Our Speaker Christopher Jost

Posted by David Holden
 
Our speaker Christopher Jost was introduced by Charles Pratt.
 
Chris is the Executive Director of NeighbourLink Calgary and created the Infant Care Under Two Program a comprehensive infant brain development support initiative.  He is a passionate community and non-profit leader and delivers unique perspective and a micro-focus to the issues of poverty and non-profit management.  He is exuberant, raw, funny and sure to inspire. Chris is currently serving his second term as President of the Rotary Club of Calgary – Millennium.
 
Notes:
  • NeighbourLink has been around for 24 years
  • Started with 3 people in a church basement
  • Hired first employee in 2000, grew to 14 employees by 2012 and maintained that through the Flood of June 2013
  • NeighbourLink is a hands on organization
  • Awarded a citation from Premier Redford for their work during the flood
  • Awarded a national award, The Donner Award, the best for provision of necessities
  • Neighbourlink is a small but mighty charity
  • Chris was asked to join their Board just before Christmas 2014
  • Then asked to be their Director of Development
  • 2 weeks later, put forward Development plan, Board accepted … then his second cheque bounced
  • 4 weeks later they were on the front of the Herald saying they were closing our doors
  • No full disclosure about the finances during the hiring phase
  • How did this happen?
  • Hyper growth during flood with funding that was not guaranteed nor sustainable
  • They moved into a bigger space (from $3,400 per month to a bigger one costing $40,000 per month)
  • Too big and too fast and new site was supposed to be shared but no partners were secured
  • Simply ran out of money
  • Chris was angry and he walked away
  • 11 people continued to work without paycheques for 6 months
  • 2 months into that the insolvency agent asked Chris to be a Board member again
  • Babies showing up needing formula and formula available, they could not shut down
  • First Board meeting, accepted Chris then promptly resigned (giving 6 months proxy)
  • First, recover … moved back to previous building
  • Get stable
  • October 2015 asked to become Executive Director by now full Board
  • Finally, re-focus by deciding which programs worked and which did not
  • Their landlord was their biggest creditor
  • Eventually he forgave the lease debt and worked with Chris to get other creditors to forgive their debt
  • This allowed the charity to continue to provide services
  • Changed model from stand in line for what is available to more of a partners providing services and tracking recipients participation
  • Focused on brain development program (diapers and beds for better sleep for brain development, nutrition for brain development, mother-child attachment education for brain development)
  • This forms part of a poverty reduction strategy as 80% of the brain is developed by age 3 while 90% of resources are spent trying to get kids through school
  • Focusing on brain development is attacking the cause of the issue
  • No dependency, hand up not a hand out
  • Deliver an impact to the community
  • Negotiated partnerships with suppliers and service providers
  • Service providers tracked quid pro quo work by participants (20 hours per month to address their own poverty)
  • Chris got help with Strategic Planning
  • Announcing their name change to Infant Care Alberta in March 2017
  • “Babies are worth it”
Tim Heaton thanked our speaker with a certificate about our CAWST donation and a "Rotary in Calgary Celebrating One Hundred Years"  book.
 
Bill Avery adjourned the meeting.
Christopher Jost