Action Read Picnic 2019

The picnic was held at the pavilion at Riverside Park. We had jugglers come from the University of Guelph to teach us how to juggle. I tried really hard to do it. We also got to blow bubbles.

To eat, we had pizza from Domino’s and it was really spicy. Other people brought chips, lots of different salads, cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, and all kinds of desserts. I liked some of the food, especially the swiss cheese.

I also saw many of my friends, like Jason, Suzanne and Joanne. It was very fun with so many people. I super liked the Action Read Picnic.

By Tasha Urry

Action Read learner

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Holiday Party 2018

We had another fantastic holiday party!  The food was amazing thanks to the cooking of chefs Stephen Aspinall and Emily Quinton, as well as a team of talented volunteers.  We enjoyed lively Celtic music by Fiona and Mika McCairley. So much fun! Happy Holidays all!

A community party!

Tutor and Board member James with his learner Craig

Laila and Susan share a laugh

Making holiday crafts

Celtic Musicians Fiona and Mika McCairley

Holiday creativity!

Good friends - good conversation

Tasha showing off her new books

Fantastic book donations for our members

Diversity Workshops

In the spring 2018, with the support of the Guelph Community Foundation, Action Read held a series of workshops to celebrate diversity, and to create a comfortable and inspiring context in which to share ideas and experiences around issues of identity, culture, and abilities. Our Project Coordinator Dawn Matheson brought her own unique perspective and considerable experience to the project.  She immediately identified the need to approach each workshop through a “kind and compassionate” lens. Seemingly a small thing, it set a very positive and non-judgmental tone to the project, which served to encourage participation and engagement.

We held six very well attended, highly engaging workshops. The project created new learning partnerships, built new community connections and created a sense of belonging. Workshop topics included spoken word poetry writing and performance, film, advocacy letter writing, music as therapy and community drumming.

Approximately 40 learners participated in the project and all of them agreed that the learning activities were valuable and enriching.

Huge thanks to the Guelph Community Foundation for their support of this special project!

"Music for Community Building" with Gary Diggins

Action Read staff member Laine

Noah Irvine "Mental Health and Addiction. Getting Your Voice Heard" 

"Poetry Potluck" with Kevin Sutton 

"Transported" Workshop with Dawn Matheson

Here are a few comments about what people appreciated about the workshops;

• “The amazing pleasure of trying something I honestly felt I had no “feeling” for or about”

• “The talk about the Syrian and Kenyan Refugees and their stories about their immigration to Canada”

• “The writing round to the poem in a group of four or three.”

• “The inclusivity and open-mindedness.”

• “Interesting stories, all unpredictable and sweet. Gained knowledge about others.”

• “Seeing everyone drum together was awesome!  It was easy for everyone to participate. And it was so fun!”

• “I like the sharing that went around in the room. Also the fact it doesn’t matter where we are from, there is community.”

• “We had a lot of fun and laughter"

• “We created community!"

2017 Winegard Award Winners Recognized

Wednesday, March 29, 2017 — News Release by the Volunteer Centre of Guelph / Wellington

A student helping Syrian refugees adjust to life in Canada, a professor who uses his skills in computer science to support food security, and a Physical Resources (PR) manager who teaches adults how to read are the winners of this year’s William Winegard Exemplary Volunteer Awards. Student Yousr El Sharawy, computer science professor Dan Gillis and PR manager Paul Mesman were honoured at a ceremony at the Gryphon Athletics Centre March 29.

Established in 2007, the awards are presented each year to U of G staff, faculty and students who volunteer in the community by the University of Guelph, the United Way of Guelph Wellington Dufferin and the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington.



Volunteer award winners (from left) Paul Mesman, Yousr El Sharawy and Daniel Gillis with William Winegard

They are named for William Winegard, former U of G president and former Guelph MP who served as Canada’s first minister of science and as parliamentary secretary to the minister of international trade.

 

“I’m not in the same league in volunteering as most of you. In my experience in Guelph, the volunteers are just fantastic. It makes you feel good to see such dedicated people,” Winegard said in a short speech.

 

Winegard continues to volunteer today as a reading buddy for local schoolchildren.

 

“Professor Gillis, Paul and Yousr are dedicated volunteers recognized today for their tremendous community spirit,” said Ken Dardano, executive director of United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin.

 “United Way is pleased to partner with the Volunteer Centre and the University of Guelph to present these outstanding volunteers with this year’s Winegard Awards.”

El Sharawy uses her Arabic-language skills to help refugees as a logistics coordinator and interpreter for a private Syrian refugee sponsorship program. She co-founded the campus Migrant Justice initiative and works with other campus groups, and volunteers with the Guelph Refugee Sponsorship Forum.

Gillis co-founded Farm to Fork, which aims to improve the quality and quantity of food donated to emergency food systems. He is also a founder of The Seed Community Food Hub, which helps local partners bring people together to access, grow, cook and share healthful food. He has co-organized the Food Waste Hackathon and the Feeding Nine Billion Challenge, both of which involve multidisciplinary teams of U of G students developing solutions to food problems.

Mesman has been a volunteer tutor at Action Read Community Literacy Centre since 2013. He meets with learners once a week to help them develop practical skills and to build their confidence and self-esteem. “Our three recipients have shown how volunteers can turn their passions into lasting contributions benefiting people and organizations in our community,” said Christine Oldfield, executive director of the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington.

Action Read Annual Picnic - The Official Start to Summer!

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon last Thursday, June 16^th for our annual Action Read picnic! A big thank you to all the volunteers and learners who came out to share this evening full of delicious foods, great company and fun activities. This year Gabe introduced a chalkboard that held spots for everyone to write down a goal they wish to achieve in the next year. If you weren’t able to make it, the board will be displayed in the office. Jan also lead the group in a drumming circle including traditional aboriginal songs, as well as some popular songs everyone knew.  

Thanks again to everyone who made it to our 2016 picnic, and we hope to see you again next year!

Strongman Alex with good friends!

 

Marla adds her goals.  How easy was that!

 

Gabe and volunteer extraordinaire Greg M!

 

Drumming in the park

 

Tasha, Craig and Mira

 





Summer student 2016 Denia

2015 Action Read Picnic

Doug and Marion

Edgar and Whitney

 

Thanks to all the volunteers and learners who came to our 2015 Action Read Annual Picnic on June 17th! This year we ditched the regular glitter and glue crafts, and brought out the big buckets of paint and paintbrushes! After an introduction to mural painting from Gabe’s dad, Cliff Smith, we decorated three of our office doors.  Learners, staff and volunteers came together to brush, splat, drip and draw all kind of fantastic colours and shapes on the doors. The result was some wonderful community created pieces of art that give our office some extra personality. If you weren’t at the picnic or are long overdue to visit Action Read, come by and checkout our awesome new doors!  Thanks again to all those who attended the event.

And not to brag… but Picasso would be jealous of the art we made!