NFAMC Milestones

• May 1968 - First Folk Arts Festival started by Stephen Ruf

• April 30, 1970 - Folk Arts Council of St. Catharines incorporated

• 2017 – NFAMC became a Living Wage Employer

• International Students Connect and Orientation to Ontario programs were both launched in 2018 and we just signed both contracts for another year until March 2022

• 2018 was the 50th anniversary year for the Niagara Folk Arts Festival

• Faces of the Folk Arts campaign started in 2019

• April 30, 2020 was the 50th anniversary for incorporation of The Folk Arts Council of St. Catharines

• Accessibility and Inclusion Coordinator, was with us from January to March 2021

• Our volunteer "Pride Leadership Committee" started their amazing work in March 2021 and our Community Connections' "Art Hub" or online art/music program began in August 2020

JSW Program Milestones / Achievements

• 1998 - NFAMC began to receive funding to deliver the Job Search Workshop Program

• 2010 - New provincial curriculum and employment assessment approach was introduced making the JSW Program the only pre-employment program in the province being entirely delivered in a computer lab-type setting

• 2011 - Gaps in programing were identified and we applied for and began to receive funds to deliver Skills Training - initial programming included Small Business Basics, Computer Training to help clients become ready to participate in the JSW computer curriculum, Customer Service Basics and Health & Safety in the Workplace

• 2016 – We identified a further need to enhance the program by providing 1-1 services, in addition to pre-employment assessment and group sessions

• 2017 – Successful securing the role of Job Developer after requesting for numerous years, within 1 year, we had connected with over 400 employers in the Niagara Region

• Started the Crossroads Program - Self-employment program for women funded by United Way

Our Impact in 2020

‍

• 2423 - Total number of clients served

• 110 - Number of countries of origin served

• 555 - Number of new families served

• 135 - Number of returning families served‍

• 9,008 - Number of individual and group services provided

• 1512 – Total number of staff professional development training hours