Reception House

Providing a warm welcome to our newest neighbours

Events

Open House Event

Reception House Waterloo Region Hosts Open House Event, Welcomes Community Leaders and Partners

Reception House Waterloo Region was honored to host an Open House at its new space located at 700-101 Frederick Street, welcoming distinguished guests, supporters, and community members. Among those in attendance were MP Bardish Chagger, MP Valerie Bradford, MP Mike Morrice for Kitchener Centre, representatives from Waterloo Regional Police Service, the Fairmount Foundation, Lyle S. Hallman Foundation, United College, PeaceWorks Technology Solutions, Rohingya Centre, Muslim Social Services KW, YMCA of Three Rivers – Waterloo Region, Centre for Community Based Research, Waterloo Suites Hotel, and the Centre for Peace Advancement.

The event highlighted Reception House’s dedication to creating a welcoming environment for newcomers. MPP Aislinn Clancy presented a Grand Opening Certificate, marking the occasion and recognizing Reception House’s commitment to the community.

Reception House extends its heartfelt thanks to all who attended, with special appreciation to the donors and partners whose generosity continues to drive its mission forward.

We extend our sincere thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for supporting our Open House—an important milestone that welcomed our community into a new chapter of service, connection, and possibility at our new home.

NOT ANOTHER GALA 2024

Reception House Waterloo Region is thrilled to announce that our annual fundraising event, Not Another Gala 2024, was a resounding success! The event saw an incredible turnout of 150 attendees who gathered to celebrate a night filled with joy, inspiration, and a shared commitment to our mission of welcoming and supporting refugees in our community.

The evening was highlighted by heartfelt speeches, where we proudly shared our achievements, goals, and the impact of our work over the past year. We were deeply honored to have Heather Beamish as our special guest speaker, whose words touched and inspired everyone present. A huge thank you as well to our amazing MCs, Jen Vasic and Colleen James, for guiding the evening with energy and grace.

We extend our sincerest gratitude to everyone who attended and supported Not Another Gala 2024.

With heartfelt gratitude, we thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation for supporting our Not Another Gala, a celebration that brought together our community of donors and partners to reimagine generosity and belonging.

A special shoutout goes to our incredible sponsors, whose support made the night possible:

  • Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.
  • Centre for Community Based Research
  • United Taxi Kitchener-Waterloo
  • W.A. Ventures & Enterprise
  • Waterloo Suites Hotel
  • HIP Developments
  • PeaceWorks Technology Solutions
  • City of Waterloo

We are also immensely thankful to the many businesses and individuals who contributed to our silent auction, making it a truly memorable part of the evening. Your generosity continues to inspire us.

“Together, we are building a welcoming community for all”

Ride for Refuge 2024

Thank you to all the amazing riders, walkers, and donors who supported this year’s Ride for Refuge! A special thank you goes out to United College at University of Waterloo for hosting the Ride! We appreciate the coming together of community to support refugees making Waterloo Region their new home. The funds raised by this event will support health services at Reception House.

Annual General Meeting

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us at our Annual General Meeting on September 12, 2024. It was an inspiring opportunity to connect with our supporters and partners and funders as we celebrated our collective efforts and commitment to supporting refugees in making Waterloo Region their home.

A special thank you to Acting Mayor Debbie Chapman for bringing greetings and engaging in meaningful conversations with our attendees. We are also deeply grateful to Sue Nally for delivering the land acknowledgment and guiding us in reflecting on the importance of reconciliation as we continue to welcome newcomers to our community.

We appreciate your continued support and looking forward to our shared journey ahead.

Circle of Connection, 2024

On 17 Aug, we hosted our annual “Circle of Connection event” to recognize our amazing volunteers and build relationships between volunteers and clients. Over 50 people attended the event and joined together in fellowship and fun activities.

We are deeply thankful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for making Circle of Connections possible—an inspiring gathering that fostered meaningful relationships among clients, volunteers, donors, and staff, strengthening the heart of our shared mission.