Fall Tree Planting in Mississauga

On Saturday, October 17th, Sikhs Serving Canada (SSC) came together again to contribute to Evergreen’s vision of creating "a sustainable society where individuals live in harmony with and contribute meaningfully to their local environment."

The morning was sunny and surprisingly warm for a fall day, which as it turns out, is a perfect time to plant trees. About 30 SSC volunteers – young and older, new and previous - came together at Erindale Park in Mississauga to plant about 150 trees. The little trees were placed at various spots up an incline towards which the volunteers were led. We were instructed to dig holes in the cool earth, plant the trees, fill the hole back up, packing the unearthed dirt back in, and spread organic mulch around the tree to provide the new tree with warmth and moisture. Worms shifted over, snails hid in their shells, and furry caterpillars found new homes this morning, all working together to make room for their new neighbour.

While it was wonderful to connect with old friends and make new ones, the best part of the day was the silent meditation that it afforded. To get close to the ground, to feel the earth, to kneel down and work our fingers through the dirt, being mindful of and getting a chance to say hello to the living creatures that live there, was all a reminder of the reasons we were out there at all. To be able to volunteer today was to remember the often unseen love and mystery which conspires to make a day beautiful, at all. All the mature trees with their red, yellow and brown leaves falling in the park – they all, started somewhere. They weren’t always majestic, they were little seedlings, once. And now, their role has shifted and they will look over the new little seedlings. They were planted there, once – probably by loving and gentle hands and with the kindness of neighbours who shifted over to make just a little more room.

Remarkably, the “work” was all wrapped up within about 90 minutes, and we were up on top of the hill eating snacks of trail mix and quenching our thirst with water, with volunteers from other groups, before noon.

Sikhs Serving Canada is made up of members of the Sikh community who organize and want to give back. It’s nice to know that today we may have put back just a little bit to the country that has given us so much.

- Jas

Evergreen is a not-for-profit organization that makes cities more livable. By deepening the connection between people and nature, and empowering Canadians to take a hands-on approach to their urban environments, Evergreen is improving the health of our cities - now and for the future.

Sikhs Serving Habitat For Humanity (Second Time)

On Saturday, June 17, 2009, Sikh Serving Canada got another opportunity to visit the Elliott House Heritage Build site at 120 & 122 Sled Dog Rd., Brampton. This house is a 19th century heritage home, called the "George Elliott House" named after its owner who built it in the 1860's. It's interesting to note that the house was moved to this new location where it will be refurbished and rehabilitated into a semi-detached home – a first for Habitat for Humanity (HFH) in North America!

Most of our duties involved various types of exterior painting. Painting of trims, pillars, window frames, ceilings, decorative frames and other designs. Requiring about five or six ladders we all went to work, enjoying a cool breeze at 22 degrees. What I enjoyed most however, was the assistance I got from some of the volunteer coordinators; they gave some tutorials on exterior painting best practices and how to's.

Besides getting to learn a few important things to know around the house, you get the opportunity to meet other volunteer's and share your experiences. It's always an enjoyable and fun atmosphere, in an informal setting. I hope to see more eager volunteer's at George Elliotts House in the future as well as other Sikh's Serving Canada (SSC) volunteer opportunities.

SSC gives me the ability to do volunteer work with a group of people who also enjoy giving their time to their communities. I really enjoyed my time, though short, at HFH and I hope to be back very soon!

Thank you for reading.
-- Gagandeep Singh

Sikhs Serving Habitat For Humanity

On May 30th, Sikhs Serving Canada had the opportunity to help out with the Brampton chapter for Habitat For Humanity. The two families selected for their Elliot House property on Sled Dog Road had moved in over the winter but work still needed to be completed on outside of the house on the yard. SSC spent the morning helping to paint the exterior and assist with some earthmoving.

We had about a dozen volunteers come out to help this great organization. We hope to be involved with Habitat affiliates around the GTA. Please contact us if you're interested in helping out.

Here's some pics from the day: