(Pictured left to right: Mayor Linda Buchanan, Murray Mollard, Ashraf Amlani. Photo credit – Paul McGrath)
On June 13th, there was more than just the regular hustle and bustle of the Shipyards. Tucked away, three stories up, is The Wallace, a beautiful open-concept venue in a heritage building. And in this venue, was a room full of NSCR’s Community Circle.
“Now, what’s a Community Circle?” you may ask. It’s simple really. Our Community Circle is a network of donors, sponsors, volunteers, partners, and more that help us to keep doing what we do. They’re the support that helps NSCR to flourish and be able to help the community. Our community within a community.
On the 13th, this Community Circle came out in full force to mingle and have breakfast at this event put on in appreciation of them. With the City of North Vancouver Mayor, Linda Buchanan, as the keynote speaker, the lovely Ashraf Amlani hosted the morning event. Attendee attention was only pulled from them by the Poet Laureate of New Westminster, Elliott Slinn, as he and his typewriter tapped away creating personal poems on the fly for the attendees.
The morning kicked off with a welcome and land acknowledgement by Chamiya-Janis Campbell, a Squamish Language & Cultural Instructor. It saw talks from Mayor Buchanan, Executive Director Murray Mollard, Ashraf Amlani, board member Meredith Kennedy, and long-time volunteer Terry Oaken. And a special shout out goes to District of North Vancouver councilor, Jordan Back, who, in times of tech troubled delays, took up the mic and sang us his rendition of “You Got a Friend in Me”. How long did it take to get the mayor’s slideshow going? 1 minute? 10? Not a person in that room could tell you. We’d estimate about, oh I guess, one Back ballad long.
When the attendees were all full – hearts and stomachs – the event was wrapped up with a poem Elliott had written for NSCR. With strong themes of wellbeing and connection, you can come see it framed in all its glory at our office in Capilano Mall.