I’m thrilled to be working with the Hants County Christmas Angels this year. I moved to the Windsor area from Halifax three years ago after buying a cottage on one of the beautiful local lakes. I was only planning to visit on weekends and continue living and working in the city with my family, but as fate (or luck) would have it, we fell in love with the area, and decided to make a permanent move. It was the best decision our family has made!
I now work as an independent business consultant from my home. I have a varied background, working mainly in business consulting and youth programming in Nova Scotia and in England. I spent almost a decade working as a Senior Consultant at the Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary’s University. During this time, I ran a youth employment program called Options where I taught life skills, job skills, entrepreneurship and business start-up to youth in Halifax Regional Municipality who were looking to make positive changes in their lives. It was the most rewarding work I’ve ever done and I’m proud to have mentored hundreds of young people into career jobs, coached them to start businesses, or return to school to further their education.
I’m from a small community in Nova Scotia which also has a BIG HEART, similar to what I experience in the Hants community every day. When I was a young single mother receiving social assistance, I relied heavily on the kindness of family, friends, and strangers to help me create a happy and healthy environment for my daughter. I understand that the Holidays are often a difficult time for many families. Just because it’s Christmas, does not mean the bills stop coming or the stress of life stops happening. I feel blessed to be working with a Board of Directors, and community volunteers who also understand our heartfelt obligation to try and “lighten the load” for families who are struggling, and help to the best of our abilities to provide a happy Christmas for the children of Hants County.
I look forward to working with all of you as we enjoy another great Christmas Angels campaign season! Our applications for holiday help are already in circulation. We will be posting updates on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. We are planning smaller fundraisers, in addition to our Webathon, our signature event which takes place this year on Sunday, December 1st (put a BIG star on your calendar, it’s going to be a spectacular day)! We are signing up businesses in the community to host our Trees of Hope and Toy Drive, as well as accepting sponsorship for entire families through our Wish Book program. I can’t wait to see what this season brings. Our goal is even bigger than last year. We are working to raise $50,000 this year to help as many families as we can, and I’m sure we can do it! Thank you for your support, your kindness, and for thinking of the families of Hants County as we try to make this the best Christmas ever!
If you have any questions, or would like to get involved with Christmas Angels this year, please contact me at 902-222-4352 or by email hantscountyangels@gmail.com.