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Community

Art has the power to transform entire communities. We believe in the importance of being involved locally. Learn about our various community initiatives. 

THE POWER OF ART The heartbeat of our community

Art is more than just a picture you hang on your fridge. More than a pirouette or a challenging choreo. More than skillful fingers dancing on the keys. Art is more than a mental discipline, more than a craft, more than a passion, more than a lifestyle. Art is not just something you look at or something you feel. Art is the power that brings people together, that bridges differences and binds our hearts.

Art is the power to transform, to inspire, to explore, to ignite. To ignite and to unite. Individuals standing in the spotlight, trained to become a part of the whole. To overcome isolation and digital alienation, heal our brokenness and restore our communities.

Art is so simply, so powerfully human

Learn about the community initiatives we support

  • Reach to teach wings project

    Reach to Teach

    A nonprofit program giving children of all backgrounds the opportunity to immerse themselves in art.

  • people putting their hands together

    Boundaries

    Safe and inclusive space for individuals, family members and friends of addicted loved ones to meet.

  • Jeremy's profile picture for Jeremy's Memorial Foundation Against Domestic Violence

    Jeremy's Memorial Foundation and PJ Drive

    An annual fundraiser collecting pajamas and basic necessities for victims of domestic violence.

Reach to Teach

In 2013, we approached the Community Arts Council of Richmond (CACR) with a proposal for a bold, unique initiative: to offer a free multi-disciplinary arts program to underprivileged schools in the Downtown Eastside. This idea would not only make the arts more accessible but would also allow children from different backgrounds to experience the joys of artistic expression and the creative process. It came to be known as Reach to Teach: Immersed in the Arts.

To date, we‘ve hosted more than 800 students from Admiral Seymour School, Britannia Elementary, Westwind Elementary, Dixon Elementary, General Currie Elementary and Grauer Elementary. Our aim is to expand the program to reach more schools in the coming years.  

Boundaries

Addictions don’t just destroy lives: they can destroy families too. Boundaries Family and Friends Support Group provides a safe and inclusive space for individuals who share similar challenges to meet as a group each week and find comfort, support, and guidance from one another.

We’ve opened up our space, free of charge to this group to meet on a weekly basis. Facilitated by an experienced clinical counsellor, Boundaries provides a non-judgmental forum for individuals, family members, and friends of addicted loved ones to address substance abuse and the deep and lasting impact it is having on their lives, all within a safe and supportive atmosphere.

people putting their hands together

Jeremy’s Memorial Foundation and PJ Drive

Jennifer Menendez was a young Early Childhood Educator who worked at our school. She and her family founded Jeremy’s Memorial Foundation Against Domestic Violence in memory of her little nephew. Jennifer was actively involved in the foundation and even developed a workbook, which is now used throughout British Columbia with children who have had to flee from domestic violence.

On a bright sunny December morning in 2005, Jennifer was driving to work when her car hit a patch of black ice on No. 6 Road. She lost control of her vehicle and was killed.

This was a tragic and emotionally devastating event for Jennifer’s family, her colleagues and all of the families whose children were in her care at our centre. Ever since, we have worked to keep Jennifer’s memory alive through various initiatives. Like the PJ Project, our long-standing annual holiday fundraising initiative to support of Jeremy’s Memorial Foundation Against Domestic Violence by collecting pajamas and basic necessities for women and children fleeing from domestic violence.