Happy Birthday to us!

We were delighted to host our Birthday event (November 7th, 2019) in celebration of our impact and success during the last 20 years. Over 100 community members, partners, and funders attended and the Project was filled with laughter, joy and pride.

We showcased a selection of our work from throughout the years to provide a sense of the range and depth of intervention, highlighting our achievements using creativity as a platform for change, and the impact this has had on thousands of community members.

Provost Lorraine Cameron spoke passionately about the difference we have made over the years, our growth, and our reputation. She also spoke of STAR being a place where people, irrespective of backgrounds, roles or political values, can just be together. We were heartened by the mix of people in attendance; councillors and community members, volunteers and funders, representation from third sector, private and statutory partners.

We’ve evolved somewhat since 1999 but much has also stayed the same. We still strive for safer, more connected and resilient families and communities, we’re still tackling poverty and stigma, and we still focus on what people can do, not what they can’t. We build strong and enduring relationships, we’re responsive to needs, we celebrate every success, and we embed playfulness and creativity into our practice. And it works!

We’ve been privileged to work with 5395 unique individuals since November 1999 and we’ve successfully delivered;

• 4128 Drop-In sessions
• 806 different activities, including many life-changing creative/therapeutic workshops and anti-poverty initiatives
• 520 Wee STARs toddler group sessions
• 32 wider community art projects
• training to 302 partners
• support and training to 24 in-house volunteer befrienders
• support and training to 312 volunteers in total

We hope to be here for another 20 years and how we evolve further depends very much on what our community asks of us. It also depends on the support we receive, whether that’s your participation, time given, shout outs, or the donations we receive. So please support us where you can.

Thank you to all our Partners and Funders for supporting and believing in us and for giving us opportunities to continue changing lives. Thanks also to all our wonderful community members for allowing us to be a part of your lives, it’s an absolute privilege. And last, but not least, our wonderful Staff, Volunteers and Trustees, past and present. We just wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you!

Updated: December 6, 2019