2012-2013 Annual Report Message from Pa Uline Marois
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n a time ... Once upo 2012-2013 Annual Report Message from Paulin e Marois 2 eration rom gen or - F on! 1863-2013 r l’d generati Mi do to We are known as the ‘People of the Jewish community in the years to than by collecting the stories of those the Book’ which means that stories follow. individuals who have contributed to are a vital part of who we are. The our past, present and future. Many are oldest testimonials of our people are A continuing tide of immigration already recorded in this annual report. rightfully called the ‘oral tradition’. meant that by 1890, barely 25 years Literally by word of mouth, our later, the demand for services had However, given the possibilities of ancestors passed on our collective exceeded the capacity of the small current technology, we want to reach history, teachings and wisdom by re- community. The Young Men’s Hebrew out via our website to anyone who telling stories from one generation to Benevolent Society sought help from ever was or is currently involved another. world Jewry’s greatest philanthropist with us – as a client, a staff member, of the nineteenth century – the a Board member, a volunteer, or a At Ometz, our 150th year of service Austrian railway magnate, Baron donor - and ask all of you to share to the Montreal Jewish community Maurice de Hirsch. To acknowledge your stories with us online. Please is about to commence. We take this the Baron’s gift of $20,000, the Society visit www.ometz150.ca and share moment to reflect backwards with renamed itself the Baron de Hirsch your story. reverence and to look forward with Institute. hope. This year’s annual report forms Our tradition teaches us that: Our part of our ongoing story. In fact, our The actions of those young men obligation is not to complete the work; focus for this year is to capture as that July night laid the blueprint for nor are we permitted to desist from it. many stories as we can and we are what has become Ometz today - a Pirkei Avot 2:20 counting on your help! dynamic, integrated agency celebrating 150 years of service to the Montreal As a community, we have much to be One summer night in July 1863 - four Jewish community. Since the beginning, proud of. It is our privilege and our years before Canada was founded – our mission - to help the vulnerable obligation to help the next generation 30 Jewish men gathered in a room in our community - has not changed. build an even better society by over a store on Great St. James Many of the services we provide leaving them a record of what we Street in Montreal and established today can be traced back to our accomplished by supporting one the Young Men’s Hebrew Benevolent roots. And many of the people who another. Please help us by recording Society, an organization dedicated to are involved with Ometz today as your own story as well. the social welfare of our community. volunteers or as service providers can Their action took incredible foresight, proudly point to a relative who was Mazel Tov to us all! At Ometz we are considering that at the time there similarly involved in caring for our 150 years strong! were fewer than 1000 Jews in community at an earlier point in time. Montreal and that the community Continuity, collective memory was not experiencing any unusual and the upholding of tradition are Howard Lohner, CPA, CA economic hardship. Little did our important values to the Jewish people. President, Ometz forefathers realize the key role their We can’t think of a better way to Howard Berger & Gail Small, 3 organization would play in shaping commemorate our 150th anniversary Co-Executive Directors s vice Ser ity mun Com Crisis Intervention Andrea shares her story Ometz Crisis Intervention Services “Coming to Canada from Argentina, I arrived provides 24-hour turnaround on calls in Montreal with little English and no French, and walk-in service for emergencies. We completely reliant on my husband and offer responses such as access to food trapped in a spiral of abuse. Eventually I and shelter, and can help connect and broke out of that marriage and worked two advocate with public and private sector jobs to support myself and my young son. I organizations. Our professionals meet was determined to build a life for him. He with users, assess their situation, and is a very clever boy, but I know he keeps devise a plan of action. things inside about the situation between his father and me. Since David’s birth I have Highlights: come to rely on Ometz for support. Not only can I call my social worker for moral • We spearheaded, in partnership with encouragement when I need it, but Ometz the CSUQ, on-going discussions with has helped pay for my son’s daycare, school the Sephardic Rabbanim to address supplies, helped me get clothing, and helped communal issues related to poverty, me to pay rent and buy food. I really believe foster home recruitment for Jewish that it is because of the help that I received youth-at-risk, and youth protection that I have self-confidence, hope and by bringing together leaders in the happiness. My dream now is to go try and Sephardic community and Batshaw Youth obtain a high school diploma and go on to and Family Services. university so that I can become a nurse.” • We continued to build bridges with different segments of the community ndividuals 279 i with the goal of working together to e 1, holarships ntak 08 sc strengthen families and individuals who I ing 6 dividuals amp 2,375 in are vulnerable. C tance ssis ial A anc 4 Fin Comm unity Services Youth at Risk Jonathan’s Story Ometz Youth-at-Risk Services is tailored “Jonathan came to our Junior Maximizing to the needs of each adolescent, and Youth Potential program as he was having involves a contract between Ometz and academic and social difficulties in school. the user. We offer support in identifying When we met Jonathan, he was a quiet boy basic health care issues, finding resources who almost never spoke to anyone and the and navigating a complex public system, only time he would speak was to whisper a learning to enhance decision-making request to a coordinator. He was especially ability and working on parenting capacity. shy to speak in English as French is his We provide educational and career first language. After only a few weeks it support, and incorporate incentives was clear that Jonathan was feeling more designed to help youth at risk achieve and more comfortable. By the end of the social and academic success. session, Jonathan’s personality flourished and not only was he fully integrated in the group, but he had grown into a leader. He Highlights: initiated group activities for the rest of the participants, made everyone laugh with • We added a second full-time worker his sweet sense of humor and made huge to our Maximizing Youth Potential strides in English. The program team felt so program, and we started a formalized proud and lucky to witness such growth in tutoring program. We provided this child.” learning assessments as needed, and we incorporated group experiences as well as our one-to-one interventions. • Our FIX program for youth has also increased in numbers and in needs. Our weekly collective cooking workshop has guaranteed them a hot meal, as well as a place for skill-building and social scents connection. adole 86 adults MYP ung • We have started looking at how we 9 yo en IX 4 am 26 childr offer these and other services to young F rogr ol p people with our team from Ometz cho r S Volunteer Services to provide a wrap- fte around approach to the needs of youth A in our community. 5 Community Se rvices Commu nity Serv ices Mental Health Support Ometz Mental Health Support Services Foodsmarts program, a special handbook helps individuals and families struggling featuring recipes and highlighting key tips with mental health issues, such as anxiety, was produced in collaboration with the depression, bi-polar illness or obsessive- Mental Health Department. compulsive disorder. Our team of psychologists, therapists and counsellors works in collaboration with doctors, Marla shares her story CSSS and hospitals to offer a broad range “I have been a client of Ometz since 2001. of support services to adults struggling I am a single parent to 2 teen-age children. with mental illness. We work together to Throughout the years, due to my lack of reduce isolation, help develop autonomy confidence I had trouble in trying to deal and self-sufficiency, and improve overall with finances, locating affordable housing quality of life. and maintaining a job. My lack of confidence would lead to episodes of anxiety, which Highlights: quickly turned into full blown anxiety, during which I was unable to leave my apartment • We collaborated with the JEM or maintain any work schedule. Workshop to offer support services With the support of my mental health case to employees diagnosed with a mental manager, I sought out a family physician illness. A mental health case manager who recently diagnosed me with borderline worked on-site part-time, offering personality disorder and anxiety disorder, supportive counselling and made home and I have begun taking medication. I visits to assess community support am also seeking individual counselling needs. with a therapist. I finally have come to an understanding that it is not a weakness to • As a founding member of the organizing seek out and accept help.