TRURO, N.S. — Willie Creelman’s feelings about work are evident, judging by the big smile on his face.
Willie’s a client at Colchester Community Workshops (CCW), where he works on a variety of tasks, including sorting books and jewelry, cutting wire, and preparing mail-outs.
“I like the work and the people here; I like everything about it,” he said.
He moved from the Musquodoboit area several years ago to take part in the CCW programs.
“I liked it right away,” he said. “I made a lot of friends.”
Because the programs are so successful, the CCW is now in need of more space.
“When Rotary House opened, it was designed to have 60 to 65 clients and there are now more than 80, with a growing wait list,” said operations manager Kim Smith. “We’ve had to turn away some contracts because of a lack of space.”
To provide space for expansion, the CCW purchased the former Halliday’s building last year. The interior of the building has been gutted and renovation plans are being made. The New to You second-hand shop and the Intercolonial Café will be relocated to the bottom floor of the building and the second floor will include six apartments for clients and space for future development.
Rotary House will still house other programs, such as ribbons and buttons, and where they can fulfill contracts with businesses. Clients take on jobs such as cleaning, testing and repackaging remotes for Eastlink; preparing items for Kohler of Debert, and labeling products for Intertape Polymer.
The expansion will allow projects to grow, new ones to be added and more clients to be accepted.
“It’s an awesome place to work,” said Jeremy Cole, who has been at the workshops for three years. “I like doing metal and garbage and I learned to be out in the community.”
Tim Sexsmith also enjoys the physical work.
“I’ve been here a long time,” he said. “I come in happy every day to work. It’s good fun when I come here.”
Three clients moved on from the workshops last year after getting full-time work in the community.
The CCW Foundation is providing $2.2 million for work on the new space, leaving $2.3 million to be raised. A fundraising campaign launch will be held in the parking lot of Rotary House on Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. People are invited to drop by and take a look inside the former Halliday’s building and learn about the CCW.
If things go as hoped, programs will be running in the new space by March 2021.
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Leading the way in reusing and recycling
Many items that might have ended up in the landfill have found new use, thanks to Colchester Community Workshops.
Clothing, linens, books, toys, ornaments, furniture, small appliances, jewelry, dishes and much more are being given a second shot at life.
“The community is phenomenal,” said Kim Smith, operations manager at the CCW. “There’s not a day that donations don’t come in and that’s what keeps us running.”
Most of the items are sold at the New to You shop, with a few of the best saved for auction. Because so much is donated, every two weeks the CCW sends about 6,000 pounds of clothing to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colchester to be redistributed in the community.
Cotton items with holes are cut up for rags, which are then sold by the bag.
“We can sell a wide variety of things because everybody’s looking for something different,” said Smith. “We’ve seen just about everything you can imagine, although not all of it is suitable for the store.”
Books that can’t be sold in the store have their covers removed and are shipped away to become insulation. Brass, copper, aluminum and wires are sent for recycling.
Electric and electronic items need to be tested before going onto the shop floor, which takes time, so people are asked not to drop off items that don’t work.
Non-cotton fabrics that are stained or torn should be placed in recycling bags for curbside pickup with other recyclables.
People are asked to take televisions they no longer want to an enviro depot, and to send mattresses to the landfill, as the New to You is unable to take them.
The New to You is open to shoppers seven days a week. Check for hours of operation.
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The numbers:
Expenses incurred to date (paid) - About $2.2 million - Purchasing property, removing hazards, work on plans
Cost of renovations and program setup - $4.5 million
Amount to be provided by CCW Foundation - $2.2 million
Amount to be raised through capital campaign - $2.3 million
