Year in Review: 2025
Message from the Chair of the Board of Directors
2025 was a year that asked a great deal of all of us, and gave a great deal back.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to begin by acknowledging the loss of John Whalley. John was woven into the fabric of New Dawn in ways that are hard to fully articulate, and his absence has been felt deeply and often. We carry him with us.
And yet, even in grief, even against the backdrop of a world that too often seemed bent on cruelty and division, the people of New Dawn showed up, with tenacity, with compassion, and with an unmistakable belief that things can be better than they are.
What Erika and the staff have built and sustained this year is remarkable. From 42,000 Meals on Wheels meals delivered into the community, to the opening of Anchor Youth Space, to the walls of the New Dawn Youth and Family Centre rising in Glace Bay, to families settling into their first Christmas at Eleanor’s Court and Abbey Ridge II, 2025 was a year of real, tangible, life-changing work.
As Chair, I have the privilege of witnessing New Dawn from a particular vantage point. I see the care that goes into every decision, the values that anchor every program, and the quiet determination of a team that never seems to lose sight of why this work matters. I am humbled by it, and deeply proud to serve this organization.
New Dawn is approaching its 50th anniversary, and I believe we are entering that milestone in the best possible shape, not because everything is easy, but because the people here know how to meet hard things with grace.
To our staff, volunteers, donors, partners, and the communities we serve: thank you. You are the reason New Dawn is not just surviving but genuinely thriving.
Here’s to another year of building the world we want to live in — together.
Kalie Wang
Chair, Board of Directors, New Dawn Enterprises
