MSC celebrates 35 years
Article content
More than 100 people came out for the Multi-Service Centre’s 35th anniversary celebration at the Tillsonburg Community Centre Tuesday evening.
Guests enjoyed food and drinks, a silent auction, and heard remarks from several people including Tillsonburg Mayor John Lessif, former MSC chair John Armstrong, and special guest speaker and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist with the Canadian Women’s Ice Hockey Team, Cheryl Pounder.
“Just seeing the number of people here tonight, it seems that a lot of people do a lot of good,” said Pounder prior to her speaking engagement. The accomplished Canadian athlete shared a high-energy motivational message that touched on the importance of teamwork and dedication with Tillsonburg residents and guests Tuesday evening.
“To me it’s always about the journey to winning as a team and, even in this environment, how everyone has to pull together and work together to see great things happen,” she said, referring to the Multi-Service Centre.
In addition to the anniversary celebrations, the Multi-Service Centre also combined their volunteer appreciation night and Annual General Meeting into the one event.
Fran Bell, current chair of the MSC board of directors, said the annual general meeting went very well, and noted how happy she was to see the community show its support and appreciation for the organization.
“This is an absolutely fabulous fundraising event that the staff and volunteers have organized,” said Bell. “I am so pleased that we have an absolutely wonderful speaker and we’ve got a good turnout here. It’s going to be an excellent evening.”
Bell highlighted the role a board of directors plays in an organization like the Multi-Service Centre.
“The board of directors provides the overall governance for the organization, it provides leadership, it helps to ensure that the mission, vision and the values of the organization are being carried out, it gives guidance to the executive director. But most of all, it says thank you to the staff and volunteers for everything that they do.”
The MSC has strived to make a difference in the lives of Tillsonburg area residents for more than three decades.
“I’m absolutely humbled by the fact that we have been in this community for 35 years. There’s a need for our services, our staff provide care as though people were their own family members.”
John Armstrong, the first chair of the organization created prior to the formation of the Multi-Service Centre, took part in the anniversary celebrations Tuesday evening, and is thrilled to see the MSC become the success story it has.
“A lot of people believed that it would work and a lot of people are extremely pleased that it has worked to the degree that it has,” said Armstrong. “And it will continue to grow because it’s such an important component in our community.”
Armstrong noted some changes over the past three decades that helped shape the Tillsonburg and District Multi-Service Centre into the non-profit organization it is today.
“Its role has expanded – the first service we offered was really an information service, staffed by people from the ambulance department at the hospital. We always knew there were gaps, there were services that people should have had here that were missing, and we felt that those services could be brought in.”
It is that vision that Armstrong and others had for the MSC and the Town of Tillsonburg that has continued to grow and contribute to a strong, healthy and viable community.
“This has always been an amazing community, and it’s amazing because of the people who give so much time and energy to do so many things for a whole lot of people,” said Armstrong.
“It’s just a great feeling to see that this has developed the way it has, that it continues to grow and continues to respond to needs in the community.”