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THIS year marks the 135th anniversary of The Cridge
Centre for the Family – British Columbia’s longest serving
charitable organization.
It all started in 1873, when Edward and Mary Cridge
opened the doors of the first orphanage building to homeless children.
Twenty years later the B.C. Protestant Orphan’s
Home opened in 1893, where today it is a heritage building near the corner
of Hillside and Cook.
Throughout our history, starting with an 1892 bequest
of $35,000 from John George Taylor, community support has enabled The
Cridge Centre to expand and improve to meet demands, make changes and serve
the community well, most recently refurbishing the 1893 heritage building,
which re-opened in 2006 as a 66,000 square foot 77-unit assisted living
seniors’ centre.
The Cridge Centre for the Family has contributed
enormously to our community, helping people meet basic human needs.
Who we serve: Today, The Cridge Centre serves primarily
the Greater Victoria community with a priority on those in crisis, distress
or experiencing high unmet need. Our services are available to all,
regardless of individual beliefs or other differences.
Why we serve: Our purpose statement is to show the love
of Jesus Christ by offering aid and service to children, adults and
families to help maximize their opportunities.
How we serve: Some highlights of accomplishments
include:
• The Cridge Brain Injury Supported
Employment Program has helped nearly 40 survivors of brain injuries since
2006 to enter the workforce.
• More than 1,200 supportive transitional
housing tenants over the 38 years of this program have succeeded in moving
on to independent living with their children in the community – a
virtual 100 percent success rate.
• The innovative award-winning Cridge
Respitality program has reached out to 325 households this year to provide
crucial relief to parents of children with disabilities.
• The Cridge Transition House for Women
served 150 women escaping violence this year in this program’s 18-bed
facility.
• We supported 250 families this year who
enrolled their children to full capacity in our Children’s Day Care
programs.
• We provided an excellent assisted living
program experience for the senior residents in our 77-unit Seniors’
Centre. Our residents consistently speak highly of the excellent meals and
activity programs.
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Looking ahead to 2009, we are working to meet two new
important challenges:
• We plan to renovate 2 large townhouses
that will provide 8 new units of supportive transitional housing for
vulnerable single women who have been impacted by violence.
• We have been chosen by B.C. Housing to
operate an apartment building that will provide 20 new units of supportive
transitional housing to survivors of brain injuries, as well as women and
children, and refugee and immigrant families in need of transitional
housing support.
Our vision is to continue to provide safe, stable
housing for at-risk of homeless and homeless people in the Greater Victoria
area, particularly for women and children impacted by abuse, refugee and
immigrant families, and brain injury survivors.
Our vision is to continue to meet the excellent high
standards of caring service in all program areas that help people of all
ages.
Our vision is to continue to be known as a caring
community.
Our vision is to continue to be thankful for
God’s provision and His guiding hand, and to honour his name and to
continue to serve our community in the name of Jesus.
British Columbia’s oldest charity
The Cridge Centre for the Family is thankful for the
135 years we have been able to serve the Greater Victoria community,
reaching out to children and adults of all ages to help meet basic unmet
needs.
We are thankful for the generous gifts of support that
continue to help us welcome those in need.
Please continue to help today with your donation. Thank
you.
You can contact us at:
www.cridge.org.
December 2008
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