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June and Yolanda Thompson, 1989
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View the Video - (22.4 MB)
Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers, founded in 1982 by June Callwood and friends, has rededicated itself as the new June Callwood Centre for Women and Families or “June’s Centre” for short. This rededication will permanently honour the legacy of June Callwood at our Centre.
Our inaugural 1982 board members, when choosing a name for our Centre, had only one name in mind – the June Callwood Centre. They approached June with their request to name the Centre after her. However, it was early in June's activist career and she modestly declined. Not wanting to name our new organization after anyone else, our inaugural board eventually chose “Jessie’s” from a list of fictitious names that sounded welcoming and friendly. For over 26 years, the name Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers has become synonymous with respectful, empowering and comprehensive care for pregnant teens and young families.
During our 25th Anniversary Year in 2006, we were honoured to have June Callwood working with us again to help raise funds as her gift to our organization. She wanted to ensure that the Centre was supported in every way as her legacy to us. As she said at our 25th Anniversary Annual General Meeting:
"Never in my life, [except for my family], have I done anything
I’m prouder of than Jessie’s."
As we worked together, we felt it time to ask June again if she would consider a name change in her honour. June was ill and was also reminiscing about our early days and her decision to decline having our Centre named after her. We approached June about a rededication and June typically replied, “Would you really want to go to all that fuss just for me?” After being assured that we would, indeed, like to go to “all that fuss”, June was very moved and she quickly agreed. She asked only that we wait until after her death to rename the Centre; of all honours, she told us, this would be too much for her at that time. We understood and respected her wishes.
At the time of her death, June asked that memorial donations be made to Jessie’s Centre, knowing that those donations would help secure our future. Since that time, we have sought the support of June’s family, as well as all our key partners, before finalizing our rededication.
On September 12th, 2008, we will be honoured to rededicate our building as the June Callwood Centre for Women and Families. And just as our participants soon turned “Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers” into “Jessie’s Centre”, we hope to soon be as affectionately known as “June’s Centre”, as June would have liked best.
On September 12th, we will also recommit ourselves to all of the values that June left with us that help empower young women, young parents, and their children. As June liked to say, the beauty of our Centre is that we help two generations simultaneously – parent and child – meeting not only their needs but ensuring their dreams. Our dream to be renamed in honour of June Callwood has finally come true.
In June's memory, we have created a short video tribute to June Callwood and her 26 years with our Centre. That video can be viewed by clicking on the link above.
Our Memorial Tribute to June Callwood
April 14, 2007
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Photographer: David Henderson, 2004
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In 1979, June Callwood became the Chair of the Taskforce on Teenage Pregnancy that was formed to meet the needs of teen parents. From that Taskforce, in 1982, June Callwood and our other founders created Jessie's Centre, a comprehensive centre for pregnant teenagers and teen parents. Our Centre was created to support the needs of pregnant teens and to give support to teen parents to help them through the crucial early years of their children's lives. From these modest beginnings, June Callwood continued to support us for more than 26 years, her longest community involvement.
On the occasion of our 25th Annual General Meeting, June moved everyone to tears when she said:
"Never in my life, [except for my family],
have I done anything I'm prouder of than Jessie's."
Growing up in the close-knit community of Belle River, June experienced the care of not just her immediate family but also of neighbours and friends. When Jessie's Centre for Teenagers was created in 1982, that organic model of communities helping to raise families became the vision for our services. We opened our first centre on Bathurst Street in Toronto and became one of the first comprehensive centres for parenting teens in North America – and a model for agencies worldwide.
The model soon outstripped its original space and in the late 1980s Callwood enlisted Peter Bronfman and 75 corporations and foundations to build a new Jessie's Centre at 205 Parliament Street. Designed by Jack Diamond and built by EllisDon, that Centre is now home to more than 30 services for pregnant teens and teen families. More than 10,000 young women have sought services at our Centre. Jessie's Centre helps more than 1,300 individuals a year. Our Centre occupies two sun-filled floors, with counselling and support groups, health services across the maternity care spectrum, a high school classroom, and a nursery filled with stained glass windows, rocking chairs and toys. Above the Centre, are four floors of apartments for young families and we find additional homes for hundreds of young families across the city.
In August 2006, despite her failing health, Callwood launched a $400,000 campaign to raise funds to preserve Jessie's Centre. In October of that same year, at our 25th Annual General Meeting, several of the Centre's first mothers and their children - now fully-grown - paid tribute to June, for her unwavering dedication in advancing the quality of life for thousands of young women and their families. Together with June Callwood, we established the June Callwood Legacy Fund, to support direct assistance to our families, our post-secondary scholarships and the special needs of our building.
June Callwood was our friend, mentor and agency mother. Her legacy will remain with us always and we will move forward to protect her vision and her ideals.
Donations to the June Callwood Centre for Women and Families can be sent to 205 Parliament Street, Toronto, M5A 2Z4 or you can donate online by clicking on the "Canada Helps" logo below and making a donation.
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