Written by Tosin Ajogbeje / May 25, 2020
On a bright, frosty afternoon, Claire Masswohl walks briskly into the East Side Diner in downtown Welland wearing a brown polished trench coat to grab her main dish: scrambled eggs, bacon, and cottage cheese with cinnamon. I met her at a well-known diner in Welland to interview her. A spot where she enjoys meeting friends to enjoy good food and have insightful conversations. Born in Châteauguay, Quebec, and raised in Welland, Claire Masswohl developed her fondness for community activism from her mother’s upbringing.
Her parents initially moved from Quebec to Welland when she was nine months old with little money to fall back on. As Masswohl rummages through her past, she talks with pride about how her parents thrived while raising 13 children in Welland while juggling full-time jobs. Claire’s mother, Yvette Ward, was an accomplished community advocate who later established the Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre in 1976. “My mother instilled in me the importance of volunteering in the community, in this case helping people settle properly into the community is second nature to me,” she says. “As the eldest in the family I often volunteered with her, along with many other volunteers as part of the Welland Recreation Projects Association to organize community events.”
Masswohl’s attitude toward life is shaped by a sincere admiration for preserving communities and volunteering in any capacity. She has chaired various community activities and associations like the Santa Claus Parade, Rose Queen Contest, the Welland Rose Festival, and the Niagara Newcomer Service Alliance. “When I was enrolled in the Social Work program at Niagara College, I volunteered with young people who had life challenges, and overtime I developed the Multicultural Network of Niagara Falls to help people there as there was no agency in Niagara Falls,” says Masswohl.
Asides from holding various leadership positions in community, Masswohl worked as a Manager of Manpower Temporary Services and was later recruited to work as a Branch Manager for a new Kelly Services office in Welland. As a Branch Manager, she succeeded in getting people hired in full-time positions at offices and plants in Welland. At some point, she partnered with law firms and Niagara College to obtain government funding for women who needed to gain work experience and upgrade their skills. “In my career, I had the opportunity to secure funding to assist young people who were looking to develop certain skills to get into the workforce, and started a project to assist them in going back to school.”
Masswohl continues to lend support whenever she can. As the current Vice President of the Central Initiative Education Centre, Masswohl called for Welland’s century-old Central Fire Hall to be converted to an active business operation in the downtown area. “It has been great working with a team of wonderful people to restore the Central Fire Hall,” she says. According to Masswohl, “it is heartbreaking to tear down old buildings and art structures, especially in a place like Welland with such rich and potent history.” “Historical buildings should stay and reflect the work of talented people who hailed from this area, so that our youth can share with pride the work of their ancestors.”
She worked internationally to help with contingency plans after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, after which she returned to Welland in 1993. In 1993, she was hired as the CEO of Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre based on her international work experience. During her time at the multicultural centre, she worked with her Board of Director to facilitate the construction of the monument in Merritt Park to recognize the contribution of immigrants from across Canada. “This was a particular dream of my mother, to recognize the positive impact of immigrants and people who have left a lasting legacy in building the Welland Canal,” Masswohl says. Ending her career in 2015, and after 23 years with the multicultural centre, she decided to take several courses and most importantly support more community initiatives. “I believe in lifelong learning and continue to be involved in community development work in other capacities with various teams of people.”
Because of her tremendous contribution to the community, Masswohl was awarded the Welland Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellowship Award in 2016. She was also presented with an award from the Ministry of Citizenship for her volunteer work with newcomers to Canada. From encouraging inclusion in the wider community, preaching for human rights in the world to being a family oriented woman, Masswohl never stops evolving. “My life has been blessed with my children, grandchildren, extensive family, lifelong friends and with wonderful people I have had the good fortune to work with over the years,” She says.
Masswohl speaks excitedly of her family and career, “Balancing my work and my personal life has enabled me to remain a strong advocate on social justice issues.” “I believe in playing an active role in our community to make things better for all.” As she puts it, “social justice is important to me and when I notice people are treated unfairly, I will not hesitate to stick in.”
Known as a strong advocate, Masswohl continues to keep Welland’s history alive. “We have a wonderful population of volunteers in this community that work hard to create memorable moments, and I am proud to be one of them,” she says. “People should see volunteering has an opportunity to develop new skills and build new friendships.” “I am a lucky woman who gets to continually be a voice for community development in Welland.”
Reference:
Photo captured by: Mike Zettel, Niagara This Week, March 1, 2019
コメント