CCRC was pleased to administer the National Child Benefit Fund for the second year this past fall, in partnership with the City of Peterborough.

Over $458,000 was returned to 1,235 families with 2,204 children on social assistance through this Fund.

The 2003 Report Card on Child Poverty in Canada reports continuing pressures on families and children living in poverty.

• While there was a continued decline in the rate of child poverty across Canada, from a high of just over 20% in 1996 to 15.6% in 2001, over 1 million children in Canada, almost one child in 6, continue to live in poverty.
• Nearly half of the children in female-led, lone parent families live in poverty: these children are nearly four times as likely to live in poverty as those in two-parent families.

For more information on this Report Card, contact Campaign 2000 at www.campaign2000.ca
or phone: (416) 595-9230.

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on - Franklin D. Roosevelt
The harder you fall, the higher you bounce - Anonymous
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows - Helen Keller

The Information Centre and Volunteer Bureau have served the City and County of Peterborough for almost 30 years. The CCRC Board made a decision last fall that they could no longer operate the Volunteer Bureau and Information Centre as they have in the past, due to limited funding.  We are now working with United Way to find ways to maintain components of these services that continue to be most valuable to the community.

The Volunteer Bureau has assisted hundreds of people to find meaningful volunteer work; it has been a leader in volunteer training and instrumental in celebrating the contribution that volunteers make to the quality of civic life.  The Information Centre has assisted thousands of callers to access community resources and has published the invaluable "Blue Book" or Handbook of Community Services.

The longevity of these services is a testament to community commitment by volunteers and staff. In recent years, funding limitations have compromised the ability of these programs to deliver the high standard of community service that has been their trademark, leading the CCRC Board to make its decision.

We recognize, celebrate and thank the volunteers and staff who been dedicated to these services over the years!

The Information Centre and Volunteer Bureau and Hope Carson have been like bread and butter - you can't have one without the other.  Hope has spent the past 17 years working on behalf of volunteers in Peterborough.  The greatest among her many gifts is her ability to make volunteers know they are special and important.  Hope has hosted many community events and volunteer celebrations;  recruited and trained countless volunteers;  listened to their concerns; and supported hundreds of organizations. Her essential belief in the power of volunteerism showed in everything she did in her work.

Hope has an encyclopedic knowledge of the community  and its resources. If she did not know where to find a resource, she worked until she found it. Her strong sense of fairness and equity guided her as she supported people who did not know where to turn or felt they had exhausted all their options in the community.

Hope's departure at the end of January, 2004 marks the end of a long era of volunteer and information services.  Throughout this time, she always remembered to say thanks, and it is now our turn to thank her for the amazing contribution she has made to this community. 

Thank you, and best wishes, Hope!

CCRC is pleased to announce plans are underway for the Family Shelter to enter a new phase of development to better serve the community.

The Family Shelter was established by our Housing Resource Centre in May, 2000 as part of the Community Plan for Homelessness and Housing Insecurity.

With $10,000 from the federal government for its first 6 months of operation, the Family Shelter came into being as a pilot project. It continued with a second federal grant until August, 2003 and has operated since then on funding from the municipality, community donations, including support from the “Hike for the Family Shelter” organized by the Interfaith “We Have a Lot to Give” group and lots of volunteer commitment. We are extremely thankful to everyone who supported the initiation and development of this needed service.

Initial plans for the Family Shelter were to demonstrate the need
and develop an operational model that could be sustainable. A tremendous need has been demonstrated. We are pleased to be partnering with other community groups to make the shelter sustainable in a new way in the future. Plans for this will be announced in March 2004.

We want to thank all the volunteers, donors and funders who have supported the Family Shelter in its initial phase. It couldn't have been established without you!

Many Community Organizations Opened Their Doors to Help Youths and Adults Build Confidence and Skills in 2003!

Thanks to the great community of Peterborough City and County, the Community Service Order Program increased placement opportunities for our clients by 15%. Thirty more non-profit and tax-supported organizations joined our program in 2003. As a result, our clients now have a larger selection and variety of accessible placements to complete their court ordered hours.

Notably, we received a total of 304 orders in 2003 including both youths and adults. Clients completed over 16,000 hours of community service work in Peterborough City and County including involvement in the annual festivals, direct mail outs, book-sales and other special events. Many of our clients also assisted seniors and disabled people, as well as made and donated home projects for raffles and silent auctions. Upon successful completion, clients now receive certificates from CCRC that they can utilize for future volunteer and employment applications.

With the Youth Criminal Justice Act well under way and the transfer of youth justice services to the new Children’s Ministry, we are looking forward to many positive changes in 2004 for our youthful clients. Additionally, we plan to continue developing new placement opportunities for clients and value any suggestions you may have for placements.

Thanks again to all our placements for your support and dedication to the program. We look forward to working with you in 2004.

Developed in partnership with the Peterborough Utilities Group, the newly established Fund for Utility Service Emergencies (FUSE) provides financial assistance to low-income individuals and families who are unable to pay their utility bills and/or are facing disconnection of their hydro and/or water. Offered to residents of Peterborough, Lakefield or Norwood whose utilities are provided by Peterborough Utilities Group.