Author: Deborah Castellanos
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The Event You Should Not Run
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall in 1994, staring at a pile of soggy flyers for a “Community Awareness Gala” that nobody had actually asked for. We had spent six months arguing over the color of the tablecloths… Continue reading
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Volunteering When Walking in Feels Impossible
I remember sitting in the back of a drafty church hall during a neighbourhood planning meeting in the nineties, clutching my notebook like a shield. I could see the “natural leaders” in the front row, the ones who seemed to… Continue reading
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Two Groups Doing the Same Thing
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, watching two perfectly lovely neighborhood committees spend forty minutes arguing over who was supposed to bring the tea biscuits, while the actual project—a much-needed playground repair—sat gathering dust. It… Continue reading
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A Volunteer Day That Achieves Something
I remember standing on a rain-slicked corner in my old ward, clutching a clipboard and watching twelve people stand around aimlessly because nobody had actually told them where the rubbish bags were kept. It was a mess, and it wasn’t… Continue reading
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The Filing That Saves the Next Committee
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in the nineties, watching a perfectly good neighbourhood garden project crumble into nothing simply because the treasurer had moved away and nobody knew where the receipts were. It wasn’t a lack… Continue reading
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A Winter Event in a Cold Hall
I remember standing in the drafty vestibule of the St. Jude’s parish hall back in ’94, watching a lovely knitted tea cosy slide right off a table because the radiator was humming too loudly and the floor was slightly uneven.… Continue reading
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Getting a Local Firm Involved
I remember sitting in a drafty community hall back in ’94, staring at a pile of glossy, expensive brochures about “corporate social responsibility” that promised to bridge the gap between commerce and community. It was all nonsense. You don’t win… Continue reading
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An Event Two People Can Actually Run
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, staring at a pile of lukewarm tea and a stack of unprinted flyers, wondering why we’d spent three months trying to form a “sub-committee” just to host a simple… Continue reading
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Checking Flood Risk for an Address
I remember sitting in a damp community hall in 2014, watching a group of well-meaning neighbors scramble through a pile of glossy, outdated council brochures, looking for answers that just weren’t there. They were looking for a miracle, but what… Continue reading
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Closing a Group Without Leaving a Mess
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, watching a lovely little neighbourhood garden project simply evaporate because the treasurer decided to just walk away with the leftover funds in his pocket. There was no handover, no… Continue reading
