August 7 2024
We hope you are all having a fantastic summer with friends and family. We here at M2W2 are gearing up for a busy fall with a lot of exciting things on the horizon!
Update from the Executive Director
The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why. Mark Twain. Asking the question, “Why were you born?” is a question I believe every one of us asks ourselves. Finding the answer can be quite elusive. Not knowing their purpose in life can leave a person empty, frustrated, and powerless. Of course, there can be many answers, including personal development, family relationships, and professional growth, just to name a few. As a Christian, I know the answer it to become who the Lord designed you to be.
At M2W2, our mission is to empower and equip volunteers to build practical mentoring relationships with people affected by incarceration.
For a volunteer, that journey typically begins with building friendships with those who are currently behind bars. But it doesn’t end there. One of the goals is to communicate their value: Whatever got them in prison is not who they are meant to be. Christ loves them, and so do we.
The mentoring relationship can continue upon release, or can be through our No One Leaves Alone (NOLA) program, where we encourage parolees as they integrate into a world which may be very different than the one they knew. It could be through Hidden Treasures Chilliwack, gaining work experience. Or it could be through our latest opportunity, the workshop in Mission.
The plan is to pull together volunteers from the community who have particular skills, such as wood-working or small engine repair, and our clients who would benefit from learning those skills and from the mentoring relationship that could develop. You’ll be learning more about the Mission Workshop in the weeks and months to come, but if it interests you as a volunteer, if you have a workshop skill – or any skill, really – that would benefit our clients, please contact our board chair, Arnie Melissen at ajmelissen@gmail.com or call him at 778-908-8513.
Why were you born? I believe that serving others is always at the centre of our purpose. It’s my prayer that you may know, and fulfill, yours.
God bless!
Phil Routly
Something New!
This past month the M2W2 board approved the purchase of a +/- 2000 square foot Industrial Warehouse (unit # 6 at 32851 London Ave Mission BC). We were able to pay cash for this unit with the funds we had on hand from the sale of the Abbotsford, Hidden Treasures building. Hence, the operating cost of this unit will be limited to the annual taxes, the strata fees and other limited costs, like heat and insurance. It is our belief that it will be a positive cash flow initiative very soon after opening. But as importantly, it will be a great (very low barrier) volunteer opportunity and maybe an even better mentoring opportunity.
This location is very central to both our clients and our volunteer base as it sits just by the off ramp of the Abbotsford/Mission bridge. Not only is it within walking distance of the Starbucks and Tim Hortons at “The Junction” Mall it is also less then half a kilometer from the Mall’s transit hub.
The intended use of this warehouse is to seek volunteers with Mechanical and Woodworking experience, as well as general labouring workers and start a workshop where these skills can be used to build and repair items to be sold to the public. This mentoring lesson is what we witnessed at our Thrift Stores and with this initiative we lean into it much more heavily and deliberately. The working name for this initiative is the:
MISSION MENTORING WORKSHOP OR “M2 WORKSHOP”
We will not be getting clear possession of this space until Oct/Nov of this year, so we have some time to get our “ducks in a row”. Right now, we are looking for 3 volunteers:
Someone with general mechanical ability -that can help set out a plan
Someone with general woodworking ability – that can help build a small catalogue of saleable items
Someone with general small office experience – to help set up systems for ordering, invoicing, scheduling, safety and advertising.
If this intrigues, you and you’d like to help, or – have a question – a great idea – or would just like to chat about this initiative, feel free to contact one of us. In the meantime, lets continue to support this important ministry through our time, our prayers and our financial resources.
Blessing to you all.
Arnie Melissen (Board Chair)
778 908 8513 cell ajmelissen@gmail.com
Volunteer with us!
Do something you’ve never done before! We have multiple ways you can get involved with us:
Prison Mentorship: Get clearance to go inside an institution and mentor an inmate.
NOLA: Be a support for an inmate coming into the community and help them succeed.
Hidden Treasures: If you live in the Chilliwack area we are always in need of volunteers who can help out at the store.
M2 Workshop: We are starting something new and exciting. As mentioned about by Phil we are looking for volunteers to help out with this new initiative.
If interested in any of these opportunities please email info@m2w2.com
Save The Date
September 26- Annual General Meeting
November 16- Annual Fundraising Event