| |  | As a long-time supporter of this extraordinary shelter, I’ve always felt that my small monthly contributions, volunteer hours as a Soup Sister, were simply small ways of offering a hand where I could. I never imagined the profound ripple effects those acts might one day have—or that one of them would come full circle in the most beautiful and profound way. Two years ago, I received a call from a young woman who had moved to London, Ontario, asking if I would be willing to officiate her wedding. She had followed my work as a minister and supporter of Family Transition Place for some time. What she shared next moved me in a way that is hard to put into words. Years earlier, she had passed through the very doors of this shelter, broken from an abusive marriage and searching for safety—not just for herself, but for her children. It was within these walls that she found more than shelter; she found compassion, counselling, community, and the courage to start again. She told me she had quietly followed my efforts from a distance—watching soup-making events, food donation drives, and other behind-the-scenes moments where I offered what I could. She told me that those efforts made her feel seen, even when she hadn’t yet found her voice. And in her own words, she said: “I promised myself that if I ever found peace, real peace, with someone who loved me and my children, I would ask only one person to help us begin our life together—you.” To stand beside her on her wedding day was an indescribable honor. She stood radiant, strong, and safe—no longer a woman escaping pain, but one stepping into joy. Her children smiled beside her, and the man at her side looked at her, and the children the way every person deserves to be seen: with gentleness, admiration, and love.
As we celebrate 40 years of this shelter's life-changing work, this story is just one of thousands. It is a testament to what happens when a community wraps its arms around the most vulnerable, offering not just refuge, but restoration. This shelter saved her life—but it also gave her a future. And in doing so, it connected us both in a way neither of us could have predicted. I was called to serve. She was called to heal. And together, we found a moment of shared grace—a reminder that what we give, no matter how small, is never in vain. Here’s to 40 years of healing. And to the many lives still waiting to be transformed by this remarkable place.
Warmly, and with gratitude,
Lori Robertshaw
Caring Community Member, Monthly donor, Wedding Officiant, Friend
Photo by Ronak Valobobhai on Unsplash
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