A word from Corinne Bains, our Executive Director:
Hello Families, Neighbours and Friends!
Well, September is almost behind us…already! It has been a busy time at SNP, as it usually is with the end of summer and the return to our full program schedule. This year, everything was even more topsy-turvey by the flood that originated in the Saanich Centennial Library, right next door to us. Thankfully, the leak was noticed quite quickly, but still, the damage was significant, in the library of course, but also in the spaces we occupy at SNP. We are told that it will likely be 3-4 months before all is back to ‘normal’ in the affected spaces.
In spite of the mess and chaos, our Family Picnic on September 4th came together with the help of all our staff members, and was well attended by many. We look forward to hosting another such event, and hope to see many of our neighbours and families there again.
At the Royal Oak Neighbourhood House we have new faces! Brianna is leading Parent/Child Mother Goose and Baby Group on Mondays, Ali will be there for Tues – Thurs Drop In Playgroups, and Paul will be hosting ‘COAST’ on Tuesday afternoons.
In addition to our regularly scheduled programs, this fall sees a new ‘Nobody’s Perfect’, ‘Mother’s Mental Health Toolkit’ and ‘Parenting from a Dad’s Perspective on the calendar. Welcome to Michaela as well, new to the Family Development team.
In the Food Security realm, we have two ‘Food Skills for Families’ courses on offer this fall, plus our weekly Community Kitchens. Registration is underway, so please visit the website to find out how to participate in these programs.
We are excited to announce that St. Aidan’s Church (in Gordon Head) is providing space for us to offer an additional weekly ‘
Parent and Tot Drop-In’ beginning on Wednesday September 18th, 9:30 – 11:00 am.
Full o’Beans is well underway, with many returning and new families in our morning progamss. Our new preschool programs ‘Activity Time’ on Mon/Wed/Fri afternoons and Full o’Beans! On Tues/Thur afternoons from 12.30- 2.30 still have spaces available. Contact Moira or Emma for more information, and to register!
Our
Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday October 16th at 5:30 pm (yes, during Family Dinner!) Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting, meet members of our incoming and outgoing Board of Directors, and find out a bit about what we’ve done in the last year. This is an opportunity to become a member of SNP as well 😉 (Which means you can vote on decisions, and we can tell funders we have voting members!) We look forward to seeing you there!
Whew! What a great moment to acknowledge the really fabulous people that make Saanich Neighbourhood Place what it is! I am truly grateful to work with the dedicated, hard-working, and as we’ve recently tested, adaptable members of our team each day, knowing that all of them can be counted on to do their best to ensure that all of you, the families that come to SNP programs, will continue to get the programs and services you are looking for, here in your neighbourhood and across all of Saanich.
