Dixon
Hall's
Regent Park Learning Centre
“Hands
On!”
Official
Launch and Open House
On
November 5, 2001, John
Chang, president of TELUS Client Solutions, helped
the staff of Dixon Hall and residents of Regent Park celebrate the official
launch of the Program.
A
cake especially designed for the event, food provided by
local community caterers, decorative balloons and gift
packs for all visitors, as well as a lucky draw for two
TELUS phones, all added to the festivity of the occasion.
Paul
Chamberlain, Director of Community Education and Development
for Dixon Hall introduced the various speakers and special
guests. Nosheen
Warsi, Manager of the Regent Park Learning Centre
described the “Hands On” project. “ By
using a ‘train-the-trainer’ approach, the program will
build capacity within the community through actively
involving participants as peer trainers.
Essentially, the peer trainers will provide
technical support and guidance to newer users and, over
time, will gradually take more responsibility in running
the day-to-day programs.”
She went on to describe the
first group of ‘Hands On’ participants, “10 men and
women who come from many different ethnic backgrounds and range in age from 29 to 65”.
Deany
Peters, Board President of Dixon Hall and resident of Regent Park, talked
of just how essential a program like this is “to
bridge the ever widening technology gap experienced by children and
adults alike in the Park, the gap between the ‘haves’ and
‘have nots’. For
participants of the program, “Hands
On” helps
bring
their previously unattainable goals within their reach.
And
Tim Fisher, “Hands
On” student
described the impact of the program on his life and
praised the skill and patience of the instructors.
John
Chang spoke of his personal connection to the community and shared his
thoughts on the reasons for his company’s support of the program,
“At TELUS, we have
a long and proud tradition of improving the quality of life in the communities
in which we live, work and conduct business. This commitment is demonstrated
by our direct financial contributions and sponsorships with non-profit
organizations and by supporting the volunteer and charitable-giving
activities of our TELUS team members. We are delighted to be a part
of such a worthy program and to support Dixon Hall through the Hands
On initiative.”
“Dixon
Hall has been very successful over the years with
initiating programs that encourage self-sufficiency,”
said Bruce
MacDougall, Executive Director.
“We are thrilled that TELUS has joined our team to help
improve the lives of those within our community.
The Hands On program is a wonderful example
of how we can work together.”
TELUS
is donating $180,000 over
the next three years to ensure the success of the Hands On program.
This contribution is part of its
Community Investment Program. Through this program, TELUS provides support
to many charitable and non-profit organizations across Canada. TELUS
is an Imagine Caring Company, a designation of the Canadian Centre for
Philanthropy for companies that donate at least one per cent of their
pre-tax profits to charitable and non-profit organizations. In 2000,
TELUS contributed more than $13 million of financial and in-kind assistance
to educational, health, arts and charitable organizations across Canada.
During
the rest of the day many residents and co-workers from
neighbouring community organizations came to find out more
about the Regent
Park Learning Centre and “Hands On”. They
all enjoyed the cake, created by Mary May, and the
other refreshments provided by the Afghan Women's Catering
Service and Lemon and All Spice, two local ced businesses.
They also all received a TELUS gift pack.
Thank
you
