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Annual Meeting and Report

72nd Annual Meeting: Supporting Healthy Lives

House of Friendship's (HOF) 2010-2011 Annual Meeting at the lovely new Knox Presbyterian Church was truly one of turning a page. A page was turned as Elizabeth McNair stepped down as President after twenty-two years of service to our neighbours in need. She leaves a remarkable legacy of a leadership that stayed true to its mission and values despite the challenges of recessions and heightened community need.

She will be followed by new President, Trent Bauman, who has previously served as the Vice-President and on the Property Services Committee. And Mary Friesen, Chair of the Addiction Services Committee will serve as the new Vice-President.

Trent and Mary's tenure will usher in a new strategic planning process and a renewed focus on supporting healthy lives. In his Annual Report comments, Executive Director, John Neufeld talked about poverty and social determinants of health.

On an individual level, HOF will continue to support healthy lives for those seeking addiction treatment. The ASH program (Addiction Supportive Housing) was recently undertaken to provide supports to residents in sixteen local homes as a means of increasing their overall health, providing stable housing and decreasing emergency room visits. In the coming months, watch for news about plans to bring HOF's women's addiction services Under One Roof this year.

On a community level, HOF announced its membership in Sustainable Waterloo as an Observing Organization, part of a broader commitment to manage properties and resources in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way.

The Business Meeting portion of the evening thanked retiring Board Members, welcomed new members, recognized long-serving ones, and formally installed the Board of Directors for 2011-2012. It also included the release of HOF's Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements, which brought news of a small surplus of $23,858 for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

2011-2012 Board of Directors: Back row, left to right -Dennis Martin, Elna Robertson, Mary Friesen, Grace Sudden, Gerry Horst. Front row, left to right - Keith Cressman, Lester Kehl, John Neufeld, Brian Knight, Trent Bauman

With business completed, guests enjoyed a delicious Strawberry Social, with fresh strawberries from Herrle's Country Farm Market.

The evening concluded with a special program of a conversation between HOF's Addiction Services Director, Pam McIntosh and Joan Nandlal, Executive Director, John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington. Their thought-provoking conversation touched on issues and models relating to addiction treatment and gave guests lots to think about.

The Board of Directors, volunteers, staff and entire family at House of Friendship would like to thank the many partners and supporters who continue to help us, "extend the hand of friendship to our neighbours in need". It is a privilege to serve our community.