march 2014 ugm.ca

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gratitude

Send a kid to camp,change a life.Holly's Story of Hope Inside

I love the picture that this verse paints. It makes me think of all the kids who will attend a local camp for the first time in their life this summer. For many campers, that week will be their first chance to experience nature in a real, transformative way. I think of Liam, who wrote us after a week at Camp Luther last summer, saying, “Camp opened my world!” For the first time, Liam’s heart was aware of the beauty of creation. What a life-giving experience at such a formative stage in life. But while BC’s snow-capped mountains and evergreen forests can provide a real peace, it’s often the relationships formed at camp that truly change individual lives.

As you’ll see in Holly’s story, it was the people that really made a difference. Camp was a place where she felt loved and accepted, giving her the necessary confidence to pursue leadership and education. Holly gained her confidence because of the people who poured into her—whether her bunkmates, her counsellors, or the donors that sent her to camp. It is my deep hope that this summer, many of the families we work with at UGM will get a chance to give their own kids—kids like Holly and Liam—a life-changing adventure at summer camp.

union gospel mission601 east hastings st. vancouver, bc, v6a 1j7coast salish territories604.253.3323ugm.ca

editor in chief: christian maheditor: blythe hutchcroftmanager: j stewartproduction coordinator: stephanie ovensdesign & layout: elizabeth ellis facebook.com/uniongospelmission twitter.com/ugm

Here at Union Gospel Mission, we just finished celebrating our community at UGM’s annual Easter meal, and it couldn’t have been a better way to kick off this warmer weather. I am so grateful for your gifts, which made our Easter feast possible. Whether it’s a meal that leads to so much more, or a week at camp that changes a life, your support makes a lasting difference. Thank you.

As you read through this issue of Gratitude, I encourage you to reflect on your own childhood memories. Recall your early summers. What were they filled with? Did you attend camp or camp with your family? Did you play in creeks or take to the street for daily road hockey tournaments with your neighbours? Sometimes, for some of the families we work with at UGM, life’s challenges get in the way of building care-free, positive memories each summer. But with your help, Union Gospel Mission aims to break cycles of poverty, bringing the focus back to making life-giving memories that each child can carry forever.

Sincerely,

William B. Mollard

To change your mailing address, adjust your mailing preferences, or request a new tax receipt, please send a note to donors@ugm.ca, or call 604.253.3323. We’ll be happy to help.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. – Isaiah 55:12

Send a kid to camp, change a life.For over 60 years, Union Gospel Mission’s bighearted donors have been giving kids in need the life-changing experience of summer camp. UGM works with 15 quality Christian camps throughout BC, all of which are listed on page 5. Kids can choose the camp they’d like to go to—maybe one where they can try sailing, waterskiing, horseback riding, or rock climbing—so no matter which camp they choose, their experience is unforgettable!

Kids often tell us that camp truly does change lives. Here’s what Dion, Liam, Jacob, and Holly have to say about their time at camp:

If I could thank the donor who sent me to camp personally, I would thank that person a billion times for letting me go to this amazing camp and I would tell them how much this camp has impacted my life so far. – Dion

Camp opened my world. Thank you UGM!! – Liam

I will never forget tubing with my mom. We were going so fast and we fell off. I went under the ocean and my mom pulled me back on. She said to me that this is like being in Titanic! I want to be a camp counsellor when I turn into a teenager. – Jacob

Because UGM sent me to camp as a kid, I know what I want to do with my life. – Holly (Holly’s story on pages 4 & 5)

you can send a kid to camp by donating at ugm.ca or by returning the enclosed reply slip today.

On April 19th, you gave families a chance to start fresh this spring. Because of generous donors and kindhearted volunteers like you, we were able to serve over 2,500 meals to men, women, and families at Union Gospel Mission’s Vancouver and New Westminster locations.

Every Easter, our Outreach Workers meet community members they’ve never seen before. And every year, it’s a chance to offer relationship and community to someone who might be lonely and in need.

The connections our guests make at Easter often lead to

You Filled Easter with Hopesomeone transforming their life. It might start with a meal, but soon, guests gain the strength they need to work towards building a better life. Whether this means applying for A&D Recovery, checking out our Emergency Shelter, or learning more about our Women & Families services, Easter is often the starting point for someone engaging with UGM’s life-changing programs and services.

Check out our Easter recap video at ugm.ca/videos/easter2014👀

Holly’s future is bright. Speaking with quiet assurance, she acknowledges that much of who she is today was sparked by a single week at camp, a week that guided her onto the path she’s on now. “I can be, er, enthusiastic,” Holly admits. “But I don’t use words like ‘changed my life’ lightly. And going to camp as a kid really did change my life.”

Holly grew up in UGM’s family housing complex in Surrey. “Growing up in The Orchard was any kid’s dream,” she explains. “In the summer the other kids would come knocking on your door and we’d go play a huge game of Foxes and Hounds. The Orchard felt like a neighbourhood, like community.” She continues to speak about her roots with humble gratitude. “I had a great childhood. My mom was my best friend, and still is to this day. Growing up, I did recognize that I was missing a dad but my mother did so much to fill it in that, to be honest, I didn’t really notice.”

Holly and her mother have a multi-faceted relationship with Union Gospel Mission.“It’s funny. UGM entered my life in very different ways and in different places,” she says, thoughtfully. “My mom started working at UGM when I was five, helping to manage the thrift store. But I heard about camp sponsorships through the daycare that I was going to.” Through UGM’s camp partnership program, Holly’s daycare was able to choose three kids to send to Camp Qwanoes that summer. “And I was one of them,” she grins.

When she speaks about her summers at Qwanoes, Holly lights up. This isn’t unusual. Holly’s effervescent personality tends to shine through most of her words. But when she mentions camp, she speaks with the deep nostalgia of someone telling her own small origin story. “I remember the first day so well. The busses drop you off above a field, which trails down past the dining hall to the ocean. The counsellors made a tunnel for the kids to run through, into a sea of streamers. That was my favourite feeling. Every time I would arrive at camp, I’d think, I’m so happy to be home.”

While Holly has fond childhood memories, she admits that growing up in a world that's filled with brokenness isn’t always easy. “For much of my life, I was bullied or left out a lot,” Holly says. It’s hard to believe that this confident, young woman ever felt unsure of herself. “Camp changed that. I could be me at camp and still be loved. That was a big thing for me—knowing that I would be loved, totally accepted, and valued. I really felt that people knew me there. They knew me as me and they still loved me.”

Impacted by her week at camp, Holly returned to The Orchard to tell all the other kids about it. “I was the first kid from The Orchard to go to Qwanoes,” she says. “I spoke about it so highly for so many years.” Soon after, UGM started sponsoring other kids at The Orchard. “One year, my best friend got to come with me. And she loved it. So her sister started going—then her sister took her best friends. It’s been so cool to see this transformation carry on through the Orchard generations.”

Camp impacted Holly’s sense of identity so much that she decided she wanted to give back. Holly started counselling at Qwanoes in 2009, pouring into girls’ lives—many of whom faced similar struggles that young Holly had grappled with herself. That summer, Holly learned about Kaléo, Qwanoes’ post-secondary bible college program. Kaléo is an eight-month program that provides young adults with a foundation in biblical studies, outdoor education, camp ministry, and more. In September 2010, Holly packed her things and left The Orchard for a year that would shape her in ways she never could have imagined.

“It was in Kaléo that all the pieces got put together and I realized what I wanted to do with my life,” she says. “This is where I realized I wanted to work with youth.”

Holly came back from Kaléo and jumped right into being a youth leader. She knew she wanted an educational foundation, and so she applied for university. Today, Holly attends UBC on scholarships and student loans. She lives in Dunbar and visits her mother, who’s still one of her best friends, at The Orchard on weekends. Holly feels her political science degree will open doors, maybe allowing her to work with youth-oriented NGOs or missionary organizations overseas. “I feel like this time at UBC is important, and I can see how it will pave a foundation for what I want to do in the future,” she explains.

Holly can’t imagine what her life would be like today if her ten-year-old self, bright and precocious, hadn’t attended camp. “None of this life, my life, would have happened like this. Had I not gone to camp, I wouldn’t have realized I wanted to counsel. Had I not worked at camp, I wouldn’t have done Kaléo. Had I not done Kaléo, I wouldn’t have figured out what I want to do with my life. I wouldn’t be who I am today. Going to camp as a kid really did change my life. I am so grateful.”

It goes without saying that Holly recognizes the impact a week of camp has in a child’s life. “A lot of times kids need a boost or to be loved. Camp does that. Me, a girl who was bullied and left out and didn’t really have a lot of confidence—I was confident at camp.”

“You never know when you’re going to be starting a story like mine,” Holly says thoughtfully. “You never know what kid’s life will change because of that first week at camp. I got sponsored to go back to camp and eventually, I became a counsellor and got to feed into other kids’ lives. It doesn’t stop with that ten-year-old. That kid is going to grow up to be something, to be someone. And maybe that kid’s going to have a story like mine. Because someone poured into me, I am here today.”

“I could be me at camp and still be loved…. I really felt that people knew me there. They knew me as me and they still loved me.”

Last year, Union Gospel Mission’s bighearted donors gave over 500 kids the experience of a life-changing week at one of the following camps:

daybreak point bible campcamp chariscamp douglascamp evergreenhope bay bible campcamp kawkawakeats campcamp luther

pioneer pacific campshining stars camp can-docamp squeahstillwood campcamp sunrisetimberline ranch campcamp qwanoes

You can give another child the same transformative opportunity this summer.

please give generously at ugm.ca or by returning the enclosed reply slip

Holly holds the camp ID cards that she saved from childhood.

Eastsiders: Inspiring Hope & Bright FuturesEvery day at 3pm, the school bell rings at Strathcona Elementary. Kids pour onto the playground. They scramble up ladders, throw themselves down slides, and try not to touch the woodchips in a high-stake game of

“Lava Monster.” At first, you might not notice anything particularly unique about this scene. But if you look closely, you’ll see three adults have joined the rambunctious mass. They’re decked in UGM coats and nametags, playing right alongside the kids, leaping from beam to beam to avoid the woodchips too. This is UGM’s Eastsiders team, and they’re here to collect the Eastsiders themselves.

“Relationships are big for us at Eastsiders,” says Tiffany Chan, one of three Outreach Workers who run UGM’s afterschool care program for children in the DTES. “Many of our children have stayed in our program from when they were young until they graduate,” she explains. Whether working on building bright futures or offering support for the whole family, Eastsiders is designed to inspire hope, offering both relational and holistic support to help kids—and families—reach their God-given potential.

Every day after school, the kids come to play, learn, and grow at UGM’s Women & Families Centre. Tiffany, Justine, and Thomas cover a range of practical life lessons and skills. “For example,” Tiffany explains, “we teach financial literacy by using Eastsiders currency. Each kid signs up for a job every month, receives an Eastsiders pay cheque, and puts it into an Eastsiders account. We use this game to teach about saving, short and long-term goal making, stewardship, and more. Plus we have a tuck shop that they can shop at with this currency!”

In addition to teaching practical skills, Eastsiders staff have recently implemented an evidence-based social and emotional learning program called Strong Kids. The curriculum guides children to understand their own and other people’s emotions, anger management, and how to deal with social problems. They even designed a “solution space” where each child can work through any problem they might have with the guidance of an Eastsiders staff member.

For some children, life might not be so carefree. At Eastsiders, kids can put worry on hold and focus on learning about God, their health, and how to have fun. “It’s a huge gift to be able to connect with these kids and to just see them be able to just be kids. We play a lot,” Tiffany adds.

But Eastsiders isn’t just designed to inspire hope in the kids. Offering holistic support means providing opportunities for each kid’s family to engage and thrive. If you walk into UGM’s Women & Families Centre on any other Thursday night, you’ll notice tables laden with food, UGM staff chatting with parents, and armfuls of Eastsiders running between the rows of chairs. That’s because every other Thursday, UGM hosts a family dinner where parents, guardians, and siblings of children in Eastsiders can connect with Women & Families staff, learn more about the program, and watch a slideshow that the kids themselves have helped to curate.

At Union Gospel Mission we’re dedicated to transforming communities affected by poverty. However, lasting transformation often takes years to achieve. That’s why programs like Eastsiders are so critical. It’s a relational, community-driven way to help future generations overcome life’s trials by giving them the tools, care, and support to break the cycle of poverty.

ugm staff use fun, engaging discussion to teach eastsiders kids holistic life skills. some examples of lessons include:

One boy proudly sports his Eastsiders sweatshirt at last year's summer camp.

Building a Family on Love & Support

Eastsiders: Inspiring Hope & Bright Futures

In 2011, Elva cared for a family of four. Today, her family has grown to welcome three more!

“If I could give a young mom advice,” Elva pauses to think. “I’d say don’t give up on your kids. Because for me, they’re the

treasures of my life.” Now a bustling family of seven, Elva strives to knit her family close with care, openness, and unconditional support. Her oldest three sons are a mix of Elva’s own traits. Jonah, nineteen, is social while Ronald, sixteen, is more soft-spoken. “Stanley—he’s the ten-year-old—well, he’s just hyper,” she laughs.

In the past thirty-odd years, Elva has developed a vibrant relationship with Union Gospel Mission. It seems as if the organization has always been there, though at times, nothing more than a quiet, steady background presence. Growing up in the neighbourhood, her brothers attended Sunday school at UGM. But when Elva had her first two sons, she started connecting with UGM’s Women & Families Centre more and more.

“UGM’s been here for us for years,” Elva says, explaining the many ways in which UGM has come alongside her family.

“Ronald grew up in Eastsiders and Stanley—he’s ten years old—is in the program now. I asked Pastor Bruce to do my mom’s funeral when she passed away; they helped with my grieving. And UGM’s been really supportive with my sobriety, because I used to have a hard time with alcohol. I don’t drink anymore.”

Since Elva first got connected at Union Gospel Mission, her family has nearly doubled in size. No longer raising three boys on her own, Elva now works faithfully with her partner, Jason, to care for Jonah, Ronald, Stanley, Jason Jr., and their newest family member, an eager ten-month old named Frederick. “Watching my children grow is the biggest joy,” says Elva.

“Ronald grew up here,” she continues. “And he just got a job opportunity with Steve (UGM’s Youth Outreach Worker). I’m proud of my son.” Though his Saturday workdays are long, Ronald is experiencing an important rite of passage: his first job. And just last weekend Ronald and Jason Sr. were able to commute to their respective jobs, together, for the first time.

UGM’s Women & Families Wrap-Around Coordinator, Hilena Zylstra, says she sees how Elva’s dedication unfolds in her home. “It is so evident how much Elva loves her family. If she is troubled with something, she seeks help, she seeks support. She always desires the best for herself and for them. It’s evident in the tenderness I see there.” Hilena pauses, turning to Elva.

“It’s evident just seeing the way that you guys hug each other.”

“It’s true,” Elva says, laughing. “Every time we see family we give each other a hug.”

“Watching my children grow is the biggest joy.”

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Union Gospel Mission has been a part of Dan's life for as long as he can remember. “I remember as a kid, heading down with my dad for the services at night,” he says, reflecting with fond nostalgia. “I remember feeling like we were way across the tracks from where I grew up.” And today, perhaps because his father inspired compassion in his young heart, Dan is one of our most loyal Hearts for the City donors.

Dan gives monthly because he thinks, quite simply, it’s what he’s called to do. His deep faith has always inspired him to support international relief organizations, but after volunteering with his church at a local dinner ministry for people experiencing homelessness, Dan felt compelled to support local initiatives too. “It became pretty obvious to me that we have pretty great need in this city,” he explains. Supporting UGM is Dan’s way of helping those in need right here in his hometown.

Hearts for the City donors like Dan are partners in the truest sense of the word. Monthly donors provide consistent and invaluable support, allowing UGM to make a greater impact for our neighbours in need throughout Metro Vancouver and the City of Mission. Hearts for the City donors help create lasting solutions to poverty, addiction, and homelessness, because monthly giving helps UGM plan for the future. Knowing we have consistent monthly gifts helps our staff and board dream big and plan carefully for tomorrow.

Dan recognizes that transforming communities one life at a time means providing services that meet the needs of the whole person. “UGM is not just a hand-a-man-a-fish program,” he says. “It’s about handing a man a fish if he needs it, but if he wants to learn how to fish, offering to teach him. I really believe in that. If there are folks who can be redeemed by teaching them how to fish, then we owe them that.”

Give a Little, Change a Lot

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