October, 2011Following the Official Opening of 314 Booth Street, the new Cornerstone Foundation building, in May, residents started to move in. By the middle of August, 42 women, including 20 senior women, were occupying their new quarters. Three or four were admitted each day to allow for calm transitions and full orientation. The beautiful landscaping was finished and the front and back patios were available and welcoming. Rachel, the House Manager and her staff, Paul, the cook and Peter, the Maintenance Manager, all became part of the family. The building is filled with light and the décor is comfortable, accessible and welcoming. Each woman has her own room and attached bathroom. Thanks to our generous donors and sponsors, funds were available for furnishings, embellished by donated art work. The computer lab is always full. Women eat nutritious food, lovingly prepared, in a gracious dining room. The Quiet Room is a place of reflection guide by the pastoral care Team. KarenAnn has welcomed and briefed a number of community volunteers who come with special talents. The personal support workers are available 24/7 on call for the seniors, many of whom have complex needs. The management and administrative staff for all the Cornerstone operations have offices here. Now the broader community is also citing the success of this building Action Logement/Housing Action has chosen Cornerstone as the winner of its Award of Recognition for 2011. The Award was presented on Sept. 29 at their annual Fundraising Cocktail. The building and its architects are also nominated for a Design Award by the Ottawa Builders for 2011. Three levels of government and donors from the community enabled this $11.8M initiative to succeed. The generous commitment of individuals, parishes, faith groups, and community organizations made our Capital Campaign a success, exceeding the goal of $2.3million. Each day in the life of the residents and staff at 314 Booth Street is a testament to what has been achieved. We thank you all! Carol Burrows, Campaign Chair Cornerstone Housing for Women Foundation With the Official Opening of 314 Booth Street on May 25, hundreds of guests had the opportunity to see the result of our five years of planning, and two years of fundraising in A Journey of Hope campaign. It is a beautiful functional building with comfortable living units, lounges and common rooms, staff offices and storage. The surrounding property features a beautiful garden, where the residents will be able to enjoy the outdoors in safe and pleasant surroundings. During the summer, each of the 42 women will move in to a self-contained unit that will be her home. The Official Opening marked the beginning of 314 Booth Street as a home for many women, a part of the community, and a place for new beginnings of all kinds. Thank you all who helped in so many ways. You wove your stories, donations and dreams into this building, and helped to make it all happen!  May 9, 2011In the two months since I last wrote to you, many exciting things have happened on our Journey of Hope. At the Applause Party on May 3, we celebrated two outstanding achievements. The beautiful building at 314 Booth Street will very soon be ready for the women to take possession of their new homes. It was completed on schedule and on budget thanks to the commitment to excellence of the Morley Hoppner Group and the subtrades. The capital campaign has surpassed its goal, a testament to the generosity of our friends in this community. It was a thrill to announce that as of May 3, the campaign total had reached $2,360,218. The Official Opening for 314 Booth Street will be held on Wednesday, May 25. See Official Opening for the details. This will be your opportunity to see the building that so many of you have helped us build. Our Journey has been exciting, challenging, rewarding and humbling. From the seed of a dream six years ago, reality is at hand! We are about to embark on a new phase of providing affordable supportive housing for 42 women and we are so grateful for all the wonderful people who joined us in the journey. March 9th, 2011All 42 Adopt-A-Rooms have been adopted! We are very grateful for the support of so many individuals and groups who have made this initiative such a success.
In response to the continuing interest among faith groups, we have developed another, more broadly-based program: The Faith Common Room.
To participate in this new initiative, donors who did not have the opportunity to adopt a room can now make a donation, in any amount and at any time over the next two years. See Faith Common Room for more information.
I encourage you to check our campaign progress below as we move closer to our goal—made possible by the dedicated supporters of A Journey of Hope. February 1st, 2011 I am happy to report that the building is in the final stages of construction and our campaign is moving closer to the goal of $2.3 million—thanks to the many donors who have supported A Journey of Hope.
Our new building at 314 Booth Street is the logical progression of services for Cornerstone Women. As we prepare for the opening of our building, we have a description of the services and supports that will be available for our tenants. March 29th, 2010 Welcome to this website and to the Cornerstone Foundation’s Journey of Hope. Hope is the most positive emotion we have. We hope the sun will shine; we hope that our children will be well and safe; we hope the work we do will make a positive contribution to our community. In the following pages is the story of A Journey of Hope which offers hope for the many women in the city who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. After five years of planning, the Cornerstone Foundation was established to raise the funds necessary to build a new facility that will provide affordable supportive housing for 42 women. You will be introduced to Bridget whose story is typical of the many women who live in a Cornerstone facility. She was without hope as she struggled with a life of despair. You will learn about the growing number of women who live day in and day out in the most appalling circumstances and who, like Bridget, see no hope for the future. But there is hope: in the new house being built at 314 Booth Street. The women who will live there – 20 seniors and 22 younger women – will have access to the support services they need to live a life of dignity in a safe place. I invite you to read the story of this journey of challenges and disappointments and about our many successes. Then I invite you to visit the donations page where I hope you will be inspired to make a donation to the Journey of Hope. 
Carol Burrows
Campaign Chair For more information on Cornerstone Housing for Women: http://www.ottawa.anglican.ca/cornerstone/ |
