“The work that Moorelands does is seminal…you have to support families and you have to start right at the beginning and keep the support going…”
Former Board member, Peter Jones, and his wife, Marg Anne, have been supporting Moorelands since Peter’s time on the board from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s.
They were introduced to Moorelands (then the DCA) as part of the congregation of St. James Cathedral. Peter reminisces, “Michael Bedford-Jones was one of the curates at St. James and he was also on the board of the DCA. He was a good friend of ours and he recruited us to generally help out.”
40 Years of Support
Peter, who eventually became chairman, fondly remembers the DCA community made up of “talented people who committed a lot of time and raised a lot of money.”
When I ask them what has inspired their continued support over 40 years, Marg Anne explains: “Moorelands is so effective because if you lay on the support, when it needs to be laid on at the very beginning, then families have hope and they are able to respond…
“Moorelands’ mission, to support families and children in poverty sums it up, doesn’t it? That’s what you do. And you do it very well, I think.”
Benefits of Both Camp and City Programs
Peter and Marg Anne’s own children went to camp. Marg Anne tells us, “They benefited immensely. They always seemed to be more grown up when they got home; they learned cooperation.”
Peter adds: “another factor we found out in retrospect was that the kids who went to Moorelands Camp were frequently motivated to do well in school. They now had a vision of their future and what they could achieve.
The couple has always been very interested in Moorelands’ work in the city. Marg Anne explains, “I love the after-school program. So many parents are working parents. Moorelands provides a wonderful opportunity for the children to interact with people who are caring and good role models. They help them with schoolwork and the kind of assistance that maybe they wouldn’t get at home.”
Investing in their Community
Today, Peter and Marg Anne are both retired and continue their work in the community. Along with their support for Moorelands, Marg Anne sits on the Board of Parent Child Mother Goose, an organization that offers free parent support programs focusing on early intervention. Peter told us more about their work as volunteers at Out of the Cold.
Community investment is clearly important to them both as Peter explains, “We’re very fortunate to be where we are. And I believe that should carry with it a sense of compassion towards others who are less fortunate.”
Marg Anne adds that she has always been appreciative of the thank you cards they receive from camp: “I think that is such a wonderful thing, that you really directly know that you have reached a child and benefited them.”
Thank you, Peter and Marg Anne, for your amazing support and for investing so much in your community!
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