Making Room: How Compassion Builds New Beginnings
In times of crisis, some people turn away. Others, with arms outstretched, lean in and ask, “how can I help?”
That’s how Colleen Westeinde, a philanthropist and devoted community volunteer, connected with Matthew House Ottawa, at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis.
Louisa Taylor, Executive Director of Refugee 613, had asked if anyone on Facebook could help support a young man named Noor who had been living at Matthew House. His refugee status was in limbo, and he was struggling to find a place to stay.
So, Colleen reached out.
"The woman who was the Refugee Services Host at Matthew House came over to my house, along with Noor,” tells Colleen. Of their first meeting, what struck her most was how hard Noor, just a few years younger than her own kids, was working to rebuild his life. “He had three part-time jobs. He was an amazing kid. I said yeah, he can live with us.”
Noor would stay with Colleen for six months. The experience left a mark. "If my country was at war, or I had no chance to start again,” she said, “I hope that somebody, somewhere, would help me.”
After Noor moved out, Colleen joined groups that sponsored three families from Syria, forging a particularly deep bond with one. “I had to help the mother of the house and her four children leave a potentially abusive relationship and find a new home. They lived with me for a night or two.” Thankfully, the family quickly found a new, safe house. “But they had nothing. So, I reached out to Matthew House.”
At the Furniture Bank, the family was able to find what they needed to not only make their new house a home, but, in Colleen’s words, “to live right, with dignity.”
She credits a few things for this, among them the “shopping-like” experience clients get when browsing and choosing items for themselves. “Nobody was ever made to feel like they were begging or being done a favor.” Many of our staff, having been newcomers once themselves, bring their lived experience to create a safe space for clients. “It is charitable,” said Colleen, “but it wasn't sanctimonious.”
Years later, Colleen herself would make a move out of her family home. “I had five kids, a big house with a lot of furniture and I thought, what am I going to do with this?” Remembering the transformative experience at the Furniture Bank, she reached out to Matthew House once again. “It either goes to a landfill,” she explained, “or it can become part of somebody's new home. That's a pretty easy choice to make.”
For Colleen, this spirit of charity can help us feel more connected to our communities, and more empowered to drive real change. “The issues of the world seem overwhelming,” she explained, “and you can look for big policy changes and hope that other people will solve the problems; but, in the meantime, you can go out and make a bit of a difference yourself.” To her, “it makes it easier to live with the weight of the world.”
Colleen with the family receiving their furniture delivery from MHO Furniture Bank