January, particularly January 1st has become a traditional time to look back and review the past and our accomplishments, and to look forward with anticipation and establish new goals. It’s also a time to turn the page and forget about the “what ifs”, and start planning for the “what now”. A time to get the pen out and start writing a new chapter on a blank page, all the while remembering the past to inform the present and plan for the future. It’s a time to renew and a time to celebrate!
And for Mission Services of London, it is no different. Reflection in 2011 will be special because we are celebrating 60 years of community service. Of course reflecting on 60 years of service will be particularly difficult for me because I have been here less than 6 months. But that’s where collective wisdom and remembrance of the thousands of employees, volunteers and donors comes in.
- Collectively we are able to look back to our heritage and the values upon which Mission Services of London was founded, and collectively we look forward to affirming and renewing those values as part of our celebration.
- We look back to the hundreds of men, women and children in 2010 that found it necessary to use either our Men’s Mission or Rotholme Women’s and Family Shelter and look forward to helping create a solution that will ultimately reduce the number of people that require our services.
- We look back to witnessing successful graduations from the Quintin Warner House program and look forward to celebrating future sobriety anniversaries by those graduates.
- We look back with sadness at the departure of Dick Cochrill as the Director of Quintin Warner House but look forward with eagerness to the arrival of Jon DeActis as the new Director.
- We look back to the successful integration of services at our Community Mental Health Program and anticipate the introduction of new services to support street involved individuals.
- We look back to see how services to the community have been developed by the Mission Store and look forward to continued evolution of services.
- We look back with tremendous gratitude to the countless volunteers and donors and look forward with great anticipation to welcoming more of you as volunteers and donors.
- And we look back to the constancy and faithfulness of our Lord throughout each of the 60 years of service to the community, and can only look forward to more of the same.
2011, a year of renewal and celebration. Celebrate with us throughout the year!
Peter Rozeluk, Executive Director