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July 17, 2024
🌟 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS! 🌟
Do you have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities?
We are seeking dedicated individuals to join our board of directors and help guide our organization.
Nominations are now open – please consider applying or nominating someone who you believe would be a great fit! Together, we can create positive change and make a real impact in our community.
Nominate here: Empower Board of Directors Nomination Form
Deadline for submission is August 15, 2024
July 12, 2024
Empower Members from the LGBTQ2S+ community are invited to gather together once a month to provide informal support to one another.
Peer support is when people use their own experiences to help each other, bringing together people with shared experiences to support each other. Empower will provide a space where you feel accepted and understood while treating everyone’s experiences as being equally important.
Meetings will be held on the third Thursday evening of every month, starting on Thursday, July 18 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm.
Registration is not required for this group. However, if you have something you would like to share with our Member Services Coordinator Sherri in advance please let her know by emailing Sherri@empowernl.ca.
May 26, 2024
National AccessAbility Week begins today!
This year, the theme is “Forward Together: Accessibility and Inclusion for All,” emphasizing the need for collective efforts to create a barrier-free Canada.
Join us this week in celebrating the valuable contributions and leadership of people with disabilities in Canada and the work of allies, organizations and communities that are removing barriers to accessibility and championing inclusion. The strength of a country lies in the diversity of its people and we can all be a part of ongoing efforts to become a more accessible and disability inclusive Canada.
Check out our social media this week for accessibility tips from Empower’s staff, through the lens of the services they provide!
April 30, 2024
Friendly Reminder for May!
With a busy schedule of activities and groups, many new in the last few months, our calendar is a great place to see everything that’s happening for Members in the upcoming months – check out our activities, topics for recurring groups and info on one-time events.
The calendar will be posted here every month and will show future months as well, to help you plan your participation!
Empower’s Member Services Calendar
For questions or information, please email Sherri or call 709-722-4031.
April 24, 2024
Today we recognize the enormous contributions of Administrative Professionals!
Administrative Professionals work in many diverse roles that support their organizations and coworkers in many ways. Take a moment today to show your appreciation for all they do!
(You rock and we are grateful for you and all you do, Nina, Edna and Sharon!)
April 19, 2024
Introducing Mandy Penney! Mandy started volunteering with Empower in fund development in the fall of 2017, then joined the Inclusion Volunteer Crew in the winter of 2018. She started as an employee in 2018, working with InclusionNL in various roles from then until 2023. She joined the Board in August 2023 as the Vice Chair and once again volunteers with the Inclusion Volunteer Crew.
Mandy also volunteers as the Secretary and NL Representative of DAWN Canada and a member of the Hummingbird Feminist Disability Coalition, the Clerk for NewfoundSand Co-op, and a member of the Patient Advisory Council/NL Support.
Mandy says “volunteering has allowed me to demonstrate the skills that I have developed from my education and life experiences as a woman with a disability. I believe that volunteering has provided me with many opportunities. I have developed friendships, as well as gained employment and professional development opportunities. I have developed new skills and interests from volunteering, including accessibility awareness, social justice, entrepreneurship, and feminism. In my free time I enjoy learning new skills, such as coding, working on my business ideas, crafting, spending time with my friends and cat, Tetley.”
April 19, 2024
Many of you know Stephen Quinn, Empower’s long-standing (over fifteen years!) Career Services Coordinator. But did you know that volunteering is interwoven in almost every aspect of his life? Stephen says:
“I started volunteering at Empower in 2003. My friend Dougie and I walked in looking for Joey Power. Although everyone had moved out, we stayed for a coffee. I’m still drinking coffee here!
Volunteering has been a big deal for me. I met my wife while volunteering, I found a career while volunteering and volunteering gave me the best friend I ever had.
I have also volunteered with the Hoyles Home and Pleasant View Towers. My volunteer work has given me so much. Mostly, it gave me a sense of the community I live in.
I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for Empower.”
April 18, 2024
Say hi to Freddie Tucker. He became involved with Empower through his sister Sherri, our Member Services Coordinator. He’s been a volunteer with us for two years, building raised garden boxes and assisting at the Frosty Festival. In his free time he likes to play pool, hunt, fish, hike, lift weights and do yoga.
“After graduation I joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a combat engineer, and served 16 years with deployments in Afghanistan and Bosnia. During this time, I married my wife Tannis and had two wonderful children. After my service concluded, our family moved back to Newfoundland and I became a stay at home parent.
Upon my release with the forces, volunteering fostered a sense of fulfillment and purpose. The lifetime of skills that I learned as a combat engineer are utilized to assist others and provide a service to the community. This act of giving back instills a sense of pride and satisfaction in making a tangible difference in the lives of others.”
April 18, 2024
This is volunteer Joy Ejabena. She became involved with Empower in 2023, as an intern during her graduate program. She also volunteers with the Autism Society, St. John’s Status of Women Council and Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Eastern NL. She loves to travel and learn new recipes.
“Volunteering has provided me with a sense of fulfillment and purpose, knowing that I am making a meaningful contribution to my community and the lives of others.
I am a mom of two boys and a child and youth care advocate, my life revolves around creating a nurturing and supportive environment for my family while also advocating for the wellbeing of children in my community. I am grateful for the love and support they provide me everyday.”
April 18, 2024
Meet Susan Barrett. She has been a Board Member of Empower since June of 2023. We assisted her stepson in finding full-time employment, so she decided that she wanted to give back. She also volunteers on the Board of The Children’s Grief Foundation of Canada and is the Secretary for the Board of Independent Living Canada. She loves to camp, travel and spend time with her two German Shepherds.
“I live with my husband and my 21 year old stepson and I raise chickens. I have been a licensed Funeral Director for 24 years and currently work for an Ontario based Trust Company, working with Funeral Homes in Atlantic Canada providing pre-arranged funeral funding.
In my volunteering, the people that I have met are definitely a highlight! But it also feels wonderful to support such important groups and their causes.”