Women to Women Program

The Women to Women outreach program was founded in 2005 out of the desire to create a warm and welcoming environment in the Oak Hill Estates community. The group invites women who live in the community to discover their creativity and learn new skills, all while forming meaningful relationships with other women.

 “This has been such a successful endeavour, and it’s been a great pleasure to get to know the women as they attend each of the weekly activities,” says Irene Edwards, one of the programs founders.

Throughout the year, volunteer instructors work closely with the group to teach them essential skills such as sewing, knitting, crocheting, cooking, gardening, and languages. During these classes, the women of Oak Hill Estates discuss various topics, make friends and feel a part of the community.

The outreach program has developed strong relationships with community organizations such as Boardwalk, the City of Calgary and the Huntington Hills Resource Centre. During the summer of 2018, Women to Women partnered with the Bow Valley Resource Centre. For a period of weeks, two volunteers from the Resource Centre organized activities for the children at Oak Hill Estates. They are hoping to do this again in 2019.

On Valentine’s Day this year, several of the program’s instructors volunteered at the New Canadian Friendship Centre Spa Day to pamper some of the ladies who regularly attend classes.

More recently, Oak Hill’s Women to Women program partnered with the Thornhill Baptist Church to offer conversational English classes to the Residents of Oak Hill Estates. The program has even been featured on a CTV segment of Inspiring Albertans.

“It was a great pleasure to highlight the generosity of Boardwalk, Centre Street Church and the volunteer instructors who make this outreach possible.”

We are incredibly proud and grateful for Irene and the group’s ongoing efforts toward bettering their community. Her inspiring story only shows how much of a difference a supportive community can make in the lives of others. We hope that other Residents are inspired by her story too.

If you are interested in volunteering for Oak Hill’s Women to Women program, please contact Irene at edwards.i@shaw.ca.