The History of Rose of Sharon Services for Young Mothers

The need to provide supports and services to young mothers has long been a pressing issue in York Region. In 1982, members of a prayer group at the Good Shepherd Sisters' Farm at Regina Mundi sought to address and meet those needs. This group educated and mobilized people from the local parish communities to action. In 1983, a funding committee was formed, a Needs Assessment was completed and a Plan of Action was developed, helping to initiate new supports for these young mothers.

In 1985, with the sponsorship of Catholic Community Services, a residence was established in Aurora which accommodated up to seven young mothers and their babies for stays of up to two years. With in the year, a Parent Child Drop-In Centre and Community Outreach/Aftercare Program were added to these services.

In September 1986, Rose of Sharon became incorporated as an independent agency. In 1987 the Parent Child Resource Centre and Community Outreach Program moved to their own facilities in Newmarket, providing needed space and more accessibility to services for young mothers from other areas of York Region. In September, 1992, our Section 20 classroom opened, helping to provide young mothers with the opportunity to enroll in correspondence courses with the in-classroom support of a teacher from the York Region Catholic School Board.

December 1992 saw Rose of Sharon moved its head office to 102 Main St. in Newmarket and in March 1993, the agency closed the residential program in response to changing client needs and continuing economic restraints. An alternative residential model was opened in September of that year which was seen to be a more normalized, community-based program. Situated in an Aurora cooperative housing project, the Supportive Cooperative Living Program offered shared accommodations for three young mothers and their babies.

Programs continued to expand and to meet community needs in September 1994 the Community Education Program was officially launched. This program trains young teen mothers to speak in schools across the region about the realities of teen parenting. The program met with a positive response from school faculty and students. Today, this program continues to be an integral part of programming in schools across York Region.

In 1995, outreach services replaced the Cooperative Living Unit model of service. This expansion of non-residential community services allowed Rose of Sharon to reach a greater number of young mothers throughout the region. These outreach services consisted of prenatal and parenting skills programs, along with information on helpful community resources.

In 1997, Catholic Community Services of York Region and Rose of Sharon facilitated focus groups in Georgina to identify the needs of young families. This project resulted in family counselling, an outreach home visiting program throughout Georgina, and a Supper Club in Keswick. Today our counselling services provide counselling and home outreach to clients throughout all of York Region, helping young mothers to set future goals, and to work through personal issues. In addition, young mothers are given assistance with Housing Services, Education Programs, Ontario Works and Early Years Centres.

In January 1998, Rose of Sharon relocated to a larger facility at 615 Davis Drive to accommodate the growing numbers of young mothers accessing services. These demands for service would continue to grow and in July 2005, the agency moved once more, this time to 361 Eagle Street in Newmarket, where it remains today. The rising need for increased service was recognized by a number of funders and in 2000 Rose of Sharon was thrilled to receive additional funding from United Way, Catholic Charities, Health Canada and The Ontario Trillium Foundation. This allowed for new programs in the southern part of York Region to be established.

Helping to keep pace with our funding and expansion needs, fundraising became an integral part of the agency’s focus, starting with the first “Victorian Sunday in the Park” held in June 1994, at Fairy Lake in Newmarket. This annual fundraiser continued for another three years, raising the community profile of Rose of Sharon and much needed funds. Fundraising continues to be an important source of funding for Rose of Sharon, with the agency taking part most recently in the 2007 Magna Hoedown. Rose of Sharon is also a feature charity in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, where we recruit runners to “Run for the Rose”. Finally, we have the launch of this year’s first annual “Rosie’s Babies Calendar”, a fundraiser close to our hearts.

The history of Rose of Sharon Services for Young Mothers has been a long and successful one. With the continued support of our funders and our community behind us, we are sure the best is yet to come!