ANCHOR OF HOPE CHRISTMAS LETTER 2023

AH: The following is the heart of the latest Anchor of Hope newsletter. For the rest of it, contact the centre.

“For unto us a child is born and he will be called; Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,  Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

As hard as it is to believe, the Christmas season is upon us once again. Like you, here at Anchor of Hope we are looking forward to celebrating the wonder of Christmas, where we are reminded that through the birth of one baby -Jesus- God brought hope and peace into the world.

This has been a very exciting year at the Centre, as we celebrated our 20th Anniversary! During this anniversary year, we were able to welcome eighteen healthy babies who were born to our clients. Looking into 2024, we are already anticipating the birth of six more. This past year, we have had 35 new clients register with us: that is the largest number of new clients in any previous year in the two decades that Anchor of Hope has been in existence!

Needless to say, with more clients and new babies than ever before, the need for this ministry in our community has never been greater. We all know that housing, clothes, gas, groceries, energy costs, and everything else has become more expensive over the past few years. Many in our area are struggling with the cost of living in a more profound way than ever before. For individuals with new babies and growing families, there has never been a more vital time for support, resources, and compassionate care.

To help ensure that we are as equipped as possible to help our clients, maintain the highest standards, and operate with best practices and accountability, our Centre has completed the Next Level Centre Accreditation program of Pregnancy Care Canada. This has been a journey of reviewing our standards of operation so that we can provide quality care in the following areas: governance, board of directors, mission alignment, safety and security, security of information, finances, human resources, quality management, client programming, communications, and spiritual care. Our goal has been, and will continue to be, serving our clients with quality in every area of operation.

This past year, as much as the needs have increased, so has the generosity of the people in this community. The number of clients and babies we have been caring for this year has been greater than ever before, but so has the support that we have received. Without the generous financial gifts of our local supporters and businesses, we would not be able to come alongside our clients and give them the support that they need. Without you, we simply could not meet these very real needs in our community. Without any obligation, if you find yourself able this Christmas season to provide a year-end donation please mail us your completed donation card, drop it off at the Centre, or feel free to e-transfer to bookkeeper@anchorofhope.ca

May the hope and peace that were present at the birth of Christ be present in your heart & home this season,  

Heather West

Anchor of Hope, Centre Director 

(613) 473-0606