Our Stories
Real lives transformed through our community support.
Meet
Gary Jones
Gary has lived at Marlene Street Housing Development for over 10 years. He was born in Winnipeg but lived outside of the city. He moved back to Winnipeg from Selkirk in 2013. As a young adult, he struggled with alcoholism and substance use. He eventually became a single parent of two children.
“Brutal honesty is everything in the world. Without it, you go nowhere, and your life is just a lie.” When he moved into the Marlene Street community, he immediately connected to the resource centre. He continues to be involved at MSCRC whenever he finds time.
“It’s a vital resource centre for everyone,” he says. “I’ve formed professional and lasting friendships there. This has spanned over 10 years.”
“Addiction is a lifetime of work. It never ceases...trying to find some form of functional sobriety. I spent years just learning how to make eye-to-eye contact with people.”
Gary has volunteered with MSCRC by helping with programming, including the Harvest food donation program, as well as assisting at events. He has also participated in numerous activities, workshops and initiatives.
He is known for his philosophical views and articulate style of conversation. He connects well with people of all ages and is a local father and grandfather figure. Gary has a huge love of music, culture, arts, reading and entertainment. He has a non-stop pursuit of knowledge.
His life mantra: Seek out the resources available to you. Also, be empathetic and open to meeting people from all backgrounds.
Meet
Amina Mohammed
Amina Mohamed, 23, is a self-proclaimed "simple girl" and a social work student at the University of Manitoba. In 2017, she gained recognition for adapting a hijab design for her own high school sports uniform, logo and all. It was the first of its kind in Canada.
Q. How do you want to be seen by your community?
A. I want to be seen as an inspiration. When I see others from my community doing important work, I clap for them and celebrate their success. I want to be that for others.
I want to be a symbol, an example of someone who has followed her dreams and made a difference.
What I don't want is for people to see me as a symbol of the challenges I've overcome. That's so common in immigrant communities — you need to have this big story of struggle to just be seen as relevant.
“Me, and other women from immigrant families, are so much more than a culmination of our struggles.”
Q. What do you want to accomplish that you haven't yet?
A. I broke the family mould by going into social work. I started out in science, but I finally settled on social work because I wanted to help families like mine. My parents are immigrants from Kenya. They had to start fresh and it was tough.
I've seen a complete lack of services for mental health in the newcomer community, and I want to change that. The topic of mental health in general for immigrant communities is simply not talked about in Winnipeg. There's this mentality, for example, that children come first, and for mothers especially, their own needs tend to take a back seat. I want to work with these communities to bring awareness to mental health issues — to remind them that their needs matter too.
Supporting our community, one person at a time.
Supporting our community, one person at a time.
SUPPORT US
We cannot do our work without your generosity and assistance. Interested in supporting us? You can donate directly to MSCRC or become a volunteer.
