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At The Center
As our building project gets underway, I am thinking about risk. Risk is a part of life. Money can protect you from some risks, but not all risk. I may have good insurance on my car, but nothing can replace the time I lose after an accident. I may have great healthcare but it is no guarantee of great health.
Risk is an integral part of living the life of faith. The apostles left their nets behind to follow Jesus. They took on massive personal risk. Peter and John preached the gospel though they faced rigorous opposition and imprisonment. Today, people of faith all around the world risk their livelihood and their very lives as they say yes to God. Risk isn’t something to be afraid of if we embrace it with the courage and guidance God provides.
The people we serve at The Canby Center face risks too. Some are at risk of broken relationship with a spouse. Some young people are at are at risk of dropping out of school before they graduate. Some families face the risk of eviction. These risks are serious and, without help, they can overwhelm the soul.
With the help you provide through The Canby Center many of these risks avoid becoming reality. We are grateful for the way you help us encourage our neighbors to face risk with the courage that comes from faith.
P.S. The Canby Center was voted the Best Nonprofit in Canby today! Some risks, like the ones that accompany growth, can bring great reward too.
Together We Serve
“The Canby Center is more than the place I volunteer. They've become a family to me." In the last six months, Steve Biancalana has volunteered 34 times and in those 65 hours he experienced life change.
"The Canby Center has brought me closer to God. The people are so welcoming and I would be there to help every day of the week if I could.”
Building For Tomorrow
With permits approved, constructions has begun in earnest. We are proud to be working with some of the very best companies doing excellent work in our area including Canby Excavating and Triplett Wellman Contractors. Our priority is to keep our visitors safe during this construction phase with as little interruption as possible to the services we offer.
With the conclusion of this pilot year of Quest - a new youth mentoring program - we sat down with the program’s leader, Roberta, for a behind-the-scenes look.
Q: What have Quest students and their families experienced in this, the Quest program’s first year?
A: Mentoring is all about trust and connection! So once the participating 7th graders were paired up with their mentor, we meet together at their school each week. These one-on-one sessions were so important; I noticed that some pairs used art or projects to connect. Other students just want to talk and be heard by an undistracted adult who cares. Parents were also involved, coming once a month to family night at The Canby Center where they ate dinner with their student's mentor, playing constructive games, and engaged in meaningful topics like self respect, empathy, and goal-setting. Our field trip to Bullwinkle’s was so much fun!
Q: Completed this sentence for us: Quest students love_______.
A: Quest students love their mentors; trust and loyalty are really important at their stage of development. They hate being treated like little kids and they can spot inauthenticity immediately.
Q: I saw on the website that the mission of the Quest program involves guiding students "to discover new pathways of courage, connection, and fun." Where have you seen courage in the program’s pilot year?
A: The students are so brave! They've embraced vulnerability and open up to the mentors about they deep needs, fears, and desires. One student, I'll call Jacob, said, "I handed my load to my mentor and they took it and held onto it for me." Jacob's mentor was courageous too; it's not easy to sit with someone in their struggle. These mentors are saying "yes" to go along for the ride in a middle schooler's highs and lows.
Q: What excites you about what’s next for Quest?
A: Every single Quest student wants to participate again! As we accept new students into the program, I'm excited to develop a special track for returning students with age-appropriate leadership roles and responsibilities. I'm inspired by these students and I know our community will be a stronger, more loving place because of our mentors!
In Step With Service
This month we're celebrating Janel Kallstrom's decade of board service. Janel has deep roots in Canby with five generations of her family having attended Canby Schools. Janel's professional experience is in the Oregon Department of Human Services as Human Resource Analyst. A passion for feeding hungry kids invigorates Janel’s volunteerism in our Backpack Buddies program. Janel also serves as our Board Treasurer and is a member of the Finance and Development Committees.
Creative. Committed. Compassionate. Our Board of Directors are men and women from diverse backgrounds are generously sharing their time and expertise. These individuals embody the spirit of Jeremiah 29:7 as they seek the welfare of our city.
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