Stepping Stones & Youth Unlimited are very excited to announce the Second Annual Gala in the Garden Fundraiser! Mark your calendars - Friday, May 30, 2014 - 7:00pm. We are thrilled to be joined once again by the fabulous and fun sound of Soulstream. Put your dancing shoes on and get ready for a fundraiser like no other! Stay tuned for ticket details and sponsorship opportunities!

Reflections for the New Year

Shortly before Christmas, Stepping Stones and Stepping Up held their annual holiday party. Once again, it was a great success as our young families enjoyed a time of gathering together to enjoy food, conversation and a visit from good 'ole Santa Claus. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this event possible. We are always grateful for the generosity of local vendors; this time Stefany Mailhiot and Mathias Fast stepped in to provide photography services and Rachel Golz (Sister Act Catering) cooked the meal. Several of our staff remarked on the high level of service and commitment all of our volunteers provided for this event. There were over 200 guests and our volunteer staff worked until the very end with no lack of enthusiasm! The idea was not to simply "feed" people, but to create an atmosphere of family sharing the holiday spirit; it felt like one big family Christmas dinner! Each table had a host (a staff member, a volunteer or a Thrive Alumni) to make new comers feel welcomed and loved. Our focus for this year's holiday gathering was to spend time sitting, catching up and getting to know our young families. It was truly a time of fun and fellowship and our goal to make each person feel welcomed and known.

The lead up to the holiday season is often far too busy, leaving little time for reflection and gratitude. However, the new year always suggests a chance to have a look back on your year, your life and allows the chance to look forward to new beginnings. Our  young moms and dads don't always have the chance to "start fresh", but rather continue each day is an addition to yesterday's experience. As we closed the year with the story of Kristina and her phenomenal experience during Thrive, let's begin 2014 with her belief that "our past does not need to define our future".

Happy New Year to our committed family of friends and supporters. We look forward to our most successful year yet!

Please support those that support us!

www.stefanymailhiot.photoshelter.com

www.mathiasfastphotography.com

The Christmas Season is Upon Us!

This Christmas season we share the story of a young mom, Kristina, and her journey through our cornerstone program, Thrive. This is a difficult time of year for our young families, financially and emotionally. Join us this year with a donation that will help young moms, dads and their amazing kids access our centre and resources. 

Kristina was generous in sharing her story and below is her own story in her own words. Learn how Thrive helped Kristina choose a different future.

         "My story is a long one with lots of ups and downs.  I was on a path of self-destruction for a long time not really caring enough to look at the big picture and where my life was going always wanting more but never really knowing what more was.  I would make split second decisions that usually brought more trouble than I needed.  Every time I took a step in what I thought was the right direction it seemed two steps back would follow.  This caused stress and anger and disappointment and with no coping skills.  I would turn to drinking, drugs, to sex just trying to numb everything not ever thinking of the consequences of anything.  

Before I started with Thrive I was at the point where nothing seemed to be working.  I was stuck in a rut running in circles, so when Cherise showed up to our coffee date with the application I thought,, why not?  I didn’t have anything to loose at that point.  I wasn’t sure what I had hoped to learn or how 10 weeks could change my life but I needed to do something.  For the first probably week, I still wasn’t sure what this was supposed to do and really didn’t know how I was going to get through it.  As the days went on I started to realize that I needed to really invest my energy into it to really get something out of it.  No one warned me however that once you stop holding back this program is probably the most intense emotional 10 weeks of your life.

I have learned so much about myself.  

What I stand for, what makes me tick, what I am capable of.  Thrive has taught me how to improve my life.  To look before I leap and that nobody is perfect and it is ok to make mistakes.  I have learned determination. I have learned self-worth. I have learned perseverance. I have learned to be softer and more understanding.  I have learned practical life skills like parenting skills, budgeting, and how to cope with stressful situations.

Each of the amazing women here both leading the program and taking the program have taught me something about who I want to be.  I have learned how to be a better friend, a better partner, a better parent, and a better person.  Everything I have learned is so amazing but the most important thing I have learned is that my past does not define my future.  Who I was months ago is not who I am today.  I am so thankful for everyone at Thrive and for all the people that help make it possible.  I am thankful for the life long friends made here.  As for the future ,who knows where it will take me but I do know I have the skills I need to get there."

We at Stepping Stones and Young Families believe in these families and their futures. Everyday we see measures of success in their lives and we are thankful for people like you who share our commitment to them through Stepping Stones. For easy online giving, please click on the link below to make a one time donation or begin monthly giving:

http://www.youthunlimited.com/donate/?staff=Young%20Families

Christmas Arrived Early

We just received a wonderful Christmas present!

Northview Community Church generously donated a van for Stepping Stones to use.  Not only will this van take me (Louisa) to and from work everyday, but it will open many more opportunities for moms to access community resources. 

Now I will be able to drive moms to and from Muffin Morning, pick up donations such as diapers, and meet with moms individually in the community or in their day-to-day life such as doctor’s appointments and hospital visits.

Everyone here at Stepping Stones is extremely thankful for this gift and we look forward to breaking it in!

Because having this car is so crucial for this ministry, I am looking for support from you.  This holiday season, would you consider donating gas gift cards for this vehicle?  Your support will directly go to fuelling this van so that I’ll be able to use it to develop my relationship with young families.  

Thank you for your willing hearts and for sharing this great work with me!  

Merry Christmas! 

PUMPKIN PATCH

Nothing says Autumn like a visit to the Pumpkin Patch! Rain or shine, blue skies, grey skies - kids don't really care what the weather is when they head to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out their pumpkins! What a treat to see the goats, drive the tractor and have a snack with their parents and friends. We had a great time together and we hope these happy faces make you smile!

Meet Cherie

This is Cherie.  Many of you, who have followed the work of Stepping Stones over the years, will know her. If you haven’t yet met Cherie or heard her story - here it is.

I first met Cherie ten years ago at the Stepping Stones drop in. She was pregnant with her second child, nowhere to live and alone.  Safe housing and meeting the needs of her children were a daily struggle.  Cherie realized she had hit rock bottom and no longer had the ability to rescue herself. In that moment, she decided to contact Stepping Stones and thus started her journey with us. We helped her find housing and provided a safe community for Cherie and her children to be loved and accepted.

In 2007, Cherie was one of nine young mothers who attended our first cycle of Thrive, a life-skills program developed through the support of World Vision.  During the Thrive program, Cherie learned much needed skills to help keep herself stable for a better future with her family.   To date, we have 40 Thrive graduates, with 85% of them working or in school. We are currently at the beginning of a new Thrive cycle, with seven young mothers ready for the challenge to change their lives for the better.

We are pleased to report that Stepping Stones and Vancity Guildford branch have developed a strong partnership in Surrey this past year.  Vancity Guildford helped us with crucial fundraising and with practical and applicable financial literacy training for our young mothers in Thrive.

Recently, we received very exciting news!  Vancity agreed to hire a Thrive grad and train them as a Financial Service Representative at the Guildford branch. Vancity is a living wage employer, meaning employees are paid according to the cost of living. This goes beyond minimum wage, allowing people to properly support their families and is based on the actual costs of living in specific communities. This is another step towards reducing poverty in the lives of our clients.

I immediately thought of Cherie who was busy balancing life working at the mall, volunteering with Stepping Stones, and raising her kids!  It is with much gratitude in my heart to tell you that Cherie was hired in June and is now working at Vancity as a Financial  Service Representative.  Cherie sees this opportunity as a miracle because she has been trying to get into the Financial Industry for years with no success.  This vital partnership has directly helped Cherie provide for her family.

Through Thrive and this amazing opportunity with Vancity, Cherie was able to realize her assets and strengths and put them to use. We are thankful for the partnership with Vancity and their commitment to making a difference in their community.

We at Stepping Stones are looking forward to future employment opportunities for other Thrive grads with Vancity and potentially other business partners in the community.  Cherie’s story is great encouragement for us and we love that we get to share it with you!

Summer with Stepping Stones

A couple of weeks ago we had our first family BBQ for our Young Families in Surrey. I loved walking into Hawthorne Park and seeing many familiar faces. The park was alive with kids playing in the water park while their parents were catching up with staff and volunteers. There were lots of hugs, laughter and a few quiet, serious conversations at the picnic tables.  I’m sure for anyone walking by the picnic tables it would look like any normal family BBQ.

As I’ve watched Stepping Stones grow over the past 10 years, I have become increasingly aware that we are family for the many young moms, kids and dads. We are less of a “program” and more of moms, dads, sisters, brothers and grandparents. We desire to see young families develop a healthy deeper relationship with God, each other, and our community at Stepping Stones. We’re here long term: celebrating milestones, mourning over losses together, and walking through the messiness of life. 

I believe this is the model that God longs for all of us. In a world where nothing seems to last and loyalty is undervalued, I believe we need to be family for each other more than ever.

Cherise, one of our youth workers, exudes this quality well. Her role over the past 7 years has been significant in helping develop the “culture of family” at Stepping Stones. She is usually the first person a new mom will connect with and we trust that new mom will feel instantly loved and welcomed.

One young mother who stopped by the BBQ shared with me how much Cherise has meant to her over the years. She’s a busy single mom who works hard to provide for her son, and not as available to come out to weekly programs any more, but stays in contact with Cherise and some of the other young moms. She shared that she was having a tough week, and knew she could call Cherise for support. Cherise dropped everything and made herself available. As we were chatting, this young mom threw her arm around Cherise and with tears in her eyes said to me, “I honestly don’t know what I would have done without Cherise this week!”

I’m thankful we have become family at Stepping Stones and Stepping Up.  I am also thankful for many of you who have partnered with us for many years. We have been in the community of Surrey for over 15 years and are praying for many more.

Kellie Brown.

Cherise with one of our families at a Stepping Stones event today!

Always lots of food at our family BBQ's

Eating dinner with the kids