Ping Pong for Just Solutions

On March 23rd, 2013, you are cordially invited to Ping Posh III: Spring Invitational, in support of Just Solutions, MCM's legal information clinic!  

Ping Posh is an annual charity ping pong tournament - it is a fun-filled evening, and no ping pong skills are required!  This year, we are happy to announce that all of the profits will go directly to support the work of Just Solutions.

Click HERE to visit the registration site and sign up for a whole lot of fun for a great cause (and here to view the FB event page).  No ping pong skills necessary!

There is a reminder below, and on the site, of how it all works.  We're aiming for 80 participants (almost 1/2 way there!) so don't delay!

Hope to see you all on March 23rd. 

Ping Posh III: Spring Invitational
March 23, 2013

For an all-inclusive fee of $45 you receive a place in the tournament and access to the open bar for the evening. Advance registration is required and the tournament will be limited to 80 players. Bystanders will not be permitted. All levels of player are welcome and games are friendly, however, proper attire is mandatory. All players are required to wear white sporting apparel while on the court and formal wear ("fancy dress") following elimination from tournament play. There will be prizes for particularly inspired ensembles.

À table pour Solutions Justes!

Last Saturday February 23rd, 40 lucky diners participated in an evening of solidarity for MCM's Just Solutions legal information clinic.  

They were treated to a delicious 3 course meal, the sweet melodies of The Sin and the Swoon, and a general atmosphere of fun and celebration in support of Just Solutions.  

We raised $2400 to support the clinic's continued efforts to support vulnerable individuals as they navigate the complex administrative labyrinth of the Canadian immigration system.  

Many thanks to the donors, sponsors and volunteers who made this event possible, especially our chef extraordinaire, James Barrington, his sous-chef, Grant Rummel, and Mike O'Brien and Michelle Tompkins (a.k.a The Sin and the Swoon)!

Photos: Michelle Knight

Soirée de solidarité pour Solutions Justes

Hello all!  

The "solidarity evening" for the Just Solutions Clinic is approaching quickly!  

We hope you can join us for a fun-for-a-good-cause on Saturday, February 23 - delicious 3-course North African inspired meal prepared by formidable and up-and-coming chef James Barrington (wine included), and the musical stylings of one of my favourites, The Sin and the Swoon (a.k.a Mike O'Brien and Michelle Tompkins), WOW!  I, for one, am very excited.

Feel free to circulate this info in your networks.

Initial registration at http://guestli.st/144795.  Once registered, you will be e-mailed instructions for reserving your spot by donating $55 (or more) via MCM's "Canada Helps" page - Your spot is not reserved until payment is complete!  

Only 40 spaces so don't delay!

Andrea Dawes, co-coordinator of the JS Clinic

Café Chez Boris, 5151, Park Avenue

Mike O'Brien and Michelle Tompkins

Bonjour tout le monde!

La ‘soirée solidarité’ de la Clinique Solutions Justes approche à grands pas!

Nous espérons que vous pourrez vous joindre à nous pour une soirée de plaisir-pour-une-bonne-cause, samedi le 23 février. Au programme, un délicieux repas Nord-Africain préparé par le formidable chef James Barrington (vin inclus), et la musique d’un de mes groupes préférés, The Sin and the Swoon (alias Mike O’Brien et Michelle Tompkins), WOW! Pour ma part, j’ai très hâte!

Jetez un coup d’œil sur l’affiche et faites-là circuler dans vos réseaux.

Pour réserver votre place, visiter notre page Guestlist en cliquant sur ce lien :  http://guestli.st/144795. Une fois enregistré, vous recevrez par courriel les instructions pour le paiement de $55 (ou plus) via la page MCM de Canada Helps. Votre place n’est réservée qu’une fois le paiement complété!

Faites vite, il n’y a que 40 places!

Andrea Dawes, co-coordonnatrice de la Clinique Solutions Justes

Café Chez Boris, 5151, avenue du Parc

Photo: Olivier Bourget

Kudos Rick!

Pro Bono Quebec* has just focussed the spotlight on MCM supervising lawyer.  Read the following well-deserved tribute that is posted on their web site this month. 

Lawyer Rick (Richard Neil) Goldman has devoted his entire professional career to the task of improving access to justice for the most vulnerable members of the Montreal community.

Over the past twenty-four years, Me Goldman has supported and advocated for the rights of refugees, tenants, social assistance beneficiaries, and other groups in need of quality legal information and/or representation. Through his work with Project Genesis (staff lawyer), the Just Solutions legal information clinic of the Montreal City Mission (supervising lawyer), the Committee to Aid Refugees (coordinator) and the Association multi-ethnique pour l'intégration des personnes handicapées du Québec (pro-bono legal advice), Rick's passionate approach to the legal profession has enabled countless individuals to access the just recourses to which all citizens, regardless of background and financial resources, are entitled. Pro Bono Québec salutes Me Goldman’s generous contribution! 

* Pro Bono Québec initiates, coordinates and promotes free or low-cost professional legal services to the benefit of the population of limited means in Quebec.

Pro Bono Québec* a choisi d'honorer Me Richard Goldman, avocat superviseur de la McM. Voici le texte publié sur leur site  ce mois-ci.

Me Rick (Richard Neil) Goldman a consacré sa vie professionnelle à l’amélioration de l'accès à la justice pour les membres les plus vulnérables de la communauté montréalaise.

Au cours des 24 dernières années, Me Goldman a soutenu et défendu les droits des réfugiés, des locataires, des prestataires d’aide sociale et autres groupes de personnes pour qui l’accès à des services juridiques est limité. Par son travail auprès des organismes communautaires tels que le Projet Genèse (avocat salarié), la Clinique de Solutions Justes de la Mission communautaire de Montréal (avocat superviseur), le Comité d'aide aux réfugiés (coordonnateur) et l'Association multi-ethnique pour l'intégration des personnes handicapées du Québec (conseiller juridique pro bono), la généreuse vision du droit de Rick a permis à d'innombrables personnes d'accéder aux recours en justice appropriés, sans égard à leur origine et à leurs ressources financières. Pro Bono Québec salue la généreuse contribution de Me Goldman !

* Pro Bono Québec initie, coordonne et fait la promotion de services juridiques professionnels gratuits ou à faibles coûts au bénéfice de la population démunie du Québec.

Happy New Year! Bonne année!

Dear friends

Here’s wishing you all a new year filled with joy, laughter, peace and love. May the problems be few and the delights many.

The year 2013 will be one of major transition for Montreal City Mission as we continue our reflection and visioning process on current endeavours and future possibilities. Underpinning all this work is our mission statement of compassion, hospitality and justice in our city.

Let me share with you just one good news item as we begin the year. Thanks to your compassion, our December campaign to raise funds for a family reunification was successful. A client of our Just Solutions Legal Clinic will be reunited this month with her daughter from Rwanda, the day before undergoing major surgery.  The thought of being with her daughter during this difficult time has given her the strength and faith to fight though her illness with all of her might.  Imagining all of her children eventually joining her to live safely and soundly in Canada, is giving her the courage to face the challenges that lie ahead.

The road is indeed made easier for all of us when we join hands in loving community.

Happy New Year!

Paula

Chers amis,

Nous vous souhaitons à tous une nouvelle année remplie de bonheur, de joie, de paix et d’amour. Que les soucis soient peu nombreux et les plaisirs abondants.

L’année 2013 en sera une de transition majeure pour la Mission communautaire de Montréal, alors que nous poursuivons notre réflexion sur nos projets actuelles et nos futures initiatives. Tout ce travail repose sur notre énoncé de mission: Compassion, hospitalité et justice dans notre ville.

Alors que nous commençons l’année, laissez-moi partager avec vous une bonne nouvelle. Grâce à votre compassion, notre campaigne spéciale du mois de décembre, pour le financement d’une réunification familiale, fut un succès. Une cliente de notre Clinique Solutions Justes retrouvera sa fille qui arrivera du Rwanda le jour précédant son admission à l’hôpital pour une chirurgie très importante. Avoir sa fille à ses côtés pendant cette période difficile lui redonne la force et la foi pour continuer à se battre contre cette maladie qui menace sa vie. L’espoir que ces autres enfants la rejoindront éventuellement au Canada lui donne le courage de poursuivre son combat.

Faisons partie d’une communauté accueillante!

Bonne année!

Paula

Greetings / Meilleurs voeux

(le français suit) 

Dear Friends,

Best wishes for the Christmas and holiday season and throughout the New Year.

On behalf of the Montreal City Mission team, and the people we serve, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support and encouragement.  In our current period of transition, you are helping us lay the foundation for a new century of exciting and innovative mission work. 

Recent events in the States, as well as conflict and natural disasters throughout the world, are sad reminders of the suffering so many must endure. But amidst that suffering, the everyday gestures of compassion by men, women and children shine a light in the darkest corner.

We look forward to the New Year with confidence that the MCM community will continue to grow in numbers and in compassion as we work together for a better world.

In peace and in love,

Paula Kline      

Director

Chers Amis

Nous vous offrons nos meilleurs voeux pour Noël et le temps des Fêtes.  De la part de l’équipe de la Mission communautaire de Montréal, et des individus que nous desservons, je vous remercie du fond du cœur pour votre soutien. Ce soutien d’une valeur inestimable, nous accompagne en cette période actuelle de transition, nous permettant de créer la fondation pour un nouveau siècle de travail novateur.

Les évènements récents aux États-Unis, ainsi que les conflits et désastres naturels partout sur notre planète, sont de tristes rappels de la souffrance si répandue. Cependant, il y a  aussi des  gestes quotidiens de compassion pratiqués par les femmes, hommes et enfants qui soulagent cette souffrance, et ravivent l’espoir dans les endroits les plus sombres.

Il nous tarde de commencer la nouvelle année avec vous afin de continuer notre travail et prodiguer des gestes de compassion au service d’un monde meilleur.

Dans la paix et dans l’amour

Paula Kline

Directrice

Photos: Montreal City Mission

Touching Base with Canadian actor and MCM workshop leader Jim Gilbert

Jim in The Tudors with Natalie Dormer who plays Anne Boleyn

Jim - a few years ago, you led a theatre workshop at Montreal City Mission for a group of young people preparing a trip to the Middle East. It was our Stories Without Borders Project. How was the experience for you?

It was a great experience. I'd actually never led a class before so initially I wasn't sure how the group would respond to the exercises, but everyone was really open and game for what I threw at them. It was fun!

Jim with Henry Cavill on the set of The Tudors

What have you been up to since that time?

Well, lots of jobbing actor stuff - tv guest stars, mini series, some feature films. I guess most notably I did a remake of Moby Dick that took me to Malta for 4 months which was really special. I'm writing these days as well, trying to develop a different aspect of my creativity.

In Moby Dick

Most people dream at one point in their life of being actors, but very few have the courage to try it, so what made you take that risk?

I don't know really. It was early on, something I had an instinct and passion for - the only thing that interested me, that I could see myself doing. 

Having supportive parents too. Without them encouraging and facilitating the pursuit of my interests, I wouldn't be where I am.

As hard as it is at times, I still wouldn't trade the life for anything.

All actors, regardless of success, face multiple rejections. How do you deal with that?

Your skin thickens pretty quick, but I don't think you ever get completely used to it. Some roles you feel real love for, and when you don't get them, it can be heartbreaking. But it's the life, and you just hold your head up and move forward -remind yourself that there will be other opportunities.

You have worked with some famous actors: Peter O'Toole, William Hurt, Ethan Hawke. Is it intimidating to work with the big names?

Initially, sure. But you discover almost immediately that they're just like anyone else despite their fame. The same insecurities, vulnerabilities, quirks, day to day stuff that we all have and go through.

Stills from the new TV show Copper

What are your current projects?

Well, right now I've just attached a producer to a script I've written which we'll be developing over the next few months. I also have a feature film called The Conspiracy that just had a great festival run and will be coming out next year. And a series I was in called Copper just finished airing, where I played John Wilkes Booth, so I'm hoping they bring the character back next season to finish the job, so to speak.
I also just appeared in an episode of The Republic of Doyle.

Have you ever thought of working in Quebec?

Actually, I recently auditioned for a role where I had to say a few lines in French. I'd love to work in Montreal - I have great respect for the cutting edge cinema in Quebec. One of my projects right now is brushing up on my French language skills.

Do you think we could get you back to Montreal to do some work with the children at our summer day camp?

Anytime. I'd love to.

Jim with younger brother Stanley *

For Jim's filmography, click here: Jim Gilbert

* For Stanley's Story, click here: Stanley's Story Part 1 & Stanley's Story Part 2

For a French version of this interview: Entrevue avec Jim