L'Arche Wolfville celebrates Christmas season in landmark new home
Community for people with disabilities raised millions in multi-year project to build accessible hub
After decades of making do in an old, inaccessible building, Wolfville's L'Arche Homefires community has settled into a landmark, purpose-built home on Main Street.
Melanie McCulloch, assistant co-ordinator for the community, said the multi-year, multimillion-dollar project was well worth the effort.
"It is fully accessible, which is what we are really excited about. At our old location, we made do the best we could, but anyone in a wheelchair, or with any mobility issues, couldn't get down to make candles," she said. "The new space is fully accessible."
Bringing scattered community together
L'Arche is an international organization providing housing, work and support for adults with intellectual and sometimes physical disabilities.
The Wolfville community started decades ago and as it grew, the people involved got further apart. The offices and Applewicks store were in one location, a day program in another and a retirement program in yet another building.
"Now we're all together in one home," McCulloch. "We eat lunches together, we intermingle. We're getting to know each other a lot, and that's been a real blessing."
Upstairs, the kitchen and dining area are some of the few recognizable sections left from the building's former life as a church hall. They've renovated the kitchen, adding big new windows, and turned it into a community hub.
One of the most popular spots is the weaving room, where people use looms to weave hats, placemats, scarves and other items.
"It's often hard to get work done, because the view is so beautiful," McCulloch said of the expansive prospects of Main Street and the dikes.
Brenda Henshaw was busy working on a placemat on her loom when the CBC dropped by.
"I like it," she said of the new building. "There are a lot of people here."
Polly Johnston spent the sunny morning knitting a new hat.
"I love it," she said. "We have more room than we did at the other workplace."
McCulloch said the goal isn't to maximize profit, but to make sure everyone can do meaningful work and that it's properly celebrated.
"The work is beautiful. Their hands are so talented," she said.
"The store is right on Main Street so people come in, they view the products and they get excited about L'Arche," she said. "It's nice if we sell products, that's wonderful, but we would exist even if we didn't sell any. The store is a bridge to the community. It's been a real gift."
A donor wall at the entrance celebrates all of the people who put money and time into making the new space a reality.
The old candle-making shop was in a dark basement at the foot of steep stairs. The new one is on the main floor and has a window.
Given that L'Arche takes its name from the biblical ark that brought everyone together, it's fitting that the new L'Arche building does the same.
