Grace: How did you come to find out about HIPPY?

June: Someone had approached me for a donation for HIPPY Toronto and the whole concept really resonated with me.   I used to be a teacher of the deaf and my caseload consisted of primarily preparing pre-school children for kindergarten. I taught them in their homes and   counseled their mothers. With this background, the idea of HIPPY really struck a chord with me, both in the area of community need and a personal passion.

Grace: What has been a challenge for you in starting HIPPY in Oakville?

June: Well, first of all, demonstrating the need.  Oakville is not known at all for its diversity-related community needs and so proving the need in the community took my whole first year.  I did this by meeting with all the stakeholders in Oakville that I could think  of including a couple of schools (Oakwood and St. James Catholic School) who had the largest needs.  My plan included the Kerr Street corridor and the River Oaks area, where there are identified needs for preschoolers and their families who are struggling with literacy and, really, just life skills. 

The other very big challenge was that it was hard to find the families who needed the help most.  With the privacy laws, we just didn’t know where they were.  At the beginning, we only had 6 kids.  By the end of the first year, we had 36 kids and now we have 47.  We span 17 different nationalities..  I can tell you that as I interviewed our families, I drank the most interesting teas from all over the world!

Raising funds is an ongoing challenge. We finally registered our charitable number last year, which was in itself, an achievement!

Grace:  Wow – that’s incredible.  What skills were the ones you leaned on most during this challenging time?

June: Building partnerships and relationships collaboration and having your finger on the pulse of the community landscape are the most important skill sets.  I learned so much about Oakville, its needs and the wonderful people who are working so hard to improve life in this town. There is so much to do, it is quite overwhelming at times.

Grace:  Tell me about the impact.

June:  HIPPY Oakville now has 5 home visitors and we cover Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, French and Punjabi within our language base.  These home visitors go into the homes of the identified families with a kit and curriculum to help mothers help their preschoolers get ready for school.  We want mothers to be the advocates for their kids; we believe in them and want them to have the confidence to do so.  We believe that the mother is the child’s first and best teacher.

Grace:  What are you looking forward to?

June:  Expanding and improving our services – we would like to serve about 55 children next year. In May, I am going  to northern Ontario to present  the HIPPY concept to the Indian elders.  I can’t wait for us to experience and share our stories with each other.

Grace:  That’s amazing June.  What has been your proudest moment so far?

June:  I’d have to say it was the “Celebration of learning” event we had at end of last year.  One of our partners, the YMCA, let us use a room for the celebration and I brought in a jumping castle and a clown; I wanted these families to know what it felt like to go to a birthday party.  One mother came up to me and said ’”you have changed my life”.  It just touched my core. I feel so strongly that just because you have been born into poverty, doesn’t mean that you should not have opportunities for good education or that you won’t find a cure for cancer!  Watching the mothers and children grow in confidence is so rewarding for all of us at HIPPY Oakville.

Grace:  What do you want our readers to know about HIPPY Oakville?

June:  I owe a great deal to the people who helped me to launch HIPPY Oakville. Ann Veale, a long time friend and colleague, Anne Miskey of the CFO, Michelle Knoll of Oak Park Moms and Tots,  Michelle Braida of St. James Catholic Elementary School and Brian van Wyngarden of Oakwood Public School. We also need to recognize the hard working Home Visitors who visit the families and do the work with the mothers.

Grace:  So, in closing June, what insights do you have for someone who wants to make his/her dream a reality?

June:  I know that our life here has been just lent to us for now.  It’s not our right, so if we can give back to our community to improve  life for someone in that time, then all the better.

I also believe that you CAN make your dream a reality by having a stretch goal, by planning carefully and constantly reviewing your progress

None of us can do it all, so we need to find partners and work with others to build on strengths and meet challenges.

Grace:  Words to live by.  Thanks June for your time and for sharing your passion with me.  I think we need to choose the people we share our time with because its those who inspire us, guide us and make us sit up taller that allow us to live more fulfilling and purposeful lives.  Thank you for being that for me and for my readers.