John Howard Society of Durham Region
Effective, just and humane responses to crime and its causes.
 Main office: 75 Richmond Street West, Oshawa, Ontario, L1G 1E3

JHS Mission:

The John Howard Society of Durham Region (JHS) is a non-profit, social service agency in Ontario Canada. We are dedicated to servicing individuals and families, youth and adults with programs and services in areas such as relationships, counselling, employment, literacy, housing, eviction prevention, crime prevention, harm reduction, parenting and more. Most of our services are free. Please explore the options on the left menu to learn more.

Latest News: November 2009

 

Fundraiser Dance for United WayRock to the 50's & 60's for United Way!

Calling all cool cats and hip chicks! We have a rockin good time coming up for you! Join us on Friday November 20th at the Oshawa Moose Lodge at 731 Wilson Road south (<-- click for the map) in Oshawa for a 50's/60's themed dance in support of the United Way!

Tickets are just $10 at the door, or call Paul at 905-579-8482 to order some!

We want you to come in your best digs of the era, and will have some fun contests for you to do like a hoola hoop contest, limbo, bubble gum blowing contest and more! You can even try your chops on some of the great tunes by karaoke! So come hang with the gang, have a good time, and beleive it or not, your fun will translate to valuable support for the community at large!

Speical thanks to Then & Now Sounds and the Oshawa Moose Lodge for helping to support this event!

Apprenticeship Information Night - AJAX

Come to our FREE Apprenticeship Information Session and get the facts on apprenticeships. Have your questions answered and learn:

Limited space available. For more information please contact:
(905) 427- 8165


Wednesday November 25, 2009
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
136 Commercial Ave, Ajax

 

Firehouse Fright Night - Great Success!

Thank you to everyone who came out to our third annual Fright Night event in Bowmanville, and a special thanks to the media for helping get the word out there (SNAP Clarington, KX96 FM Radio, Clarinton This Week, Rogers TV - Day Time).

We had 300 people turn out for the two and a half hours the event was on, and raised over $1000 for United Way. Everyone had a spooky good time, and we're already laying the groundwork for what we would like to do next year, which could include an even larger location to host it in!

 

JHS Employment Services - Reader's Choice Award!

Thank you to the people of Ajax and Pickering! You selected us as the Gold choice for employment service provider in the News Advertiser's annual Reader's Choice Awards. The special edition will be published in the Ajax/Pickering paper on Friday October 30th.

And congratulations to our hard working employment team, who do their very best to help each client to reach their employment goal. Your colleagues throughout the agency are proud of your achievement!

 

Group Programs Starting Soon!

Our Parenting and Young Adult Anger Management groups are starting up again in September! To access any of these excellent skills upgrading programs, call any of our offices to inquire! We recommend you act quickly as our groups fill up quickly!

 

Older News

(For other previous new items, check out our Press page)

 

Firehouse Youth Centre Golf Tournament!

The 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament is happening on Friday, September 11, 2009.

WHO:

OPG, King's Court Catering, JR Freethy Architects, SMWIA Local 30, IBEW Local 894, Beyond Insurance, Judd Trucking, CIBC Newcastle, SNAP Clarington, Morris Funeral Chapel, John Howard Society, and Durham College.

WHAT:

There will be 9 holes of golf and two stations to challenge your chipping and putting skills. This will take place in a "shotgun format" which will include walking to your hole and starting once the horn blows at 1:00pm sharp. After the round is over there will be a delicious meal served by King's Court Catering sponsored by OPG. While the meal is taking place feel free to bid on any of the silent auction items and have a look through our prize table. Every golfer walks away with a prize and a full stomach thanks to our sponsors and all the business who donated items.

IN ADDITION: A special thank you to the Archibald's for the generous donation of their facilities and Cider House Golf Course. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to contact Brad Arbour at 905-626-1725

 

Equi-Pass Milestones - 2 Years Running!

In the spring of 2007, JHS partnered with some innovative agencies to bring the Equi-Pass online learning resource to the residents of Durham. This hands-on, self-paced upgrading tool that anyone with an Internet connection can benefit from is still going strong. With over 200 clients in the system as of July this year, more than 12,000 lessons have been done by those participants, totaling almost 1200 hours of skills enhancement time.

Equi-Pass covers subjects from MS Office (yes, even 2007), Windows, Firefox, Digital Imaging and over one hundred other topics, including soft skills such as team management, cold calling, and communications.

If you have a desire to expand your offerings to the employment world, better your skills, boost your confidence in your work - check out this service. Its just $25 for a year of access to -all- those courses. Yes, really, that's not a typing mistake. Contact equipass@jhsdurham.on.ca to ask questions, or you can drop in to any of our four offices to buy a login for yourself. Other details including a full list of courses can be found on our equi-pass page at http://jhsdurham.on.ca/equipass

We Walked A Mile In Her Shoes

A team of JHS staff stepped up to the plate and helped raise over $600 for Bethesda House in their second annual "Walk a Mile In Her Shoes" event on a rainy June day. This video is an excellent presentation of how the event went, who the participants were, and its impact.

Thinking of Giving Something Different This Year?

If you or your organization are weighing plans for a gift this season, talk to us about helping you to make that plan hit home. We have information that could help you see more of that gift reach its target while realizing a tax deduction better than you might think. Contact paul.dobbs@jhsdurham.on.ca for more info.