It seems everybody is familiar with the television entity that is Storage Wars.  This reality show follows professional bidders trying to get their hands on storage lockers that have been abandoned, repossessed, or forgotten.  Sometimes, the lockers hold old, forgotten junk but other times they hold some hidden treasures.

Not long ago, OLN network announced that Storage Wars was moving North of the border as Storage Wars Canada began production this week.  But, over at City Storage and Big Box Mobile, Storage Wars London has been going on for a long time.

“We hold auctions all the time,” says Sarah Delaney of City Storage and Big Box Mobile.  But this time, they decided to do something extra special that would really impact the community.

On May 4^th at City Centre and Big Box Mobile’s Fanshawe Road location, the first annual Charity Auction was held.  Folks stopped by to enjoy some delicious BBQ, participate in games for the kids, hear some live music and bid on storage units that held unseen treasures.  Proceeds from the event went to Mission Services of London among other charities.  “We were all touched by what each of these charities provides to our community,” says Delaney.  “This was a way to definitely make a positive impact and to give back.”

Mission Services of London was very grateful to be on the receiving end of such a gesture.  Each branch, each program and service is made possible by the generous support of the surrounding community.  “Mission Services of London is very close to Operations Manager Ken Chapman,” Delaney explains.  “We all agreed that Mission Services of London helps our community in many different ways, bringing awareness to all they do was definitely a factor.”

When the storage lockers were emptied out, and many smiling faces had passed the gates, an astounding $8,000 was raised for Mission Services of London as well as three other charities.  These important funds will help the programs that help the hungry, the hurting and the homeless continue right here in our own community.   “The love and kindness shown from all who help out is inspiring,” says Delaney.  “We plan on making this an annual event.  We want to take the initiative to bring our community together all year round.”

We are immeasurably grateful to City Centre Store and Big Box Mobile and to everyone who participated in this fantastic event.  Until next time: Go Bid or Go Home!

For information about City Centre Storage and Big Box Mobile click HERE

For ways you can help Mission Services of London click HERE

Mission Services of London is pleased to announce the hiring of Harpreet (Pree) Turner as Finance Coordinator, effective May 13, 2013.  Pree will report to the Director of Finance and will be working as a part of the Finance Team at Head Office, with responsibilities for Accounts Receivables and Payables.  She will also provide backup support for Payroll and Benefits.

Pree graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science.  She also holds a diploma in Bookkeeping and has studied Administration Information Technology through York University.

With over 10 years of bookkeeping experience, Pree has worked for different types of companies, including Not-For-Profit organizations.  Most recently Pree worked as Controller for EyeLight Inc. in Waterloo, Ontario where she served as the head accountant and HR coordinator.  In addition to her bookkeeping skills, Pree possesses excellent IT skills and owned her own IT firm early in her career.

Please join me in welcoming Pree to Mission Services of London and providing any support or help she may need as she assumes this new role.

Mission Services of London is pleased to announce the hiring of  James Kennedy as a part-time contract Data/Administrative Assistant at Community Mental Health Programs.  This contract position will be in effect from May 6, 2013 through March 31, 2014 and will report to the Director of CMHP.

In this new role, James will provide support and assistance to the Community Mental Health Programs in the areas of data entry, information technology and scheduling of staff.

James holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Social Justice and Peace Studies/Criminology degree from the  University of Western Ontario. Over the past five years, James has served as a volunteer for Mission Services of London acting as a canteen worker and Resource Center Assistant.  Working at LUSO Community Services has provided James with a good understanding of databases and data entry, and his knowledge of computer hardware and Windows based programs has been developed over the years.

Please join me in welcoming James to Mission Services of London and giving him the support and encouragement he may need as he assumes the responsibilities of this new position.

Mission Services of London is pleased to announce the hiring of Todd Cromwell as a permanent part-time Housekeeper for The Men’s Mission & Rehabilitation Centre. Effective April 24, 2013, Todd will report to Mike Toth, Intake/Program Supervisor.

Todd is a graduate of the Pathways Property Maintenance Training Program and recently completed a co-op placement with Men’s Mission as a cleaner.  He has a current certificate in First Aid/CPR and WHMIS.  For many years Todd served as a Traffic Control Person for Mackenzie Security in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  Most recently, Todd has been in construction and roofing within the city of London.

Please join me in welcoming Todd as an employee of Mission Services of London and providing any support or help he may need as he assumes this new role.

In 2007, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care announced the creation of 25 Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics across Ontario.  These clinics, referred to as Health Zone, are a new health care delivery model which puts nurse practitioners on the front lines as lead providers of primary health care.  Through a collaborative approach including registered nurses, family physicians and other health care professionals, the clinics provide valuable family health care to men, women and children who do not have access to a primary health care provider.

Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care had much to say about Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics: “[These] clinics are a made-in-Ontario initiative that demonstrates our government’s commitment to increasing access to primary health care.  The Health Zone Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic will mean more access to health care in the London community for years to come.”

In the fall of 2011, Health Zone Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics opened their doors at various sites across London. These well received clinics brought valuable health care and information to a vulnerable community. 

Jocelyne Laberge, Case Worker at Rotholme Women’s & Family Shelter had referred many of her clients to the Health Zone site at Merrymount Children’s Centre on Colborne Street, in London. “It’s such a warm and compassionate environment,” says Laberge.  “ I thought it would be a great service to bring into Rotholme.” 

Laberge approached the organizers of the program and soon, the idea of opening a Health Zone Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic at Rotholme became a reality. “They told me they would be very interested in setting up a clinic here at Rotholme,” recalls Laberge.  “Having the services right here on site will make it so easy for clients to receive continuous care.”

Rotholme Women’s & Family Shelter is a 41-bed facility that primarily accommodates families who are homeless and in need of temporary emergency accommodation or are in crisis and require emergency shelter and care.  “Clients who are in crisis may get [medical] help for their kids,” says Laberge. “But they won’t necessarily get the help that they need.”  The Health Zone clinic will provide essential vaccinations, illness management and prevention, education and much more to clients in residence at Rotholme.

“Nurse practitioners are clearly demonstrating how they can contribute to family health care through these Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics” says Doris Grinspun, Executive Director, Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.  “People in London will benefit from increased access to family health care as well as the comprehensive team based approach that this clinic will provide.”

Laberge expects residents of Rotholme Women’s & Family clinic to welcome this new initiative with open arms when the clinic arrives in the coming weeks.  With so many obstacles and hardships to deal with, maintaining the health of themselves and their families can be a challenge.  The Health Zone Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic will make things that much easier. 

For more information on Rotholme Women’s & Family Clinic click HERE

Mission Services of London is blessed to be surrounded by so many members of the community who are committed to helping us do the important work we do.  We’d like to extended a sincere thank you to The Ladies’ Connection (TLC) of West Park Church for their generous donations of toiletries and personal care items to all of our programs at Mission Services of London.

The Ladies’ Connection is a weekly Bible study group within West Park church designed to reach, build up and equip women of all ages and life stages.  Recently, this group of compassionate women presented MSL with boxes and boxes of items they had so diligently collected.

We are immeasurably grateful to the members of The Ladies’ Connection for their continued support.

For more information on The Ladies’ Connection click HERE 

Are you a people person with a few hours to spare each week? Are you physically able to life heavy bags and boxes of donations?

The Mission Store Needs You!

Join an exceptional group of staff and volunteers who are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face each and every time you walk through the door.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide friendly and efficient customer service to all customers, clients and donors.
• Work with the cash register and balance the float at the end of the day.
• Organize and display store merchandise, maintain a clean and tidy environment.
• In cooperation with other volunteers, provide service and loss prevention to all areas of the sales floor.
• Show appreciation to donors and ask them to complete the Registry Binder.
• Attend the volunteer/staff team meetings and any volunteer training and development opportunities
• Contact store manager regarding scheduling, time off or other concerns.
• Maintain confidentiality of clients (excluding the reporting of concerns to staff)

Time Requirement:

Length of Commitment: 8 months
Estimated Total Hours:  at least 4 hours/week
Scheduling: Saturdays

Skills and Qualities Required:

• Dependable with strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
• A good listener and communicator.
• Physically able to lift bags and boxes of donations.
• Must be sensitive to the life circumstances and needs of clients.
• Ability to work in a faith based organization, adhering to the vision, mission and values of Mission Services of London.

Please click HERE to apply or contact Melissa Tiller at 519 433 2708 or volunteer@missionservices.ca

*only those who meet the specific volunteer requirements will be contacted*

*all applications are kept on file for a period of 6 weeks*

It is with mixed emotions that Mission Services of London announces the retirement of Russell Payne, Van Driver for the Mission Store.

Russell joined Mission Services of London on July 15, 2001 as a Casual Relief Resident Care Worker for The Men’s Mission & Rehabilitation Centre.  Later that year his role was changed to full-time.

In November, 2003 Russell assumed the full-time role of Van Driver for the Mission Store.  For the past 13 years, Russell has diligently performed the duties associated with his role and has been a true ambassador for Mission Services of London within the community.  We will miss his smile, sense of humour and genuine love for both staff and clients.

In honour of Russell’s many years of service, the Mission Store will be hosting a Retirement Reception on Thursday, May 30, 2013 from 2 – 4 pm at the Men’s Mission & Rehabilitation Centre chapel.  Join with us for this time of celebration as we thank Russell for his years of service and wish him all the best in the years to come.

For 16 years, Mission Services of London has proudly partnered with the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors for theannual Homes for Hope Bonspiel.  This event, has raised more than $124,000 for MSL’s many programs and services.

As Fundraising and Development Director Ericka Ayala Ronson received a cheque for this year’s total, in the amount of $11,085, we paused for a moment to remember a Bonspiel committee and team member who was not there to share in the applause.

Ken Harper, former President of LSTAR, member of the Bonspiel fundraising committee as well as of the 2013 winning team passed away on January 27th of this year.  Doug Pedlar, President of LSTAR described Ken Harper in an article for REM – the premier real estate industry magazine: “Ken was on the Bonspiel committee every year,” he said. “He was a fine man and a credit to both his profession and his community.  He will be sorely missed.”

Mission Services of London extends our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and to his colleagues.  As we view the picture of the winning team, with Ken Harper holding the trophy, we will be forever grateful for Ken’s efforts in raising more than $282,000 through the Bonspiel and other fundraising events. 

For more information about LSTAR click HERE
For information on how you can support Mission Services of London click HERE

Click HERE for the REM article

Several London Free Press articles caught my attention on Saturday March 30. The first was “MPs take the money and run” about the 1.6% increase in MPs salaries. MPs will now have a base salary of $160,000.

The second was “Top earners get even more” about the provincial sunshine list disclosing how many government workers make more than $100,000.  Apparently there has been an 11% increase in the number of people on the Sunshine list in one year alone.  Apparently over 88,400 Ontario public servants make more than $100,000.

The third was “Verlander strikes it rich” about Detroit Tiger pitcher Justin Verlander recently signing a five year $140,000,000 contract extension that will pay him $28,000,000 per season.

What I found interesting was the language in the articles and commentary related to the headlines. Words and phrases such as “not an April Fool’s day prank”, “fatter pay packets” accompanied the MPs headline.   Words and phrases such as “shocked”, “generous” and “runaway pay hikes are rampant” accompany the Sunshine headline.  Words and phrases such as “illustrious”, “premier pitchers”, “thrilled to keep him” accompanied Verlander’s headline.

 Maybe it’s just me, but the juxtaposition of the articles and language suggests to me that there are much deeper issues that need to be discussed.