Sydney members equip children for the new school year

Showing up without the needed supplies is no way to start the school year. Members of CEIU’s Sydney, Nova Scotia, local (80226) joined community members to collect and distribute school supplies to families that were struggling financially. In 2010, this made the difference for over 400 young students.

2010 marks the 18^th year that the Every Woman’s Centre has run its Back to School program. The Centre, which was established in 1991, set up the program in response to direct appeals from the community. Donations come from a broad base of supporters that includes federal workers as well as current and retired teachers. The program preserves the excitement of the first day of school for those who would otherwise suffer from the stigma of being without the basic supplies needed for the school year.

Helen King, a Vice-President of local 80226 and Chair of the PSAC Sydney and Area Regional Women’s Committee (RWC), has worked on a number of programs with the Every Woman’s Centre over the years. This year, she forged a direct connection between the Back to School program, the RWC and various federal government workplaces in the Sydney area. In all, over 10 full boxes of school supplies were collected from Sydney’s CIC Case Processing Centre, the Permanent Resident Card Centre, the Foreign Skilled Workers Project, the Canada Revenue Agency and the PSAC Regional Women’s Committee. “I want to thank the members who made donations and those who helped pack the materials for shipment,” said King, “and to offer special thanks to 80226 President Wilf MacKinnon and Local Education Coordinator Charles Nicholson for delivering the donations to the Centre.”

 “The Centre does excellent work and the community has always shown strong support,” said King. According to King, the Every Woman’s Centre offers a wide range of services, from the “Adopt a Family at Christmas” program (in which CIC has participated for many years) and a shelter for homeless women to training on how to operate a small business. “The Centre connects in many ways with the people of our community,” she added, “and, like a union, the better we’re connected, the stronger we are.”

To learn more about the Every Woman’s Centre, subscribe to their monthly newsletter by sending an email message to wandaearhart.swcproject@gmail.com.

Pictured below is Helen King (far right) presenting samples of the donated supplies to Centre staff members Diane Parlee, (left) and Wanda Earhart, (centre).