Nurturing Ourselves Workshop

This month We had our first Nurturing Ourselves Workshop at the shelter.  This workshop was created with the goal of providing the women at our shelter with a great afternoon filled with pampering and self care. While women are at our shelter, their days are always busy.  Between looking after their children, attending appointments, personal errands, and trying to stay calm during a difficult time, the physical and emotional toll can  be great. We created the Nurturing Ourselves Workshop to give women a space to relax, unwind, rejuvenate, and practice self-care. This new program will run twice a month.

Our first session was great! Women were very excited to do manicures, pedicures, and makeup and share creative tips on how they like to relax.   Despite the rainy, cold day outside, everyone’s spirits were lifted by the smell and taste of freshly baked cookies and hot coffee prepared by the staff.  Sharon, a mother of three particularly enjoyed the group as it gave her some time to relax and recharge after taking care of her children all day.  She had this to say: “On such a dreary, rainy day the Nellie’s Group made it sunny with manicures and taking care of ourselves.”

Thanks to the generous support of The Body Shop Eaton Centre, we were able to provide every woman with a lovely self-care product at the end of our first workshop.  Items included body lotion, body wash, shampoo and conditioner. These items added a special touch to the workshop and will remind the women to take some time out of every day to pamper themselves.

We look forward to our next session of the Nurturing Ourselves Workshop.

Mother’s Day Memories

Here’s a re-cap of some of the wonderful events that took place at Nellie’s in honour of Mother’s Day.

On Thursday afternoon the women at Nellie’s enjoyed a Mother’s Day Celebration organized by Tony Roost of One Fire Movement, musician Rory O’Hearn, yoga instructor Marinella Nesso  and photographer Jason Lutz.   Marinella opened the event with an hour long yoga session that had everyone participating!  The women went through deep-breathing, stretching, and relaxation exercises specifically created to celebrate and honour the hard work of motherhood. Following this, Rory serenaded the women with some Bob Marley songs as well as a couple original tunes about strength and perseverance in times of struggle.  The entire afternoon was captured on film and video by photographer Jason.  Thank you Tony for bringing together a such a wonderful group of artists to celebrate the Mother’s Day  at Nellie’s!

 “Today made me realize how important self-care really is.  My spirit is soaring.”

On Saturday evening the women at the Shelter were treated to a Mother’s Day Photoshoot organized by Juanita Morris and her friends.  Stylists Carol, Hayley, Maggie and Alice provided hair and make-up services to each of the women as they prepared to have their photos taken.  Photographers David, Gavin and Louise captured many special Mother’s Day memories of women and their children.  Blacks  has generously offered to process and print the pictures free of charge and flowers for the photo-shoot were generously donated by our East-End neighbours Quince Flowers.

“It’s wonderful to be a Mother at Nellie’s.”

The Body Shop made Mother’s Day extra special for the women by donating gift baskets to everyone at the Shelter.  Both The Body Shop Beaches and The Body Shop Eaton Centre chose Nellie’s as the recipient of their in-kind fundraising campaign “Another for a Mother.”  During the month of May customers added a gift box to their purchase and donated it back to The Body Shop.  Thank you to everyone who contributed to this campaign – the women loved their gifts!

Walmart Canada facilitated a surprise Mother’s Day gift –a lovely silver necklace for every woman at the shelter. Receiving this thoughtful gift moved many residents to tears. On Sunday the residents enjoyed a lovely Mother’s Day Brunch at the shelter. The day was amazing for the women and was certainly one to remember. At a time when motherhood is so widely discussed, it was wonderful for mothers at the shelter to celebrate their beautiful selves and to honour their choices.

“I love you mom.”

Thank you to all our financial donors who responded so generously in giving to our 2012 Mother’s Day Appeal. Your support enables us to provide all the mothers and children at Nellie’s the support and services they need to ensure a brighter future for themselves and their children. Thank you to our community for making all the women at Nellie’s feel special!