What's New > AGM 2009

2009 FST Annual General Meeting and Volunteer Awards Presentation

On June 17, 2009 FST staff, members, volunteers and friends from the community came together to participate in our 95th Annual General Meeting. Guests and speakers celebrated FST's achievements and looked forward to a future committed to building healthy, strong communities.

Dedicated to the courage and resilience of participants in our Options program, the AGM included inspiring stories from families and clients as well as a presentation on the Options and Passport programs. In addition, the contributions of FST volunteers were recognized through four different volunteer awards.

AGM 2009 highlights

Oliver, a tenant from our Pears Avenue Housing program, welcomed everyone to the AGM.  . The Pears Avenue program provides mixed income housing for people who are in circumstances which can make getting and keeping housing difficult. Originally from Sudan, Oliver came to Canada two and half years ago. Initially he lived in Kitchener then he moved to Toronto where FST helped him start a new life. Today, he participates in the Pears Avenue program where "tenants help tenants": "I got to practice my English through this program and I got involved in the community. Family Service Toronto gives me the family I need in Canada" he said. "My dream is to become a chemical engineer - I know it is hard but I get all the support I need from FST".
Oliver introduced Harlan Schonfeld, the President of FST’s Board of Directors, who presented an overview of 2008-2009.

Harlan spoke about the impact FST has on so many people – from newcomers who are building new lives in Toronto to older people who have lived their entire lives in the city: "I am proud of FST's commitment to support individuals and families who are struggling - people who may feel that they have nowhere to turn until they find us and their lives change for the better.  I feel a tremendous affinity for FST's values of inclusion, access, equity, capacity building - these are not merely concepts. They are tangible realities." He then released the 2008/2009 Annual Report and thanked FST’s dedicated staff and volunteers for their extraordinary work.  

The president also reviewed the new strategic planning process and highlighted the FST board’s work to assure excellent governance of the organization. He concluded with thanks to all our donors, funders and partners whose "funding support helps us make a difference in people's lives and allows us to keep the lights on". Read full speech

Ted Betts, ex-officio member of the board, presented the Governance Committee report on their activities which focused on the preparation for Building Healthier Organizations (BHO) accreditation review, the annual board evaluation and The recruitment of new board members.  Ted also thanked Peter Kinch, Andrew Szende and Asaf Zohar who will leave the FST Board after collectively having served FST for "over 33 years and shared their experience with 13 committees and working groups." He recommended the re-election of Fran Odette to a second three-year term and the election of new board members: Notisha Massaquoi, May-Lin Poon and Hari Viswanathan. 

In her message to the AGM, Margaret Hancock, Executive Director, reviewed the challenges posed to non-profit organizations by the recent downturn in the global economy. At FST, she said, "we know first hand about the excruciating pressure and anxiety felt by many people as they fear unemployment and the inability to care for their families; we see the impact of poverty on the capacity of communities and the aspirations of Toronto’s people; we support women and children who feel the brunt of these fears and anxieties in the most immediate physical and emotional ways."
Margaret concluded with a heartfelt thank you to FST staff for  their "dedication to this great, good organization. You personify resilience and hopefulness, even when you feel least able, for you are the ones who hear directly from clients and program participants about the real hardships they are facing, and you work with them to find a way forward when they feel most desperate and unable."
Read Margaret Hancock's full message to the AGM.

The AGM program continued with the presentation of FST’s Volunteer Awards. Read about this year's award recipients on Volunteering at FST section.

The final part of the AGM agenda offered the Options and Passport staff the opportunity to present their work with clients living with intellectual disabilities. The presentation started with real life stories of two of Options participants - inspiring stories of lives changed through community support programs such as Options and Passport - and followed with Catherine Legere and Zsuzsanna Toth, Community Resource Facilitators who spoke about the history and approach of Options Program.

The Options program started in 1979 with one social worker who worked with 30-50 clients. Thirty years later, dedicated to planning and finding supports for inclusive living, Options has 11 Community Resource Facilitators, 1 Intake Facilitator and 2 Network Facilitators. Last year, Options and Passport initiative supported 2,289 people.

Over the years, our dedicated Options staff learned that program participants need good supports to become valued members of their families and communities. They need:

• friendships and supportive relationships;
• community connections to help them find and maintain opportunities to work or volunteer;
• supportive counsellors and facilitators to facilitate community inclusion and enable a clear vision for a person's life and the supports that need to be constructed;
• access to generic and specialized services;

Today, Options works from an anti-oppression framework and person centered planning. It supports self-determination and inclusion in the community.

Ron Johnson spoke about Passport to Community Supports Initiative – a program funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services for individuals who have a developmental disability, have left school and would benefit from community participation supports. Passport promotes independence, allows for flexibility and choice, and assists the participants to make the transition from school to life as adults in their community. FST is the designated agency for Passport initiative in Toronto.

Read highlights of the Options and Passport presentation (PDF format)

 

 

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