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• Our Mission

• Our Vision

• The nature of our work

• Our Board of Directors

• Staff

• Awards Received

Mission:

Opportunities Waterloo Region ignites community action and leadership to create bold solutions that reduce and prevent poverty through collaboration, advocacy and education.

Vision:

A Community of Opportunity! We have a vision of a caring community with social and economic well-being for all where...

• people care about each other

• children are cherished

• diversity is valued

• food, housing and health care are secure and affordable

• employment is meaningful and adequately compensated

• education and training are available life long

• opportunities for participation in community life are accessible and abundant

The nature of our work:

Opportunities Waterloo Region acts as a community support organization for initiatives that aid in the efforts to reduce and prevent poverty offering such services as:

• supporting the work of the LRT

• networking and learning opportunities through our Community Conversations Series (a bi-monthly seminar and community forum). This venue is sometimes used to gauge community interest about innovative solutions to poverty presented to attendees

• igniting community action - providing facilitation, coordination and technical support for the creation and development of collaborative, multi-sector projects from the very beginning until it reaches a point where it is owned and sustained by a collaborative community group.  Opportunities Waterloo Region does not own projects.

• connecting the dots - we bring people and networks together to create and develop solutions to poverty, bridging gaps, enhancing community development work

• providing a communication network that helps the community determine "who should be at the table" in their initiatives to better ensure success and lessen the likelihood of an overlap with other services being offered.

• disseminating and sharing of learnings with other communities (locally, nationally and internationally) through the research and documentation of the initiatives we have supported

• educating and increasing awareness of the reality of poverty in Waterloo Region

Board of Directors:  

Brice Balmer, Chair

Waterloo Lutheran Seminary

Alessandra Prioreschi, Vice Chair

TECLAW

Matthew Betik, Secretary-Treasurer

KPMG LLP

Cynthia Martin

Waterloo Regional Police Services

Nick Petten

Community Representative

Sally Lerner

University of Waterloo

Staff:   

    Mary MacKeigan 

    Executive Director 

    Ext. 5981

   JoAnne Dubois 

   Waterloo Region Social Purchasing Portal Manager 

   Ext. 5983

    Cheryl Ives  

    Manager of Community Engagement 

    Ext. 5635

    Brenda Regehr  

    Administrative Coordinator 

    Ext. 5985

    Shannon Testart  

    Executive Assistant 

    Ext. 6166

   Candace Wormsbecker
   Community Garden Capacity Builder

   Ext. 5982

AWARDS:

Imagine! honours OP2000's 'New Spirit of Community' Partnership