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FEBURARY 2015

ALL THE RIGHT NOTES 2/25/2015 Judging by the enthusiastic responses from audience members, IMAGINATE 2015 hit all the right notes to make for a stimulating, moving, fascinating, and magical evening at Trinity College School in Port Hope on Valentine's Day. Thanks to Deborah Hackett for capturing these images from the night.



We owe a great deal of appreciation to the presenters, the volunteers, the audience,

and to this wonderful list of of sponsors:


Cameco

Luke Despatie @thedesignfirm

Trinity College School

The Social Bar & Table

The Waddell Hotel

Summerhill Bed & Breakfast

Ganaraska Art & Framing

Northumberland News

Northumberland 89.7

Premier Dance Studio

Church-Key Brewing Company

Keint-he Winery

Empire Cheese

Millstone Bread

Crawford’s Lakeview Diner

Moore Orchards

Fox Hollow Edibles



A five kilometer walk in Port Hope, Ontario isn't like a five kilometer walk in many towns, but 120 hearty walkers hit the snowy streets and steep hills of the town to support Coldest Night of the Year, raising funds for the street-level community work of Green Wood Coalition.


The final tally for funds raised in Port Hope was an amazing $23,394.00! Port Hope was one of 82 Coldest Night host cities across Canada that together raised a record $2.8 million. Well done, Port Hope!


The night's results included a lot of fun, a few sore muscles, and a greater appreciation for the struggles faced by our neighbours who find themselves homeless, hungry and hurting in the winter. Incidentally, the walk followed a route similar to that taken by some individuals and families would take to access the food bank in town, every two weeks.


A special thanks goes out to Jeff Knott and his team of 20 volunteers for carrying this project to such a successful finish. There is plenty of buzz already about Coldest Night of the Year 2016, next February.


IMAGINATE THIS 2/8/2015 IMAGINATE 2015, hosted by nationally acclaimed writer and humourist Deborah Kimmett, will feature short, TED-style presentations by compelling speakers and performing artists, as well as a visual art exhibition. Locally-sourced food and drink, catered by The Social Bar & Table, will be on offer at a reception (included in your $50 ticket). IMAGINATE 2015 brings together creatives, teachers, journalists, entrepreneurs, social workers, parents, students and farmers to be challenged by the possibility of positive change in our community. It’s that kind of human-level response that is at the heart of Green Wood’s story in Port Hope.



When presented with a difficult problem, there are often two responses to choose from, “the government should do something about that”, or “there’s nothing anyone can do about that”. Green Wood has opted for a third way, stepping forward as neighbours to respond, through trust and intentional relationship, to daily challenges, and provide hope in the lives of our members. Finding that third way is at the heart of IMAGINATE 2015.


In addition to outstanding speakers such as broadcaster, Noah Richler, conservationist, Carmen Lishman and journalist, Steve Buist, IMAGINATE 2015 will include the premiere of both a contemporary dance performance and a short film by award-winning filmmaker, Rob Quartly.


Tickets for IMAGINATE 2015 at Trinity College School are available online at www.greenwoodcoalition.com/Imaginate or Ganaraska Art & Framing in Port Hope.




This is going to be so much fun!


Peterborough native, Candace Shaw is a writer, speaker, and cultural animator who has turned her mind and talent to re-shaping organizations and events with the goal of reinvigorating communities. She currently Outdoor Events Director for The Historical Distillery District in Toronto.


Candace will be talking about her experiences as a woman in the music industry and her "terror around doing things like founding a national organization for women in the industry.".


Get your ticket for this and so much more at IMAGINATE 2015 at Port Hope's Trinity College School. Full lineup available at greenwoodcoaltion.com/imaginate.



We're incredibly pleased to be presenting Noah Richler at IMAGINATE 2015 in Port Hope on Valentine's Day.

Trinity College School is the location, and tickets are available on this site and at Ganaraska Art & Framing in downtown Port Hope. A second generation writer (his father was the celebrated novelist Mordecai Richler) ,Noah Richler made documentaries and features for BBC Radio for fourteen years before returning to Canada in 1998. He was the books editor and then the literary columnist for the National Post, and has contributed to numerous publications in Britain, including the Guardian, Punch, the Daily Telegraph, and in Canada to The Walrus, Maisonneuve, Saturday Night, the Toronto Star, and the Globe and Mail.

"Noah Richler is a rarity in the modern age: a true man of ideas. You can count such men on one hand..." --The Western Standard "This is a writer who is fond of people and their quirks and who cares deeply about our country ..." --Literary Review of Canada "His wit is delicious. He is that genuine article, of which there are so few, a public intellectual unafraid of discussion and disagreement. " --Globe and Mail



DON'T FORGET YOUR TOQUE! 2/4/2015 Jeff and Natalie brave the elements, rehearsing for Coldest Night of the Year in Port Hope. The 2, 5 and 10km WALK is held on Saturday, February 21st, 2015, and provides participants the opportunity to experience a hint of the challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness while raising much needed revenue for their favourite local charity . Make plans to walk, sponsor or volunteer for Port Hope's Coldest Night of the Year!



It's cold out there! The Coldest Night of the Year is a fantastically fun, family-friendly walking fundraiser that raises money for the hungry, homeless and hurting in 80+ communities across Canada -including Port Hope, Ontario- on Saturday, February 21st, 2015. https://coldestnightoftheyear.org/location/porthope


 
 
 

JANUARY 2015




"When I agreed to put on a concert for Ukrainian soldiers defending Shchastya from Russian invasion, I did not envision lying on canvas sacks of second-hand sweaters and plush toys. Or being wedged between treadless tires and a WWII-era iron stove in the unheated back of an orange Mercedes transport truck on a treacherous road in a convoy of vehicles hauling missiles, rockets and a tank named Lucky. This is what volunteer humanitarian aid looks like in a country unofficially at war."


That's Mark Marczyk talking about his experiences as a musician who found himself in the middle of revolution and war over the past year in Ukraine. He's the violinist and ringleader of Toronto's popular, Juno-nominated band Lemon Bucket Orkestra, known for their street performances, sold out venues and impromptu parades.


Mark will share his stories and music at IMAGINATE 2015 in Port Hope, ON. He'll be joined in performance by Ukrainian singer/ethnomusicologist, Marichka Kudriavtseva. It will be a night of fascinating stories, stimulating thought and delights for the senses.


We're thrilled to be welcoming Steve Buist to IMAGINATE 2015 on February 14 at Trinity College School. Buist is an investigative reporter and feature writer at the Hamilton Spectator. He is responsible for producing large investigative projects, such as the highly-acclaimed Code Red project, which began in 2010 and has been examining the connections between health and poverty by mapping the health of Hamiltonians down to the level of neighbourhoods.


Buist has won three National Newspaper Awards and been nominated five other times. He’s also been named the Canadian Association of Journalists’ Investigative Journalist of the Year three times and been named Ontario’s Journalist of the Year four times. Last summer, Buist won one of the world’s most prestigious cancer journalism awards as he earned the 2014 Best Cancer Reporter Award from the European School of Oncology.


WHERE ARE THE HOMELESS HIDING? 1/24/2015 Since it's rare to see a person sleeping on the street in a community like Port Hope, a lot of people wonder if that means there is no homelessness here. The Homeless Hub at York University is doing a great job of answering questions like this, on their website (homelesshub.ca) and on Facebook.

Homelessness is basically invisible in our community. How do we get the message out that it really does exist even though we don't see people sleeping on park benches? - Ruth


Thanks for the question Ruth! First, I want to acknowledge that your community isn’t out of the ordinary. Most people experiencing homelessness fall under the “provisionally accommodated” category of homelessness and are what most people call the “hidden homeless.”


Those experiencing hidden homelessness are “people who live ‘temporarily with others but without guarantee of continued residency or immediate prospects for accessing permanent housing.” This includes people who are: staying with friends, family or even strangers; incarcerated with nowhere to go once released; “couch-surfing;” and living in cars, church basements, hotels, motels or hostels. Unfortunately, because these people don’t often access shelters or other housing resources, they’re not included in counts or statistics—rendering them “invisible.”




IMAGINATE 2015 to Stimulate Positive Thought and Action


Green Wood Coalition presents IMAGINATE 2015: An Evening of Possibility on Saturday, February 14, 7:30 pm (doors open 7:00 pm), at Trinity College School’s LeVan Theatre, in Port Hope, ON. The event’s theme, as suggested by its Valentine’s Day timing, is “All You Need is Love & …”. Join us in this intellectually engaging evening to help fill in the blank!


This second, annual event, hosted by nationally acclaimed writer and humourist Deborah Kimmett, will feature short, TED-style presentations by compelling speakers and performing artists, as well as a visual art exhibition. Locally-sourced food and drink, catered by The Social Bar & Table, will be on offer at a reception (and included in your $50 ticket).


Organizers of IMAGINATE 2015 hope to stimulate positive thought and action around the various challenges we face as a society, and to propose some possible community-based solutions to these issues. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the work of Green Wood Coalition, a street-level, charitable organization that uses a community model of caring to walk alongside people living with poverty, mental illness, addiction and disability in Port Hope, Ontario.


In addition to outstanding speakers such as broadcaster, Noah Richler, conservationist, Carmen Lishman and journalist, Steve Buist, IMAGINATE 2015 will include the premiere of both a contemporary dance performance and a short film by award-winning filmmaker, Rob Quartly.


Tickets for IMAGINATE 2015 at Trinity College School are available online at www.greenwoodcoalition.com/Imaginate


 
 
 

DECEMBER 2014

CONSIDER THIS 12/27/2014

Here's a podcast of the in-depth interview that journalist, Robert Washburn, conducted with Green Wood's community outreach guy, David Sheffield. David shares insights on social justice, poverty and his own life during their conversation. Robert is a journalism professor at Loyalist College in Belleville, and the host of Consider This: Politics, Life and Journalism in Northumberland County. Link: https://consider-this.ca/david-sheffield-talks-about-green-wood-coalition-and-other-works/



In the life of Green Wood Coalition, this has been a very good year. By offering a place of belonging, we have become a radically inclusive community that honours the worth and the well-being of each person.


The presentation of aYMCA Peace Medal was a highlight of the year for us. This award is presented to individuals or groups who demonstrate a commitment to the values of PEACE (participation, empathy, advocacy, community and empowerment) in the community.



It’s become clear that Green Wood plays a valuable role in giving a voice to those in our community who are most likely to be overlooked or ignored.


We are recognized as a street-level, charitable organization that uses a community model of caring to walk alongside people living with poverty, mental illness, addiction and disability, in Port Hope, Ontario.


Through our efforts and collaboration with like-minded community partners, the daily struggle of people in our core community has become front-page news and a topic of public discussion during all-candidates meetings.


Green Wood can only do this work with the help of people like you, who believe in the work that we do. Without annualized government funding, we are dependent upon the generous support of individuals and businesses to fund our programs, spaces and staff.


One of our enthusiastic supporters, Joyce Lichtenberger, has issued a Christmas Challenge to the community, promising to choose simpler gifts for her family and friends, thereby freeing up some dollars to help Green Wood Coalition make a difference in the lives of neighbours living in poverty.

Please visit our giving page to see how your donation at this time of year can change lives (greenwoodcoalition.com).


Thank you for being an important part of the Green Wood story as we work together to find solutions to daily challenges, and provide hope in our community.


With much appreciation,


David Sheffield, on behalf of the entire Green Wood community


TAKING ART TO SCHOOL 12/13/2014 For the third year in a row, members of our Creative Arts Group were offered the good fortune of spending 3 days in the state-of-the-art facilities of Trinity College School during their Week Without Walls service event. Under the direction of teacher, Harry Stooshinoff, and with the support of students, some wonderful art was made by our group.



This has been an incredibly sad week for the Green Wood community. Our dear friend and constant companion, Glen Byers left this life on Monday evening, December 1 at the age of 63.


Glen is remembered by his friends as one of the most generous, courageous, funny, and loving humans they have ever known. He was a farmer, mechanic, artist and musician who found a place to call home among our community.


There were tears and stories aplenty at our community dinner on Wednesday. There was an obvious empty seat at our table, and the piano was left unplayed. Glen's spirit will continue to permeate all that we do together.


A funeral service will be held for Glen at Ross Funeral Chapel in Port Hope at 2 pm, Friday, December 5. Visitation 1-2 pm.

 
 
 
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