The Little Bus That Could

It’s hard for me to believe that it was just last May, 2010, that I met with Todd Bender, City Kidz Founder and Director and proposed the idea of starting a branch of City Kidz in Ottawa.  I had been thinking about it for a few months and first met Todd the previous October on a City Kidz bus when I had made a deliberate trip to Hamilton to take a tour through the program. 

Since then I’ve gone through quite the process to make this dream a reality in Ottawa.  I mapped the city to determine our target community, found a venue to hold the Saturday Playhouse, recruited a couple of very dedicated volunteers, recruited 20 children, started the program in October 2010 (only 5 months later), recruited MORE volunteers, ran the playhouse and conducted home visits bi-weekly until December, planned and held a Fundraiser Dinner in November where almost 75 people attended,  broke for the Christmas break, visited Hamilton for a Vision Mapping and Goal session, returned with a new vision to expand to 60 children by year end, took 20 City Kidz to the canal for a skate in February, recruited MORE kids for the spring startup on March 12th now filling our roster to 37, engaged in several visits with stakeholders across the city to create awareness, have gained one corporate donor, purchased one digital projector and have found a very generous church in Vanier who has loaned lights and sound equipment.  The spring startup of City Kidz Ottawa was March 12th and since then three playhouses have been held, with bi-weekly home visits and we plan to continue like this until June 18th.  Are you tired reading that list??  I’m not!! I’m EXCITED!! Hopefully, if all goes well, by September, 2011 I will have met the goal of 60 children, have at least 25 volunteers on our roster, and be running weekly, with weekly home visits year round.

When I think of the establishment of this branch an image of the “Little Engine that Could” comes to mind.  In my case, though, it should be more appropriately entitled, “The Little Bus That Could!”   This story fits because like the little engine’s task of pulling it’s heavy load, my dream to start the The City Kidz Ottawa branch was impossible to do alone.  But, with a couple of other little buses, such as City Kidz Hamilton and Peace Tower Church here in Ottawa, and a handful of dedicated volunteers, I made it over the hill and onto the other side with a long string of accomplishments pulled behind.

I suppose you could say it was a bold move on my part to begin a branch, but like the little steam engines working together, we sang, “I think I can – I think I can – I think I can”  and now looking back over the year, I’m over the hill and on the other side, and I’m going merrily on my way singing, “I thought I could" – I thought I could – I thought I could” and WE did!

….And ONE For All!!