www.closertohome.com /Closer to Home Community Services @closertohomeYYC

Give the Gift of Christmas Adopt a family and give the gift of Christmas to low-income families this holiday season. Our annual Adopt-a-Family initiative, presented by McQuiston Executive Wealth Group, serves local families who are experiencing financial hardship and provides food, toys and clothing during a sometimes difficult time of year. Last year, 90 families with 240 children had a magical Christmas, thanks to the generous support of our donors.We are expecting that the number of children and families requiring help will increase this year due to our increasing population and the economy.Let’s give in whatever way possible, small or big, and help make Christmas a little more festive for these families. Your donation goes a long way in helping them have a brighter holiday season.If you would like to donate or know more about our Adopt-a-Family initiative, please email us at aaf@closertohome.com or call us at (403) 543-0550 Ext. 250.

Programs in the CommunityCloser to Home’s West Central Community Resource Centre (WCCRC) is launching various programs for children and families starting this fall. From supporting kids with homework help, to teaching parenting skills to new parents, WCCRC offers a wide variety of services tailored to the needs of children and families in the community. Some WCCRC programs this fall include:Homework ClubThis program connects children/youth with positive peers, teaches life skills and problem solving, and helps participants develop effective/functional social and community skills. Students receive help identifying their academic areas of need and develop individualized study programs that meet each individual’s academic goals.Dream It, Be ItDream It, Be It is for girls in secondary school who face potential obstacles to their future success. It provides girls with access to professional role models, career education and the resources to live their dreams. Soroptimist clubs will work in partnership with girls in small groups or a conference setting to provide them with the information and resources they want and need to be successful. The topics covered include career opportunities, setting and achieving goals, overcoming obstacles to success and mov-ing forward after setbacks or failures.Women’s GroupThe Women’s Group offers a safe, interactive, supportive, learning environment for women of diverse cultures to connect with others that may be living in similar circumstances, whether they are a newcomer to Canada, single parent, have limited English or simply feel isolated in the neighborhood. The program is set up to encourage learning, build positive relationships and foster the skills of working independently as well as in a team.A detailed list of programs offered by the WCCRC can be found on our website www.closertohome.com.

Closer to Home has been empowering families for 20 years! Join us in our Celebration

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Closer to Home Commu-nity Services (CTH).We were established in 1995 as a charitable organization to bring services “closer to home” by providing community outreach to build stronger and healthier families. Twenty years later, CTH has evolved and grown to address many critical community issues and now offers a continuum of services ranging from early intervention and early childhood development to supports for children who have been temporarily removed from their family and more.We will be celebrating these achievements during our annual Re-port to the Community Meeting on November 5, 2015. The Closer to Home family would like to invite you to attend this meeting being held at the Marda Loop Communities Association hall located at 3130 - 16 Street SW at 5:00 pm. Please stay tuned and check our website www.closertohome.com for further details.

Fall 2015

Empowering Families to Stay Together

Summer in the City 2015

On behalf of these youth who had the opportunity to attend Closer to Home’s Summer in the City camp this year, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all our donors, partners and volunteers who contributed to make it possible.

See you next summer.

Method of Payment: My cheque made payable to “Closer to Home Community

Services” is enclosed.

I would prefer to use my credit card.

Cardholder Name

Card #

Exp /

Cardholder Signature

I would like to remain anonymous, please do not recognize my name in the Donor Recognition section of CTH publications such as this quarterly newsletter.

I w I l l Ma k E a 20 T H a N N I v E R S a RY g I F T To E M P o w E R FaM I l I E S!

I would like to make a MoNTHlY gIFT of: $100/mth $20/mth $10/mth other $ /mth

oR, here is my SINglE gIFT of:

$500 $200 $75 other $

Name

address

City Prov Postal Code

Phone #

Email

Please return your completed form to: 3507a 17 ave Sw Calgary, alberta T3E 0B6 or fax your completed form to (403) 246-6406

Questions? Contact us at (403) 543-0550 Ext. 250www.closertohome.com | Charitable Registration Number 89823 5759 RR0001N032015

For credit card donations, we will call you to verify information and process your donation through the CanadaHelps website (www.canadahelps.org). Ph: _____________________

YES,

Creating Hope for Families... Every Single Day

It is incredible how Closer to Home’s staff work to empower families, every day. Recently, a mother and her child with special needs walked into Closer to Home’s West Central Community Resource Centre (WCCRC). In 90 minutes, the staff worked to change a crisis situation into one of hope for this family.Mom was doing the best she could for her child. She worked three part-time jobs and shared accommodation with a room-mate, as she had to leave her previous home due to mold. It appeared that Mom was managing, until her roommate be-came physically abusive towards her child. Her child was no longer safe, and they were forced to move out of the place.Mom had nowhere to go and no family in Calgary, no friends and a limited network she could call upon for support. If she didn’t get help, she and her child would be sleeping in her car that evening.

Join Our Team!

Family Teachers – Full-TimeThis full-time live-in position in your own home is ideal for an individual or couple looking to have a positive and lasting impact on children and their families. Living and working in your family home environment with one youth, the Family Teachers’ primary objective is to encourage youth to develop to their maximum potential and enable them to successfully integrate back into their families and communities. By connecting with the youth and model-ing the skills needed to be a part of a healthy family, you would assist with daily activities and routines, implement treatment planning and manage crisis and escalations when needed. Benefits include a tax-free per diem, pre-service training, 24/7 crisis support, a team environment and ongoing professional development opportunities.For detailed job description or more career opportunities with Closer to Home please visit the Career Section of our website at www.closertohome.com.

Adopt-A-Family General Office Support

(Volunteer Position)

This is an opportunity to give back to your community by providing support to CTH staff in preparation for the Adopt-A-Family initiative.

Duties include organizing, sorting and assessing gift pack-ages, data entry, labeling the shelves with family informa-tion and helping staff members receive in-kind donations. This role requires a time commitment of 9-16 hours a week in the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas.

The volunteer must be able to serve during regular business hours which are 8:30am-4:30pm.

For further information and to apply, please contact us at volunteer@closertohome.com or visit our volunteer page on our website www.closertohome.com.

Mom walked into a church that often partners with Closer to Home and the church suggested that she go to the West Central Community Resource Centre.The Mom together with her baby visited WCCRC and ex-plained the situation to the staff. After fully understanding the sensitivity of the situation, the staff called different shelters looking for a place for this family to sleep. Most shelters would not take the family. Not willing to take no for an answer, the staff advocated tirelessly for Mom and child. Finally, they found a solution and a shelter willing to work with them and the family. Within a short and intense period of time, the staff found a place for the family. They would have a safe, warm bed to sleep in that evening.Now that the family has been connected with the shelter, the Mom will receive support in securing affordable housing as well as other supports.The family has also been assured that Closer to Home is always there for her and available to assist if needed in future.

Donor AppreciationCloser to Home would like to recognize our supporters from the last quarter (July 1, 2015 - September 30, 2015)Amber Quarrington.Barb Henning .Bethany Chapel.Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank .Cathy Fisher.Emmanuel Christian Reformed Church Eric .Lumsden .Erin O’Reilly .Geoffrey & Marilyn McMillan.Glamorgan Bakery .James Evans .Jennifer Head.Justin Senft Kaitlin Nelson .Karen Olivier .Kate Andrews .Kids Up Front Foundation .Koral Evans .Laura Sletmoen .Lisa Barrett and Trish Bowie Megan Hilderman-Macdonnell .Minoush Rafie .Prakash Thapaliya .RBC Foundation.Starbucks Westbrook .YMCA Calgary, Community YMCA