At 18, Jessica learned she was pregnant and was nervous about everything. She had grown up without a mom’s love, nurturing and support, and didn’t know whether she would have the skills to be a good mother. The Salvation Army’s parenting programs helped her with advice, emotional support and ways of coping with the challenges  […]

In October 2018, John McEwan received the Marie Rogan Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Pacific Northwest Emergency Preparedness Society at the annual Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Conference. This award recognized John’s 15 years working with Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) as the Divisional Emergency Disaster Services Director, a title he took on after 15 years with  […]

Private Ian Sutherland Macpherson was, at various times, a gunner, driver and radioman in a Canadian Sherman tank during World War 2. As part of the South Alberta Regiment, he participated in the Allied liberation of Holland during the winter of 1944. He was just a kid, really.  He would become my dad. I remember  […]

Since immigrating to Canada, life has been an uphill battle for Samar, a single parent. She says securing enough food and affordable housing are big issues facing her family of four. “I don’t sleep at night,” says Samar. “I worry about feeding my children. They ask for milk and cereal and I can’t afford to  […]

A troubled past led me to here. As long as I could remember, my mother suffered at the hands of men who abused her. I quickly realized that these experiences would soon become the source of my learned helplessness and distrust of people. Since I was a young boy, my mother and I moved around  […]

Father’s Day is a celebration honouring fathers, their strength and courage, and the influence they have on their families. When John became a father he embraced the enormous responsibilities of fatherhood. But when he suffered a head injury, some days were harder than others. That’s when he connected with The Salvation Army’s parent-child resource centre  […]

This is the story of bright lights, a generous woman and her legacy. Betty Bonnington was born in rural Saskatchewan in 1927.  She moved to Toronto in 1952 to live near her future husband, Ken Bonnington.  Soon afterward, Betty and Ken married and in 1957 moved to West Vancouver, British Columbia. Ken’s job in international  […]

Meet Vijay! Vijay has volunteered with The Salvation Army for the past 6 years and continues to give back to his community every weekend. In an exclusive interview, we spoke with Vijay about the things he loved most about volunteering and what he gained from the experience. Opportunity to help others This is the main  […]

After a life filled with abuse, addiction and homelessness, 38-year-old Jay Kivell is celebrating his 15th year of sobriety by getting the biggest promotion of his life. Raised by a single, alcoholic mother, Kivell grew up in a home where he was either physically abused or neglected entirely. “When I was growing up she made  […]

It was my alcoholism that brought me to The Salvation Army Belkin House and its here that I’ve rediscovered myself and become healthy. For a long time, Miranda’s addiction impacted her life. Married for over 30 years, Miranda slowly began to see her marriage fall apart as a result of her drinking. Despite her repeated  […]