By Karen Fee, CLC Communications Committee Chair

The Ottawa Chapter of Voluntary Organizations (OCVO) hosted a gathering in November to bring together people from voluntary organizations to share ideas and strategies for coping with the economic downturn. Approximately 60 people were present, among them representatives from the Laundry Co-op. Participants were asked to share responses to seven questions, reflecting upon the effect of the downturn on our clients and the demand for our services, our response strategy for both the short and long term, and ways to support our services and infrastructures. The results of the discussion were shared in plenary.

It was agreed by all that change is here to stay – we must look at managing that change proactively. We were heartened to see that the Centretown Laundry Co-op (CLC) is already doing so in many ways. Some of the strategies already utilized by CLC are:

• Partnerships with other like-minded organizations. Note our partnership with Families Matter, who are sharing part of the Community Economic Develop¬ment work.
• Sharing of resources. Note our relationship with Heartwood House, the home of the Laundry Co-op. Heartwood House offers member groups an affordable space with the belief that “we are better together”. On a practical level, groups share meeting rooms, photocopiers, fax machines and other resources, but more impor tantly we are a “village of community minded people who take the time to know each other  and support each other.” The result is mutual respect, assistance, and success.
• Connecting with Community Health Centres in the area to know what services and opportunities are in the community in order to both serve our clients and avoid duplication.
• Connecting with Community Health Centres in the area to know what services and opportunities are in the community in order to both serve our clients and avoid duplication.
• Actively recruiting additional members for the Board of Management in order to provide strong leadership for the years ahead.

Initiatives for the upcoming year:

• Telling our Story , a workshop, is being planned for the late winter to help our mem¬bers develop skills in story-telling so that more people can learn about our organi¬zation and its positive impact on the lives of ordinary people.
• Creating more opportunities for people to donate to the Laundry Co-op. The Board is thinking creatively in order to expand its funding base.
• Working with the OCVO to create a strategic communications plan to the com¬munity to help raise awareness of the economic downturn on the voluntary sec¬tor. While it is true that the economic challenges are significant, we are assessing our
• situation honestly and creating a plan for moving forward. By continuing to be good stewards of our resources and working on creative strategies for expanding our base
• of support, we have every confidence that the Laundry Co-op will continue to thrive
• in the years ahead, and so continue to serve our members.