Remembering a special Heartwooder

Mary Morrison -- her impact on OVWSG and Heartwood House

One of Moe's favourite Heartwood memories is her good chats with Mary Morrison. Their meetings always began with some scheme Mary had for the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners' Guild. Talk soon shifted, amid much laughter, to this and that. Mary was a wonderful Heartwooder: kind, giving, and always ready to help. Time with Mary was time well spent with someone very special.

Sadly, Mary passed away in February 2019. At her Service of Remembrance, her friends' eulogy included her love of OVWSG as her creative home, and Heartwood as it matched the values she lived by: integrity, ingenuity, generosity and a broad world view.

Mary invested in a community bond in 2012 to support Heartwood House with the purchase of our building. Mary's family recently donated the bond to Heartwood House this year. We will never forget Mary and her kindness to all she met. A true Heartwooder!

MetLife Alumni Golf Tournament 2019

Heartwood’s Golf Team wins again!

Congratulations to Heartwood’s Golf team for winning top prize at the MetLife Alumni Golf Tournament held Friday September 13th at the Pineview Golf Course. Our top team (from left to right ) of Wayne Moloughney, Peter Rivet, Chris Johnson and Brian Johnson won the tournament with an impressive score of -7!

Better Together

Many thanks to Keith Shea and all the organizers of the MetLife Alumni Golf Tournament. The event raised $20,000 to support the work of Stride-Wheelchairs Plus, Heartwood House, Ottawa Mission and the Elizabeth Fry Society. Heartwood is very grateful for the support.

Canada Summer Jobs - great success!

Heartwood House is very grateful to have received a Canada Summer Jobs grant to hire a student for the months of July and August 2019. The Canada Summer Jobs program supports youth across the country in gaining skills and experience to kick-start their careers. Sarafina Swandal was hired as a Reception Clerk, a position rich with a variety of work activities that helped Sarafina develop her skills for future employment. On August 22nd Sarafina was pleased to provide a tour of the House to MP Mona Fortier, Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier and meet with her to share her experience working for Heartwood House. Many thanks to MP Mona Fortier for her support of the Canada Summer Jobs program and for taking time out of her busy schedule to meet with Sarafina and tour the House.

Many thanks Project Clear Skies!

Our Board Chair, Barb Merriam, was very pleased to receive a cheque from Project Clear Skies on July 31, 2019 in the amount of $9,889. This grant will be used to replace a twenty-year-old malfunctioning furnace in the Heartwood Hub. The new furnace will be high-efficiency and will heat and cool the Hub for many years to come. The Heartwood Hub is a busy community space for a variety of activities including sewing classes, meetings, workshops and activities for seniors. We are very grateful to Project Clear Skies for its support of important capital projects for Local National Capital Charities.

Heartwood is very proud to be awarded the David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility!

On April 24, 2019 Heartwood House received a special visit from The Honourable Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility for the Province of Ontario. Minister Cho presented Heartwood House with the David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility. Named after Ontario's 28th Lieutenant Governor, the award recognizes people and organizations who champion accessibility, raise awareness about the benefits of inclusion, and foster positive change in their communities. Heartwood House, the City of Pickering, the City of Vaughan and the Hospitality Workers Training Centre of Toronto received the Champion Award for going beyond meeting requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to remove barriers in workplaces and communities.

MetLife Golf Tournament 2018

Team Heartwood!

Team Heartwood!

Heartwood’s awesome volunteer team!

Heartwood’s awesome volunteer team!

Many thanks to the MetLife Alumni Association for choosing Heartwood House and Stride Wheelchairs+Plus as the recipient charities for its annual MetLife Alumni Golf Tournament. The tournament was held at the Pineview Golf Course on Friday September 7, 2018. Heartwood received proceeds of $10,200. We are very grateful to our sponsors: Alterna, Boss Electric, Carmichael, Cooperators, Cushman-Wakefield, Jebreen-Walsh LLP, Industrial Cleaning, Manderley, McCay-Duff, Ottawa Container Rentals, Sunlife and Keith Shea and all the organizers for your kindness!

A Neighbourly Space!

Many thanks to Pat Lucey of the Unitarians, the students from  uOttawa, Shane, and Gary for transforming the tired west lane into a welcoming pathway for all to use.  The path is a wonderful upgrade and, in time, there will be more additions to beautify the alley.  Heartwood is grateful to the TD Environmental Leaders Program for the $5,000 grant used to create this welcoming space.  

The West Laneway - Before

Indian Gala "Friend-Raiser" a wonderful success!

FUN is the best way to describe a fabulous evening of classical dance, Bollywood dance and a burst into spontaneous dance by a third of our guests! It was an evening of laughter and enjoying each other’s company, well into the night. Many thanks to Golden India and Eat More Soup! for their contribution to a delicious meal. Over $2,000 was raised to support Heartwood House and, more importantly, more friendships were built to strengthen our mission to support small charities in Ottawa. Many thanks to Isobel Bisby, Mita Basu, Christine Flammer and all the volunteers who organized this special evening.

Twice Upon a Time brings life to Heartwood's front foyer with free books for children.

Twice Upon a Time is a volunteer run organization that provides free books for children from birth to twelve years old. Our mission is to support early literacy skills and foster a love of reading by making books available in the home. Our books are received through donation, and are carefully sorted to ensure that the books we give to children are in new or near-new condition. Twice Upon a Time was founded in 2014 by a diverse group of volunteers who are passionate about early literacy and books.

UPDATE : We are delighted to report that in the first two weeks of operating out of the Heartwood front foyer, Twice Upon a Time has distributed 125 books to Ottawa children and families. Congratulations Twice Upon A Time!

Heartwood is a proud member of the Non-Profit Centers Network

Have a look at our profile!

Thank you Sonya!

Heartwood House and Councillor Tobi Nussbaum were delighted when Sonya Sweeney performed the National Anthem ahead of the Ottawa City Council Meeting held on Wednesday February 24th.  Sonya, who is a resident of Ward 13,  is a vocal artist and pianist based in Ottawa,  who has been praised for her sensitivity and technique as both a vocalist and pianist.  Sonya performs not only in Ottawa, but also in many parts of the Fraser Valley and Victoria, BC. Her passion is sharing the joy of music in performance and passing on her knowledge to others through teaching. 

A Resounding Success!

The Ukelele Jam and Sing-Along hosted on December 1st by Heartwood House was a lively  event. Singer song-writer Jamie Anderson, accompanied by a good sprinkling of uke players, delighted those attending with a wide variety of songs both seasonal and otherwise! Delicious pizza and a cash bar were enjoyed by all. Jamie generously donated 4 private ukulele lessons to the Live Auction along with a generous contribution from the Scone Witch. Yet again we thank our team of volunteers, who made the evening  a resounding success, both by building community and raising much needed funds.

Many hands achieve great results!

It was another grand day for bargain hunters at the OC Transpo Unclaimed Items Sale held November 4th. Shoppers took advantage of amazing deals on a wide variety of items from clothing to electronics, shoes and gift cards. In less than two hours, we raised $7,631 due to the fantastic deals on cellphones, electronics and jewellery that sold out within the first hour of the sale. Many thanks to Rideau Cellphones for cleaning the phones and to Dennis from ALSO for cleaning and resetting the electronics. And a HUGE thank you to our 40 Heartwooders who gave the gift of their time to volunteer at the sale. Everybody wins when work together!

We made headlines!
Ottawa Citizen
CBC News

Deloitte IMPACTS with Kindness

Many thanks to the dedicated folks from Deloitte who donated the gift of time on Friday, October 13, 2017.  Eighteen Deloitte volunteers spent six hours assisting Heartwood members with various tasks, as well as painting common space areas and helping prepare for Heartwood 's semi-annual OC Transpo Unclaimed Items Sale. We are very grateful for your kindness Deloitte!

A Time to Give Thanks

Heartwood and the Unitarian Fellowship came together on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 in celebration of Thanksgiving. The festivities began with a short service led by Reverend Rodrigo Emilio Solano-Quesnel, where the folktale of the Stone Soup was shared. This was followed by a delicious meal which included soup and apple crisp prepared with the fresh food offerings from our community. What a wonderful opportunity to celebrate community and the good things that happen when we work together!

A big thank you to all involved in the METLIFE Charity Golf Tournament!

Congratulations to Heartwood’s Heartiest Hearts who won the METLIFE Golf Tournament with a score of -7. Our team was represented by (left to right) Michel Leblanc, Wayne Moloughney, Chris Johnson (Moe’s nephew) and Pete Rivet!

Over $16,000 was raised in support of Heartwood House and the Elizabeth Fry Society at the METLIFE Charity Golf Tournament held September 15, 2017. Many thanks to Keith Shea and all the organizers of this fantastic event and to our own  wonderful volunteers who worked at the tournament - Isobel Bisby, Jennifer Hubbard, Gerri Ingham, Kim Meloche, Moe Moloughney, Dee Sullivan and Tanya Wayne. 

Heartwood is extremely grateful to our sponsors :

• Alterna
• Bee & McColl family
• Boss Electric
• Carmichael
• Cooperator’s
• CW Ottawa
• Industrial Cleaning
• Jebreen & Walsh LLP
• Brian & Diane Johnson
• Ginsberg, Gluzman, Fage and Levitz Accountants
• Manderley Turf Products
• McCay Duff Accountants
• Christine & Wayne Moloughney
• Trish Moloughney
• Mr. Rooter
• Ottawa Container Rentals
• Security.ca
• Stephen Price 
• Sun Life

Many thanks to the contributors of silent auction items:

• ALSO
• Belair Toyota
• Celadon Spa
• CGFL Accountants
• Cushman Wakefield
• Great Canadian Theatre Company
• Manderley Turf Products
• Heartwood House 
• Hopewell Eating Disorders Support Centre
• National Arts Centre
• Oxford Properties 
• Scotia Bank
• Sun Life Financial  
• Tanya Wayne

Great things happen when we work together and this is a wonderful example. 
Thank you MetLife!

Volunteers are the best!

Many thanks to the awesome volunteers from Export Development Canada who visited Heartwood on August 15th and offered the gift of their time and effort. Volunteers washed windows, cleared brush from the west lane of the house, and cleaned up the back parking lot to ready it for line painting. EDC volunteers, you did a fantastic job and our Heartwood community is very grateful!  

Many thanks Project Clear Skies!

It was a time to celebrate today as Barb Merriam, Heartwood’s Board Chair received a cheque for $8,000 from Chantal Bourdeau at Ottawa Airport Authority's Project Clear Skies. Our Heartwood community is very grateful for these funds which will be used for upgrades to our exterior signage, lighting and security cameras. Heartwood will be brighter and safer for evening activities and it will be much easier for people to find us! Many thanks Project Clear Skies!

Many hands make for a great success!

Thankfully the April showers gave way to sunny skies for the OC Transpo Unclaimed Items Sale held on Saturday, April 29, 2017 as folks gathered as early as 8:30 am to be first in line for amazing deals. 

A record breaking $7,837.35 was raised to support Heartwood House! The results were greatly impacted by the sale of 30 top quality cellphones, a MacBook, 2 laptops, a flute and other unique electronic items.

Our volunteers are the reason for our success and we thank the following Heartwooders who gave the gift of their time:

ACORN - Stephanie
ADAO – Laura and Rachel
ALSO – Dennis, Doina, Genna, Lynn, Vanessa
CLC -  Daniel, Kathy, Karima, Mauricio
ECOEQUITABLE – Aleisha, Andrea, Luchia, Lyne, Sarah, Sebastien, Susan, Yolande
ELTOC – Ann and Ugo
HEARTWOOD – Hoppy, Christine, Barb, Shane, Salem, Allen, Amanda, Max, Rita, Georgia, Lise, Lucie, Thomas, Chris, Jackie, Pauline, Sonja, Gord
HOPEWELL – Lucyna
JAMAICAN ASSOCIATION - Horace
MHI – Katherine
OASW – Ian, Kae, Leandra                                                                                     
OCCL - Dee
OTTAWA LACEMAKERS - Terry
OVWSG – Natalie, Carmen
PWC – Roseanne, Alison
TWICE UPON A TIME – Ryan
VICTORIA’S QUILTS- Margarit and Nicky

The next sale is scheduled for Saturday, November 4, 2017. Mark your calendars as there is certain to be another excellent assortment of items!

Many thanks everyone!

A Fun-Filled Evening!

Heartwood's first ever Uke Jam and Sing-a-long was held Friday, April 7, 2017. We would like to extend a very special thank you to Twisted Wood Guitars for their generous donation of a beautiful Ukulele which was raffled off during the evening. We would also like to give a big shout-out to Alterna Savings for their kind support! Finally, we would like to thank our performers, volunteers, and all of our fun-loving attendees. The Jam raised $1000, and every bit helps in continuing to serve our community!