This month's ELEVATE episode talks about DBNC's new Financial Empowerment program and all it has to offer! Alena Denderys, DBNC's Financial Empowerment Facilitator, stopped by to share an overview of the program and what to expect from it in the future, as well as Alena's opinion on what Financial Empowerment means for the community.

Alena is a new employee of DBNC, with a background in social services and community work. Having worked in a financial empowerment program at another organization, Alena is excited to bring her expertise of taxes and financial literacy to DBNC and its clients. She is currently in the works of becoming an accredited financial counselor. She is passionate about connecting low-income families and newcomers to resources that can help build their financial future, and hopes to implement a variety of programs into DBNC's Financial Empowerment program.

Gloria O'Koye a.k.a Glowz. author and podcaster, stopped by ELEVATE to talk about her writing as well podcasting and how they were all shaped by her lived experiences.

Gloria touched on the challenges in her life such as the grief that comes from losing a loved one, the dehumanization of inmates in the prison system, and the highs and lows that come with writing and self publication.  

Gloria is a dedicated short story writer for 20 years and has written poetry for 10 years. She is an author of two self published books- ‘A Kintsugi Memoir’ and ‘Hood Chronicles’. Her writing reflects on her personal experience and the lives of people surrounding her. She is passionate about building relationships with different communities and has been an active member in community engagements across the GTA since 2010. 
Gloria had recently become a reporter for the Toronto Caribbean News as of 2021 and has had her poetry showcased in the newspaper from 2020 and ongoing

Bill Sinclair from The Neighbourhood Group in Toronto stopped by ELEVATE to talk about TNG and the wide variety of services that they offer.
 
Bill touched on TNG's growth over the last 100 years and his journey from summer student to CEO of TNG. Bill gets personal and shares his own experience being a gay man during the AIDS crisis.  

Bill is a social worker and the CEO of The Neighbourhood Group Community Services, a large charity in the City of Toronto. Bill’s career has focused on neighbourhood services such as York Community Services, St. Stephen’s Community House, and Central Neighbourhood House. 

Bill practices a community development and human rights approach that supports the lived experience of community members and partnering widely to get the best solutions. TNG is social agency that strives to help low income people and families across the the city of Toronto. They have over 1,000 staff and 600 volunteers to help make sure that people experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges, conflict, and substance abuse get the support that they need.

Giselle Orozco from DBNC's  EarlyON's program stopped by ELEVATE to tell us a little mor about the program. EarlyON is a high-quality, free drop-in child and family program that supports early learning and development for families with children from birth to 6 years old. It offers a range of programs that support children’s early literacy and numeracy development as well as their physical, social and emotional development.

EarlyON Child and Family programs are offered in accordance with provincial health and safety direction. EarlyON services include indoor, outdoor programs, virtual adult and child programs.

Peter Grant is a seasoned law enforcement professional with 22 years of dedicated service to Peel Regional Police. Currently assigned to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Bureau, Peter is committed to fostering an environment of equality and understanding within both the police service and the community it serves.

 Outside of his work in law enforcement, Peter is an avid sports enthusiast. Whether he's cheering on his favorite team or hitting the field himself, his passion for sports shines through. Peter believes in the power of sport to bring people together, develop imperative life skills and bridge divides, reflecting his broader commitment to fostering unity.

Peter stopped by ELEVATE to discuss his work furthering principles of diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion within the police force. You can directly contact the Countering Hate Initiative by emailing [email protected] or [email protected] 

What drives McKie Richards? Flexing her creative prowess and carving out her own space to shine, of course! McKie is the owner and CEO of Canadian based production company McKie Rich Productions. She specializes in photography, videography, and graphic design.  She has facilitated entrepreneurial workshops and has helped others to start up their own thriving businesses. McKie has also been a guest speaker at a few events where she shares her expertise about entrepreneurship in a way to help future generations build wealth with fundamental skill. She is very involved in her community and doesn’t miss an opportunity to support other businesses by highlighting them on her platforms and participating in community events.

Rachel Luke is currently the Instructional Coordinator for African, Black and Afro-Caribbean Student Success at the Peel District School Board. Prior to this, she taught English, Dramatic Arts, English as a Second Language, Black Canadian History and was a Teacher Librarian at Glenforest Secondary School for 20 years.

She is always actively engaged in community work that supports Black Youth. She loves to travel and has visited 75 countries to date. In 2021, she was a recipient of the Prime Minister’s National Award for Teaching Excellence and in 2020 she was awarded a Regional Certificate of Achievement for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence. She values spirituality, integrity and social justice. 

Rachel stopped by the ELEVATE podcast to talk about the importance of sharing a variety of stories and viewpoints because the Black experience and community is not a monolith! Listen to our latest episode in celebration of Black History Month now.

Sharon Douglas has worked in the Human Service Sector for over 25 years. She has held a variety of leadership positions and more recently as Director of Community Investment, United Way of Peel Region (UWPR) and as Consultant to United Way Greater Toronto. 

She is a founding member and past Chair of the Regional Diversity Roundtable (RDR). Sharon has consulted, delivered training, and facilitated many community discussions and consultations with and for the non-profit sector.  

Sharon stopped by the Elevate podcast to talk about the unique barriers of being Black in the industry and why it is so important to never compromise who you are and to be courageous in the battles you choose. 

Welcome to our newly refreshed podcast! Formerly known as Roots & Resilience, DBNC is proud to present ELEVATE: A DBNC Leadership Podcast.

This month's episode brings to you Deb & Darlene, two women who are actively involved with DBNC's Seniors Tight-Knit Knitting Club. Deb and Darlene speak about the joys of community & connection; removing barriers for seniors; mental health; and stereotypes around ageism.  

Darlene is a long-time Mississauga resident who has lived in this community for over 50 years.  She loves to craft and enjoys knitting, quilting, and cross-stitching. Darlene is enjoying the company of her fellow knitting companions in the Tight-Knit Seniors' Club project. 

Deborah is a resident of Mississauga by way of Montreal. She is a retired daycare provider who ran her own business for 32 years. She loves to knit as it keeps her focused and sharp. She teaches knitting both in-person and online and is one of the two facilitators at Tight-Knit. 

For more information on the Tight-Knit Knitting Club for Seniors, get in touch with us! 

We often highlight inspiring leaders from the community. And as much as we love doing that, we have also wanted to show love to our own staff who work in the background, ensuring our amazing programs are running smoothly for the community.

Enter Sonia, Jonathon, Wendy, and Bruce! Each of them has a unique and interesting story about their involvement with DBNC and what they are hoping for in 2024. Times are tough right now and people are struggling, but the passion and dedication our staff has for the community we serve, is nothing short of incredible! We hope this episode inspires you to be proud of yourself and your accomplishments this year.