Message From the President of Our Board & Our Executive Director

Events of the past year highlighted the incredible strengths and assets of our staff, community members and partners, along with the increased community hardships and service challenges that we experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, our Board of Directors, funders and collaborators have provided unwavering support that kept us energized as we continued to meet the growing community needs and demands for the quality, reliable programs our residents have come to trust. The resiliency, dedication and mutual support demonstrated by everyone within our organization and the communities we serve were of paramount importance to our growth throughout the year.

Mental health and addictions, food and income insecurity, and social isolation were among the many issues that were heightened during this time. Like so many other community and social service organizations, we were in a constant state of adaptation to meet with public health and safety protocols, while maintaining the ongoing delivery of virtual and in-person programs and services to support the increased needs of residents of the vast urban, suburban and rural catchment of Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode.

There were many memorable aspects of our work deserving of mention over this past year. We delivered numerous quality virtual programs to families and individuals of all ages including the Young at Heart and other programs for 55+ adults, along with the Never Alone and other youth programs that provided a wide array of physical, educational, and mental health supports. Our EarlyOn program for families with children from birth to six years old was one of the few services we were able to offer as in-person, outdoor activities throughout the year. We also continued to make every effort to deliver such critical in-person services as food and crisis support programs in order to address the growing needs and hardships felt by community residents. 

During this most challenging time, we were able to make some programs more accessible to residents, reducing social isolation and fostering the improved health and well-being of all members of our community. 

We were able to meet people’s increased needs through the additional opportunities and resources received from our funders that helped us tap into various levels of government, as well as the creative and dedicated connections we forged with many partners. Details of our program and service highlights as well as our specific funders, donors/sponsors, and partners can be found throughout our online report.

The unprecedented situation we all found ourselves in this past year also required us to pivot our key outreach, community development and health promotion strategies within our catchment area. This included strengthening our partnerships with other area organizations and Ottawa Public Health in order to ensure the timely and accurate delivery of information about the pandemic to our diverse communities. Our staff was also engaged in significant planning and neighbourhood interactions to support numerous pop-up COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites. The time and dedication this took from our front-line staff was commendable and demonstrated, once again, yet another reason to be proud and grateful for the tireless work of our staff, volunteers, and partnership organizations. We most certainly have all made a difference together.

Moving forward, we are excited to be completing a new Strategic Plan for the next three years and we look forward to implementing its objectives. We are proud of our ability to remain nimble and adapt our supports to address community health concerns, while meeting growing service demands as they arise. If anything, the pandemic has only further demonstrated how the health and well-being of racialized and marginalized populations are disproportionality affected in such a crisis, and we recognize the important work still left to be done to address systemic inequalities. We are committed to our ongoing work with the most impacted communities and to making tangible progress with the support of all our compassionate partners and supporters. 

2020/2021 Highlights

People Served by Our Programs

Number of unique clients who participated in each program

NROCRC’s Programs and Services

Throughout the pandemic, NROCRC has worked to respond to the various needs of residents living in the communities we serve, while continuing to deliver ongoing programs and services, both virtual and in-person, and adapt all aspects of our work to meet the evolving health and safety protocols required to keep our clients and staff safe and secure. We are proud to have worked with community leaders and partner organizations to conduct vast outreach, promotion and support to neighbourhoods facing barriers accessing COVID-related information, as well as testing and vaccination sites. We have continued to engage our communities, and to provide accessible, quality programming for families, children, youth, women, seniors, and newcomer populations.

Children and Youth Programs 

Our programming for children and youth included the Parkwood Hills Leadership program, After School program, NROCRC Never Alone mental health initiative, Summer Camps, EarlyON program, and much more.

Adult and Family Programs 

Programs and services for women, families and newcomer populations occurred in multiple neighbourhoods and included sports and recreation activities, the Milk & Eggs Program, food security initiatives, the Baby Cupboard, Women’s Crafting Groups, and more.

Seniors Programs 

Many of our programs for seniors were adapted to meet pandemic guidelines in order to keep participants safe and healthy during these challenging times. In turn, older adults accessing these programs also adapted by learning to use technology in new ways in order to stay connected and active.

Counselling Services 

Throughout the pandemic, NROCRC has continued to offer high-quality, short-term counselling services to individuals, couples, and youth aged 12 to 17 years old residing in our catchment area. The counselling team also includes an Intake position that provides resources, referrals, and systems navigation services. Our intake and counselling services have continued to be responsive to clients by providing support by phone or video in order to continue to provide key information while protecting everyone’s safety.

Looking Ahead to the Year to Come 

Like so many other community organizations, the staff at NROCRC is looking forward to transitioning back to more in-person programming as we all become fully vaccinated and gathering becomes safer for everyone. We miss meeting our community members face-to-face, but are pleased with the popularity and effectiveness of some of the new virtual programs we have been able to offer during this challenging time, many of which we hope you will continue to enjoy as we cautiously move forward together. Based on a new Strategic Plan that will be developed for the next three years, we are excited to be able to enhance our programs and services for greater community impact.

Volunteers of the Year

NROCRC’s Resident Leaders

We are pleased to award NROCRC Volunteer of the Year Certificates to the following six individuals who have proven themselves to be immensely committed to the communities in which they live.

These volunteers have worked tirelessly conducting neighbourhood outreach and educating residents about COVID-19, including how to stay safe and healthy by following Ottawa Public Health guidelines for handwashing, wearing masks, testing and vaccination.

Here are some of the thoughts our Volunteers of the Year had to share about their community outreach experiences:

Ashwak Mohammed

“The days we spent with the team were beautiful. I got to know new friends and assumed the responsibility (for) the (community) by spreading awareness…and maintaining their safety…”

Ola Alhussainy

“Working as a Resident Leader gave me the chance to be exposed to multicultural groups, experience diverse feedback and gave me the skills to handle a range of situations. My community centre provided the required support and knowledge that made this mission easier than I expected.”

2020/2021

Champion of the Year

Tanglewood Hillsdale Community Association

The Tanglewood Hillsdale Community Association (THCA) has been a valued and supportive partner of the Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community Resource Centre (NROCRC). We are proud to award them the NROCRC Champion of the Year for 2020-2021.

The following outlines some of the projects and accomplishments that THCA and NROCRC have achieved over the past year:

• Collaborating on the development of innovative programming and events for seniors.
• Carrying out the Community Development Framework’s principle objective to jointly outreach to residents to reduce social isolation and enhance inclusion.
• Working collaboratively to secure funding from Crime Prevention Ottawa to deliver the Paint It Up! Initiative, which brought together 10 youth and a contracted artist to paint a community mural that we launched and celebrated together.
• Entering into a triparty agreement between THCA, Manordale-Woodvale Community Association and NROCRC in order to leverage resources. In addition, through the Adult 55+ and Persons with Disabilities Advisory Group to the Knoxdale-Merivale Council, these three organizations and others are working to highlight and address seniors’ issues in Ward 9.
• Working to build community capacity together through the partnership and cooperation of the THCA Board of Directors, the Community Centre’s Management Committee, the Young at Heart Advisory Committee, and the Program and Events Planning Group. 

What NROCRC Clients are Saying