|
Hi Pacific Community Church,
Thank you for ALL the ways you support this program and for giving me (and our team) the opportunity to serve and love our community. I’ve highlighted the past few months and my hope is that you would know how much your involvement plays a significant role in caring for and investing in the Families/Youth in Surrey.
THRIVE: MAKING THE BEST OF SUMMER
At the end of May/beginning of June, our Thrive Program launched a 3-week series on “Making the Best of Summer”. This came out of the the knowledge that summer can feel isolating and extremely hard for many Young Families. Often, this is the time of year that many programs and care end and there is not much offered for those under the age of 5 to participate in, or the costs are too high. Our hope was that, this summer, we could set families up to feel more prepared for all that comes with this transition and to encourage care for parents and their kids.
Each week, we provided a home-cooked lunch (from our wonderful volunteer, Mei) and childcare. During the 3-week series, we offered two weeks of group counselling sessions (with some incredible professional counsellors) which focused on self-regulation tools and caring for your child through big emotions. The third week was led by my co-worker, Aveena, and I on highly practical resources. These included: how to make your own play-dough, the power of painters tape in activities (if you know, you know), breathing techniques, checklists, calendars, Self-Care Summer Bingo, etc. We had an opportunity through a grant to provide cooler bags, snack containers, and gratefulness journals. The moms expressed such gratitude for this series and the practical resources. One mom even said,“I saw some coolers in the store the other day but it was that or formula, and I got formula… thank you so much.” My heart was overjoyed by the ways each mom leaned in and gleaned from this program, and walked away with a deep sense of how to Thrive this summer. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and the amazing moms we walked with!
Picture: Thrive Summer Series; Families & Staff (with resource kits)
|
NATIONAL MINISTRY CONFERENCE (NMC)
At the end of June, I headed out for a 5-day Conference at Rockridge Canyon in Princeton. On a personal note, this was the longest I have been away from my kids and it was a much-needed time to recharge and rest. Most of the days were full of sessions: diving into spiritual rhythms, AI practices, Why the Bible matters?, Parenting & Caring for others, and hearing from our National Director. The rest of the days were spent gathering as a group of almost 400 from all around Canada to eat meals, connect 1-on-1, enjoy quiet time, learn from other ministries and enjoy the camp. On the last night, we celebrated with staff who had finished their credentialing journey (every staff member is required to do this within their first few years of work). Two staff from our Young Families team had the joy of walking across the stage to complete this process. Huge congratulations to Aveena and Jeff! I also got to walk across stage to be celebrated with my 10-year Service Award (which I got back in October, 2025).
A FUN FACT: 18 years ago, I graduated a program called Lifeteams: Youth Work School. They have over 200+ Alumni and are celebrating 25 years this year! This school is all about training up incredible youth workers through hands-on teaching, community living, spiritual formation and mentorship. I highly recommend the program, and they also have some incredible resources - find out more here: lifeteams.ca.
Below is a picture of Alumni at NMC who are all working for Youth Unlimited.
Picture: All receiving 10 year awards (above)
Lifeteams Alumni Crew (All are Youth Unlimited Staff) (below)
|
WHAT’S THE SUMMER LOOK LIKE?
It’s already a week in and we’re having a blast. Summer is often a time to recharge as staff, plus host some fun events to get us outside and in community. Just this past week, we headed to the Otter Co-op Outdoor Experience (water park) with 4 families and staff.
This coming week we’ll host an evening at the beach with hotdog roasting, and then we’ll gather in the last week of July for a big BBQ with current and alumni families. We will also gather just as moms for our annual “Moms Night Out!” event. These events are often anticipated by many (including us!) and we look forward to building into this community of families in an casual atmosphere over fun, food, and connection.
I'm truly grateful for you. Thank you for being part of making this possible.
I love this work and I love investing in and caring for these families.
This matters. They Matter. You Matter.
Together we get to see families restored and lives transformed.
With much gratitude and a thankful heart,
Charlotte Toney
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
