David Welsford

Past Participant, 2002

“HeartWood is where my leadership skills began. I spent a summer when I was sixteen photographing and videotaping HeartWood’s leadership programs. In high school I was heading down a difficult path, (but) the HeartWood experience helped reshape my thinking and made me realize what was important and what I was really interested in. From there I applied to be a videographer in Eastern United States at a children’s summer camp. I moved through the ranks from videographer to working directly with the kids as a friendship coach.

HeartWood helped me focus my career as well as encouraging me to attend community college for screen arts and now I’m at NSCAD doing a fine arts degree. Without HeartWood’s positive influence and supportive programming who knows where I would be?”

Helen Opie

Service Recipient, 1998-2002

[The service I received from HeartWood] made me feel like I was going to survive. I miss HeartWood.  They made me feel like I was a part of their community. HeartWood let me know that I was giving the kids something that they couldn't get elsewhere, because of the way it was being done.  So I was a contributor as well as a receiver.  That is always good, to have a two-way street.  I really liked all of the people there; I guess they were my kind of people.

Michelle Killam

Parent, March 2010

The drive home (after my son participated in a HeartWood program) was probably the best quality time I have ever had with my kid. His perspective had completely changed. He was really proud when he saw how involved the other youth already were with

their communities.

Nobody was teasing each other, people did goofy things but nobody teased them. He seems to be more interested in getting involved in the community now and he thinks he might want this in his future.

He is more accepting of things. He is accepting himself how he is. Not showing off or putting on a show any more.

He totally related to all of the instructors. He respected all of them and he looked up to them.