LaFF Lines
LaFF Community Association Newsletter
Edition 3 | Spring 2021
Move opens up more opportunities
Vaccination clinics push LaFF to occupy vacant school space
LaFF’s Sandra Hendricks, left, Monica Stieda, and Kate Wilton are enjoying their temporary home at the École Davis Road School building.
While many other programs were shutting down last spring as the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic became understood, Ladysmith Family and Friends also faced the bleak option of shutting down. Instead, the program didn’t even hesitate to refocus, but immediately pivoted to new ways to reach out and connect with its community.
“We actually didn’t take any time to build a plan and then move forward with it,” says Jacqueline Neligan, executive director. “We literally built the bridge as we crossed the river.”
Over the past year, those creative strategies have enabled the program to not only maintain connections with families, but also sow new relationships and expand LaFF’s impact in the community.
“The lack of close connections right now — it’s definitely not the same,” says Sandra Hendricks, volunteer coordinator. “It’s hard, but we’re very fortunate to still be able to do anything, whether it’s dropping off crafts or food or zoom sessions.”
One year later, LaFF was recently forced to pivot again, when its home at Aggie Hall was announced as a Covid-19 immunization centre. For now, LaFF is operating from Davis Road School, which is also a temporary home for the Ladysmith Arts Council during ongoing renovations at its permanent waterfront location.
“It’s a good reason to be asked to leave, and for the way we’re able to LaFF, it’s an ideal location,” says Neligan. “It’s great to be breathing some life back into Davis Road.”
Staff had to make the move quickly, but did so with help from the Town of Ladysmith in facilitating the relocation to the School District-owned facility. Island Health provided people to do the heavy lifting, while Island Savings provided a grant which enabled the purchase of fridges and freezers.
The appliances are crucial for food storage, as there is no kitchen. LaFF does still have access to the kitchen at Aggie Hall.
School location has advantages
The school building offers a number of advantages, including the ability to offer more volunteer opportunities again due to the various classrooms, which enable appropriate distancing.
“We’ve actually been able to have volunteers come in and be safe. We’re all able to be in that space and still be distanced,” says Hendricks. “To me, that’s huge for the town and our program.”
As well, there’s no requirement to pack everything up at the end of each day, as was the case at Aggie Hall since it’s a shared space, which saves considerable time and effort.
“That’s a big plus,” says Neligan. “It’s far more efficient for us and it’s nice to be able to provide some community resources out on that side of town.”
It’s been a very different birthday year for LaFF staff.
Unusual 25th anniversary set to wrap up in summer
The 25th anniversary year of Ladysmith Family and Friends wraps up this June, completing an unusual year of celebration due to Covid-19.
“It definitely wasn’t the start of the celebration we’d hoped for, but it did create an opportunity for the whole community to support the community,” said Jacqueline Neligan, executive director.
Despite the challenges presented by Covid, LaFF was able to recognize the anniversary in a number of ways throughout the year, from 250 special anniversary crates sent out over Christmas to providing families with ingredients for LaFF birthday cakes.
The year also kicked off with a successful $25,000 fundraising campaign, achieving the target set to unlock $100,000 through a 4-to-1 matching donation from the Karen and Fred Green Foundation. That campaign led to the creation of the LaFF Community Association.
The positive side of being forced to conduct activities and reach out in innovative ways throughout its 25th year has been that LaFF has connected with different portions of the community, people who otherwise might not have realized the connections that occurred inside Aggie Hall during LaFF hours, explained Neligan.
“That’s what LaFF is — meeting the needs of the community and being fluid and flexible,” she says. “We’ve been able to highlight and showcase the feel outside of the Aggie doors.”
Feeding people offers avenue for connections
Sandra Hendricks and Jacq Neligan
A campfire chat brought Sandra Hendricks into the LaFF family.
Hendricks was already friends with Executive Director Jacqueline Neligan, who had recently secured funding to bring on more paid program staff, so that campfire conversation roughly 15 years ago was fortuitously timed.
Ever since, Hendricks, who spent the previous 10 years at home with her kids, has been a key member of the LaFF team of staff and volunteers. Her official title is volunteer coordinator, but everyone at LaFF fills in wherever needed on various projects aimed at the organization’s mission to build community and connection.
“Somebody initiates and we all jump on board,” she explains. “We’re all totally like-minded.”
As is true for many, Hendricks finds connections comes naturally through food.
“I love being able to cook and feed people,” Hendricks says. “For us, dinner was the only time we all sat down together, so bringing that to LaFF is really meaningful. That’s probably my deepest root.”
Those roots truly run through the family, as her mom Diane Morrison — known affectionately by most as ‘Mama’ — began volunteering in the LaFF kitchen roughly six years ago.
Although connecting with people over food is made difficult due to Covid-19, LaFF has found creative ways to make it happen anyway.
“The lack of connection right now, it’s not the same for sure,” Hendricks says. “It’s hard, but we’re very fortunate to still be able to do anything. We’re missing the connections, but we’ve still kept going and we’re doing it in other ways.”
In fact, despite the need to cut back on physical connections, volunteer hours increased from 2600 in 2019 to 3200 in 2020.
Ladysmith Family and Friends Society (LaFF) is a non-profit society created in 1995 and run by a volunteer board of directors. Our programs seek to reduce isolation many parents and caregivers feel, provide opportunities for children to socialize, and to build community.