Last week was a big week for our community organization Phelps Helps. Friday, we hosted our first Annual General Meeting (AGM) with more than half of our 42 new members attending. The Board of Directors was thrilled to announce that Phelps Helps has received Charitable Status from Canada Revenu Agency. This categorical transition comes as a culmination of many months of work and will be critical to the organization’s sustainability.
The AGM was also a time for Phelps to provide an overview of our past year’s work and achievements. The 2017-18 year was one of growth in all aspects of our organization. Our team went from 4 members last year to 7, our volunteer numbers increased to 54, our partnerships more than doubled to now 70 contributors and collaborators, our participants increased from 100 to 160 and even our location underwent renovations to increase our square footage to accommodate our growing numbers.
Our Executive Director, Katie Lowry, presented these highlights and more to the members and emphasized that at the heart of Phelps is the quality and enthusiasm of the team and their willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve participant success through now 9 designated programs. Katie added that the formula at Phelps works because “we support each participant on an individual path to academic and personal success while instilling the importance of community engagement and teamwork”. The Co-Founders also took a moment to recognize the hard work, dedication and leadership from Katie, who has been with the organization since day one.