Clarence Kruschel knows exactly what wildfire survivors in Monte Lake, B.C. are going through. It was 19 years ago when Kruschel, 74, lost his own home to the Okanagan Mountain Park firestorm, which destroyed 239 houses in Kelowna, B.C. Kruschel,...
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For their 51st anniversary, Grant and Joan Kowalenko wanted to go somewhere with great food, meaningful activities, engaging people, interesting scenery and good accommodations. That’s why they chose to do a week of service with Mennonite Disaster...
“I can honestly say we wouldn’t be where we are today without your help.” Those were the words of Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne to Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers at an August 11 thank-you celebration put on by the town. About...
As a project director with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada, Jim Reimer knows it can be stressful for a homeowner to cope with the loss of their house. He just never expected to experience it first-hand. That’s what happened July 6 when,...
Led by a bagpiper, representatives from the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Ontario Unit and the Catholic Knights of Columbus were piped into a dedication ceremony on July 16 for a new addition on the home of Marc and Carole Jobin in Barry’s Bay,...
People come to Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) as volunteers in different ways—they hear about it at church, visit the MDS website, learn about it on social media, or are invited by a friend. For Rudy Martens of Vancouver, it was because of a...
It’s the things she lost to the fire that still hits hard for Michelle Maisonneuve. “I keep remembering all the things I lost, the things I thought I’d keep the rest of my life, my books and photos,” she said of what the 2021 wildfire in...
For Joanne Caldwell, Vice-President of the Westwold, B.C. Community Hall, there was no question about letting Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) use the hall for free as its hub of operations for house building in nearby Monte Lake. “It’s amazing...
Each morning, when Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers head out to job sites in Monte Lake, B.C., Helmut Hein of Abbotsford, B.C. feels a pang. “I always wish I could be going with them,” said the long-time MDS volunteer, now serving as a...
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