Reno with a cause
Cathy Abbott remembers the preacher’s phrase that got her to consider taking a big step toward providing shelter for refugees arriving in Canada. It was 2015 and Canadians were learning about the Syrian refugee crisis. The conflict had pushed millions of people to camps in neighbouring countries, with millions more displaced internally. The Canadian government…
Children taken from Ukrainian families
Parents in Molochansk, Ukraine, awoke one morning in May to a message from Russian authorities: “Dear parents: Evacuation has been announced at the school. Today, arrive at the school building with documents for the child and a minimum of things for a couple of weeks.” The Mennonite Centre in Ukraine relayed this news to its…
Writing career a dream come true for Winnipeg author
There was no magic lamp or genie involved when MaryLou Driedger made her wish, just a felt tip marker and a famous pond. In 1991, the Manitoba writer’s family visited Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. The Driedgers’ guide invited them each to write a wish on one of the rocks where the famous author Henry…
Northern cartographer runs thriving map business
When Dan Driediger closes his eyes, he sees rivers, rises and roads. His unique photographic memory comes in handy. Driediger is a cartographer: He creates, prints and sells maps to people and organizations across Canada. Driediger, a life-long outdoor adventurer and enthusiast, began his foray into map-making in 2011. While in university, he did some casual…
Class of ’60 reunion
To the sounds of much laughter, along with moments of sadness, the Rosthern Junior College (RJC) class of 1960 met in Saskatoon on May 18-19 to mark 63 years since graduation. Given that students generally complete high school at age 18, most of us at the reunion had reached the age of 81. More than…
Pinegrove care home maintains Anabaptist values as demographics shift
A little-known Mennonite mission, hidden away in a quiet residential neighbourhood on the flats of Richmond, B.C., celebrated its fortieth anniversary on June 7. Pinegrove Place, a three-storey, 76-bed residential care home, was originally built as a joint project between Mennonite Brethren and General Conference Mennonite churches in the Greater Vancouver area in 1983 to…
The sky ablaze
Art Koop was cleaning up after teaching his last class of the day when the emergency alert blared from his cell phone. The message called for an immediate, mandatory evacuation. A wildfire threatened Edson, Alberta, the community where Koop lives and works. The sky was an eerie orange colour and thick with smoke. ‘I didn’t…
