COCHRANE— The Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee is looking forward to a productive 2021, including achieving charitable status.
In the spring of 2020, the board organized strategic planning sessions and got to work on its non-profit society status application, which was approved in October, said Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee president Sandra Scott.
Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee’s approval as a non-profit society means that they will be able to apply for charitable status.
“It gives us more access to grants and funding, and it also allows people who provide donations or fund us in any way to get charitable receipts,” she said. “It allows a give and take— It allows people to get a little more out of their donations.”
Scott said she and the Committee are aiming for March 1 as their application date for charitable status.
“One thing that we did during our strategic planning sessions is that we updated our mission statement and our vision,” she said. “We believe that immigrants and newcomers, if they come to Cochrane and they have opportunities to participate in events—Whether it’s to volunteer or to whether it’s coming in and being a part of an activity— They can feel more of a sense of belonging in the Cochrane area.”
Scott said she hopes the Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee can be a gateway for newcomers to the area to find out about the myriad of services available in the area for them.
Scott applauded the community for its ability to communicate between agencies, ensuring that programs are not duplicated, but that programs from various agencies are promoted and successful in their execution.
“We work together,” she said. “I just find Cochrane is so good about that, with their interagency meetings every quarter. There seems to be someone in [Family and Community Support Services] that, if they’re not on the [board of the] non-profit, they communicate well with that non-profit.”
She also hopes the events hosted by the group are fun and exciting for people who are not part of the immigrant community in Cochrane, and believes the community can benefit from the programming the Committee offers.
“We don’t just do events for — We would like to do events for the wider community. The more that we spend time with others, the more that we learn and accept and care for others,” she said. “We want to celebrate diversity through our events.”
During the organizations first-ever annual general meeting on Jan. 11 Scott outlined the successful year the organization had in 2020.
In February the Committee held its annual Newcomer Welcome Night at the Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane, a gathering for newcomers to town to meet each other and form connections. At the same event, the Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee announced the recipient of its first-ever $250 scholarship to Jean Emperado.
The organization held a fundraiser dinner at Mehtab East Indian Cuisine, which sold out. During the event they unveiled the Faces of Cochrane Mosaic, to celebrate the diversity that makes Cochrane such a unique community.
Shortly after, the community was put in lock down due to COVID-19’s arrival in Canada.
Despite COVID-19, Scott said, the Committee geared up, realizing that newcomers to town needed its services more than ever.
Over the summer and fall, the organization held a food drive, community cleanup and multiple bottle drives to raise money for its numerous initiatives.
In August, despite restrictions and much of the sales moving to a digital space, the Committee sold $5,000 in raffle tickets and handed out three $1,000 prizes to the participants.
In mid-September, Culture Days went ahead, highlighting over 15 different cultures.
Guests were able to take in dancers, artists, film industry creatives, and musicians at Cochrane Square, Centennial Plaza, The Lions Club Event Centre and on an artist studio drive on Sept. 12 and 13.
At the end of September, more than 200 Cochranites took part in the Amazing Cochrane Culture Hunt, which included nine stops throughout Cochrane, and celebrated over 11 cultures.
And most recently, the Christmas Jingle Mingle went ahead on Christmas Day, despite the elevated health restrictions in place.
Scott said the work the Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee has done over the past year, and the work they will continue to do in 2021, is made possible by the generosity of Cochrane.
Scott took some time to recognize the many organizations and businesses that supported the Committee’s many initiatives over the year.
“We couldn’t do it without the support of the greater community, and that includes our small businesses,” Scott said.
