There are Angels among us This might sound a little odd, but part of what brings me to work every day is the knowledge that good people, angels really, surround me. When I’m feeling down or overwhelmed by the challenge of bringing dignity and hope to a struggling population, I find myself stopping on Pandora and truly looking around. The angels are everywhere.
We can’t do all of this work without you! We are truly grateful to everyone who contributes to Our Place and helps us nourish hope in our community. Consider donating today – make a onetime donation, become a monthly donor, leave a legacy in your will, or make a donation of time by giving us a call at 250-940-5060, emailing us at donors@ourplacesociety.com, or visiting us at ourplacesociety.com/donate.
Even the pharmacies are open early to make sure those combating the struggle of addiction can get opioid-agnostic therapy. For those who are still trapped in their
their situation, has something to celebrate this holiday. And very often this is the only gift that some people will receive.
Angels take on different forms. Some live among the street population, doing what they can to support friends and family; others use their voices to persuade our governments that more needs to be done; many donate money to support our programs and services; others champion their workplace to sponsor and serve a meal; some simply share a smile rather than a frown when they meet someone who is struggling to get through the day.
School groups and families also join in with enthusiasm with sock drives and clothing drives as students eagerly learn about compassion and empathy.
With Christmas fast approaching, we uncover one of my favourite Our Place programs, Angel Gifts. Church groups work with our Wellness team to provide Angel Gifts to those who use our services. This is a special present bought just for them. We provide an age, shirt size and gender, and the church groups purchase and wrap a gift so that everyone, no matter how precarious
NOURISHING HOPE IN LIVES TODAY! To donate to Our Place Society please call 250-940-5060, email donors@ourplacesociety.com, or visit us at ourplacesociety.com/donate
Each of these things may seem small, but their impact is anything but. Each job, each task, each gift is a declaration of compassion and love. And isn’t that incredible? People telling other people they care, even at times when that other person is so broken, they don’t realize what a gift they are being given. And when I think that most of these angels share this compassion for others every single day of the year, I am humbled, and I am blessed. Merry Christmas everyone. Julian Daly is the CEO of Our Place Society
INSIDE
Julian Daly, CEO, Our Place Society
Some are checking on people in tents to make sure they survived the night, others are busy in the Our Place kitchen flipping flapjacks, frying sausages, and getting vats of orange juice ready. Some angels are cleaning shower stalls and fluffing towels, getting ready for the daily rush. Others, such as our crack-ofthe-morning volunteers, are already making people laugh as they serve up coffee and tea.
addiction, workers at the two nearby Supervised Consumption Sites are ready to greet them with compassion and care.