the YMCA of Greater Toronto, WoodGreen (creating opportunities for survivors of intimate partner violence to develop professional experience) and working with marginalized, vulnerable clients at Neighbourhood Link. She’s proud of the work she has helped accomplish in her time at Nellie’s—the biggest being successfully buying the building for the new shelter, renovating it and selling the current shelter.

“This project has been in the works for so long. We put into motion a huge undertaking and now we will have a space where most woman can have their own separate rooms,” says Joanne.

She’s enjoyed the opportunity to use her professional experience to serve on Nellie’s board in a governance capacity, rather than an operational one. Some boards, she says, are very focused on the daily details of an organization’s operations, whereas at Nellie’s, she and her fellow board members are responsible for legal and financial oversight, focusing on policy and strategy. The board looks five or more years down the line and is responsible for ensuring the organizational structure is in place so staff can meet not only today’s needs, but can continue to meet clients’ evolving and increasingly complex needs.

“Through my time serving on the board, I’ve met some incredibly talented and highly skilled women whom I’m proud to know and trust. We come from all walks of life; while we’re professionals, several of us have experienced being marginalized, the challenges of being low-income, etc. so we bring many perspectives to the table. I hope that the new members coming in feel as enriched by the experience as I have been and feel that the work they do truly makes a difference.”

Thank you, Joanne for your time and service to Nellie’s.

In the last few months, it feels like a lot has changed, leaving some of us feeling pretty overwhelmed about the world around us.

We kick off Season 4 by hearing why- and how- one Toronto bartender uses her off time to volunteer.  Christina Veira is a long time food & beverage vet, known for making a killer cocktail and also just being really nice (something that is not always said about servers in Toronto). For the last year and a half, she’s been working closely with a local shelter, but not in the way we view traditional “volunteering”.

Listen to interview here:
https://soundcloud.com/foodstuffs-1/ep31_christina_veira_bartender_philanthropist

Find full interview here courtesy Foodstuffs :
https://foodstuffs.life/blog/2017/3/15/ep-31-christina-veira-bartenderphilanthropist

We would like to thank the members of Nellie’s Board of Directors, Fund Development Committee, Accessibility Committee and Social Justice Committee.  These amazing  women are the ones who work behind the scenes giving generously of their time and expertize to ensure we have the support we need to make a difference to the community we serve.  Their kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated by the women & children of Nellie’s!

Board of Directors

Fran Odette, President

Sienna Leung, Vice President

Michelle Bain, Secretary

Helen Nowak, Treasurer

Lauren Hanna

Bethany Johnson

Sahar Zaidi

Lori Loewen

Fund Development Committee

Mary Byberg

Sherri Thiele

Accessibility Committee

Tamyka Bullen

Kathe Rogers

Social Justice Committee

Jennifer-Ann Joseph

Amy Prisniak

Barbora Malhotra

Lynda Roy

Dale Yurka

This week we’d like to introduce you to some of the amazing volunteers of Team Nellie’s!  From left to right Jessica Ledere, Jolene Hoffie, Michel Alba, Patricia Chow & Nu Tu Tang.

Nellie’s volunteers are an essential part of our day-to-day work. They are the angels who work tirelessly to help us unpack deliveries & sort donations, set-up rooms & decorations for an Event, stuff envelopes for hundreds of Newsletters and package foods for the weekly Food Bank giveaway.

They will show up early on a Saturday morning to help with the Easter egg hunt, participate in climbing the stairs of the CN Tower, walk, wheel or run in the Scotia Toronto Waterfront Marathon and March for International Women’s Day and the Pride Parade.

Working directly with our women and children to ensure that their experience at Nellie’s is a great one, we could not do the work we do without them. In fact, our every day work would be impossible without our volunteers. They are our heroes!

If you think you have the commitment & drive it takes to be a Nellie’s volunteer (and a great sense of humour) please contact us at community@nellies.org to find out more

Nellie’s thanks Cherly Stoneburgh and The Basketeers! Each holiday women at Nellie’s Shelter and in the community we serve are happy to get wonderful baskets of holiday cheer and much needed necessities from Cheryl and The Basketeers. On behalf of the women & children of Nellie’s We would like to say a huge Thank You to all of these volunteers whose kindness and generosity are much appreciated by our women & children! The following information from www.basketeers.ca will give you an idea of what The Basketeers are all about and the wonderful work they do in communities all over Canada.

The original concept was “to support women in new beginnings”. The shelters that many of us were already supporting said it was fairly easy to find groups willing to buy or sponsor Christmas gifts for children, but their mothers seemed to have been forgotten. We feel by supporting the mothers, they will, in turn, find the strength to create new lives for themselves and their children and not return to the abuser, and will feel stronger for their children. That is why our group The Basketeers was created. We are a generous group of around 3500 volunteers with large hearts. We are not a registered charity.

In effect, you start by purchasing a large laundry basket and then you fill it with items a woman starting a new life might need. For example, a kitchen basket might contain a kettle, frying pan, kitchen towels, dinnerware, washing-up detergent, etc; a bed and bath basket might include sheets, an alarm clock, a blanket, pillow, shower curtain etc. You are encouraged to make every basket special by adding luxury items, such as chocolates, scented soaps, cream, bath oils, etc. The Basketeers also advocate including gift cards from grocery or department stores.

Look how we’ve grown! In 2000 we started with 14 baskets and in 2013 we supported 47 women’s shelters in southwestern Ontario and British Columbia with a total of 1,329 beautifully wrapped baskets. In fourteen years we have grown from the original group of Basketeers covering the Greater Toronto Area and now we have ten additional chapters located in Stratford, Ottawa, York, Hamilton, Brantford, Guelph, Thunder Bay, Prince Edward County, Durham, Penticton, BC and Montreal, QC. All chapters have their own drop off locations, on the same day.

Please click here to volunteer with The Basketeers!