I am nominating Kim Couch, the Executive Director for the Communities Together for Children Early on site, as this year's "holiday hero."
Kim is a breath of fresh air with her optimism and genuine love for helping others and passion for children. She is a mover and a shaker and not afraid to take chances and extend the limits of what is possible when planning innovative ways to reach caregivers with young children and provide access to programs and resources that these families will benefit from. The Northwood site runs programs like "Dad Night," babies Day, drop-in in-play times, as well as a free lending toy and book library and a distributing site for the good food box (just to name a few).
Her vision of creating a safe and welcoming community hub has begun to come to fruition thanks to her passion and hard work networking with agencies (such as the Children’s Centre, George Jeffries and the Thunder Bay and District Health Unit) in the city who provide a variety of services that contribute to the growth and healthy development of children.
She has worked with other organizations and sponsors to create "welcome kits," which are distributed throughout the community to caregivers of newborn babies. These kits provide information on services in the community and include gifts such as hats for newborns that are hand-knit by volunteers, a book and samples of baby-friendly products.
She is a friendly face and uplifting source of energy to every parent, grandparent and child that comes through the doors and makes an effort to engage with and get to know each and every child, even bringing her kitten in for children (and adults) to cuddle and engage with.
Her office door is always open and despite the many hours she has to work to balance budgets, complete administration and organizational duties, she always makes time to be out on the floor and is present in each and every interaction she has.
In the last few years, with the support of other organizations in the city, she has worked to open a second location at Intercity Shopping Centre called The Early Years Community Site where families with children ages six and under can stop in and participate in play-based learning while having access to developmental screening, speech and language services as well as parenting programs offered in our community. Here, other Early-On sites staff and community agency staff work together to keep the program running daily.
Kim not only creates a welcoming and inclusive environment for all (including programs for children with disabilities and postpartum and lactation support for new moms), but she also makes an effort to ensure her staff feel supported and valued, especially during and after the impacts of the pandemic.
She seeks opportunities for professional development to enhance their skills and training and empower them to feel confident in their important roles with CTC.
She is compassionate not only towards children but also always willing to help others who may face vulnerabilities in our community, whether it's by ensuring there is food in the mini free pantry outside their doors or providing a blanket without judgment to someone seeking warmth inside the building.
Kim is usually in the background, allowing her amazing and well-deserving staff to be in the spotlight and recognized for their invaluable work. She works tirelessly behind the scenes to secure funding to provide snacks at programs, purchase new supplies and information resources and to ensure the programs many people depend on remain accessible.
She continues to amaze us with her creative thinking, unmatched energy and enthusiasm and has some exciting plans for the future that will benefit the youngest members of our community and their families. As a board member and a mother who has utilized the CTC programs with my own young family, I'm sure I am not alone in wanting to say thank you and recognize Kim as the community holiday hero she is!
Thanks for your consideration of my nomination.
Kim Couch was nominated by Tarah Levanto.
