Episode 46: Michelle Foote and Vijay Venkatesan

This week on What London Can Be, Diane talks to Vijay Venkatesan, our Vice President of Finance & Operations, and Michelle Foote, Director of Finance and Operations at United Way Elgin Middlesex and a volunteer on LCF's Social Finance Committee, about LCF's Social Impact Fund.

This week on What London Can Be, we talk to Tuhin Jajal, Executive Director of the London Family Court Clinic, about their latest initiative to support victimized and at-risk children in London, Beacon House.

We're joined by Scott Courtice, Executive Director of the InterCommunity Health Centre, to talk about their role in tackling London’s homelessness crisis, and the plan for our whole community to tackle this problem together, born from the homelessness summits held over the past few months.Episode Length: 23:23

We revisit March’s Vital Conversation on Food Security with Nancy Buchanan, Family Social Worker at Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre, Sarah Stern, Leader at Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security, Jane Roy, Co-Executive Director at London Food Bank, and Becky Ellis, Executive Director at Urban Roots London.

As March is Epilepsy Awareness month, we spoke to Sandra Pidduck, an educator at Epilepsy Southwest Ontario, to find out a bit more about about their work helping people living with epilepsy to overcome some of the barriers they might face.

Ahead of International Women’s Day on Wednesday 8th March, we speak to Brescia’s Dr. Peggy O’Neil about her work at the United Nations for women all over the world, and why it’s still important that Canada has a women’s-only university right here in London.

With February being Black History month, we spoke to Carl Cadogan, Chair of the London Black History Coordinating Committee, about what Black History Month means to him and why it’s important to educate people on the history of black people in Canada. Carl tells us about some of the events still to come this month, and shares some history about the London Fugitive Slave Chapel.

Following the Mayor’s announcement of the $25 million Heath and Homelessness Fund For Change donated by an anonymous family to tackle homelessness in London, we catch up with Chuck Lazenby, Executive Director at the Unity Project, about what it could all mean for the city and the sector as a whole.

This week we revisit our panel discussion where our guest speakers discuss the main issues facing the environment and what Londoners can do to help tackle them. Guest speakers include Dr. Franco Berruti from Western University’s Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Teresa Hollingsworth from The Upper Thames River Conversation Authority, and Nicole Karsch from London Environmental Network. Moderated by environmental journalist and LCF Environmental Advisory Committee member, Mary Ann Colihan.

In our first episode of 2023, Diane speaks to Andrew Fleet, Executive Director of Growing Chefs! Ontario, about the innovative work they're doing here in London to make systemic changes to Ontario's food systems and education. Episode Length: 31:00