John Howard Society of Thunder Bay & District

08/27/2025

🎸✨ Rockin’ Recovery 2025 ✨🎸

This upcoming September 13th from 1:00PM-4:00PM, the JHS crew is thrilled to be part of this year’s Rockin’ Recovery! 💙

This annual event is all about celebrating recovery, resilience, and community connection through the power of music, art, and shared stories. It’s a chance to come together, have fun, and show that recovery is something to be proud of. ✨

Stop by our booth to meet the JHS team, grab some goodies, and learn more about the programs and supports we offer here in Thunder Bay. Whether you’re here to rock out, connect, or just enjoy the positive energy.. there’s something for everyone! ✨

Let’s lift each other up, celebrate strengths, and keep the recovery movement strong. ✨

👉 We’ll see you there... come say hi to your JHS crew!

06/17/2025

🌊 ☕Desiree “The Tea-riffic Captain”

Our Client Services Manager with a heart as warm as her favourite cup of David’s Tea; Sweet as honey and cool as her daily iced matcha… Desiree sails the stormiest seas of client care with kindness, laughter, and a touch of magic. Desiree makes everyone feel like the most important passenger on board. Always ready with a pun or witty joke, she’s the bubbly breeze that keeps the crew afloat. She’s checking in, cheering up, and casually solving 12 problems before her tea even finishes steeping. We could even say her motto is "When in doubt, steep it out".

Desiree’s Lighthouse Survival Kit:

Packed a gallon jug of iced matcha and a fashionably thrifted tumbler with her name on it. Of course she didn’t forget her trusty companion, Fig (lifejacket and doggy raft included).

Desiree’s fear on the island?

Running out of oat milk… and having to stir with a crab leg (gasp!). Of course not being on site at JHS is a big one too....

Support Desiree and the JHS team in the link below!
https://www.canadahelps.org/.../team/john-howard-society...

WE ARE 1 DAY AWAY FROM THE GREAT LIGHTHOUSE RESCUE! YARG

06/16/2025

🛟Marcella “The Pardon Pirate”

Our Record Suspension Services Coordinator and seagull enthusiast. Marcella knows paperwork like most dads know power tools, she handles it with precision, confidence, and just the right amount of eye-rolling charm. She’s the steady hand behind second chances, guiding people through the record suspension process with patience, kindness, and a cat-themed checklist that could bring a tear to a bureaucrat’s eye.

Marcella's Lighthouse Survival Kit:

Packed a binder of hopes, dreams, and properly filled-out forms, her favourite cat themed calendar (Pusheen specifically), and a bluetooth speaker that only plays early 2000s R&B and motivational TED Talks.

Marcella’s Biggest fear on the island?

The printer jams… permanently. Also, being asked to explain the pardon process to a seagull who didn’t file correctly. For the fifth time.

Support Marcella in the link below! Or our main page.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-united-way-of-thunder-bay/p2p/lighthouse-rescue-2025/team/john-howard-society/member/ahoy-its-the-great-lighthouse-rescue-jhs-edition

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-united-way-of-thunder-bay/p2p/lighthouse-rescue-2025/team/john-howard-society

06/13/2025

🛟 🧢 Julia “The Bail Line”

Bail Case Manager and the unofficial grill master of calm vibes and case management.

When the tide gets rough, Julia’s the one making sure everyone stays afloat with compassion and clear direction.

Whether she's navigating bail conditions or the world's worst Wi-Fi signal, she does it all with the patience of a dad who's just happy to be on a boat.

Julia’s Lighthouse Island Survival Kit:

Packed a Celsius Energy Drink (Keeping alert for the crew HAS to taste good…), of course her favourite hoodie (or two)… perfect for island breezes/long talks, and a pen that somehow makes people open up.

Julia’s Biggest fear on the island?

Having to mediate a turf war between the seagulls and the crabs… without proper documentation or even worse, forgetting a hair tie.

Support Julia in the link below! Or our main page.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-united-way-of-thunder-bay/p2p/lighthouse-rescue-2025/team/john-howard-society/member/help-me-get-off-this-island-ouv

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-united-way-of-thunder-bay/p2p/lighthouse-rescue-2025/team/john-howard-society

06/12/2025

🧢🚤 Chelsea “The Bail Buoy"

Mental Health Bail Case Manager & self-appointed Boat Dad of Emotional Stability™.

Always has sunscreen, snacks, and a speech about healthy boundaries ready to go.

Can tie a metaphorical life raft out of paperwork and therapeutic rapport.

Says things like “This isn’t my first shipwreck” and “Let’s bail... emotionally and legally.”

Chelsea’s Lighthouse Island Survival Kit:

Packed a first-aid kit, her trusty binder full of court dates, enough snacks to feed a small village, and of course, three different kinds of sunscreen (because sunburn is the real enemy).

Chelsea’s biggest fear on the island?

Running out of coffee.. and accidentally having to bail herself out of a marshmallow roasting disaster. Also suspiciously worried the seagulls might unionize and start demanding better snack breaks.

Support Chelsea in the link below! Or our main page!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-united-way-of-thunder-bay/p2p/lighthouse-rescue-2025/team/john-howard-society/member/help-me-get-off-this-island

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-united-way-of-thunder-bay/p2p/lighthouse-rescue-2025/team/john-howard-society

06/11/2025

🌊🔦 Meet the Castaways of Team JHS!

Desiree, Chelsea, Julia, & Marcella!

Stranded (by choice!) at the top of the lighthouse and ready to be rescue. This bold and slightly salty crew is trading in office chairs for life vests to support the United Way’s Great Lighthouse Rescue on JUNE 18TH, 2025!

We may not have sunscreen or signal up here, but we do have heart, humour, and a whole lot of determination to raise funds for vital community programs.

Stay tuned as we introduce our unforgettable crew... every castaway has a story. ⛵💙



Click the link below to donate and spread the news across the seven seas!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-united-way-of-thunder-bay/p2p/lighthouse-rescue-2025/team/john-howard-society?fbclid=IwY2xjawK2oNBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBNRjBTZEVnckNqOW5HZ1BWAR6Ttn_hHOdMIaim-e6FP9NbnTXcg9_0Ww2-cS6I97G_Co7JeIEKXe_tmymuKQ_aem_8kHGmKQCY0y25oXOHJx9Ww

Remember anything counts!

06/09/2025

🚨🌊 THE JHS TEAM IS GOING DOWN… TO THE LIGHTHOUSE! 🌊🚨

That’s right! On Wednesday, June 18th, the crew from John Howard Society Thunder Bay will be cast away during the third annual Great Lighthouse Rescue! 🏝️

With help from the Royal Canadian Navy and the gallant sailors of the HMCS Griffon, we’ll be dropped off at the Thunder Bay Main Lighthouse…. and we’re not coming back until we’ve raised our fundraising goal! 💸🚤

Expect:

⚓ High-speed rescues (with evasive maneuvers, of course) with your help!

💬 Why are we doing this?

Because the Great Lighthouse Rescue isn’t just about daring boat rides and dramatic selfies… it’s about supporting life-changing programs right here in Thunder Bay.

👉 Support your favourite JHS castaway or the team as a whole

👉 Come cheer us on from shore as we embark on this adventure

👉 And help us raise the funds we need to rescue lives .. including our own! (Don't worry, we aren't actually stranded..)

Keep your eyes peeled to meet the crew and a Yo ho ho, whole lot of fun! 🎶🏴‍☠️

Click the link below to donate!

Remember to spread the news across all the seven seas! YARG!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-united-way-of-thunder-bay/p2p/lighthouse-rescue-2025/team/john-howard-society

02/21/2025

Come visit our Record Suspension team and all the other amazing service providers Recognizing National Human Trafficking Awareness Day at Intercity Shopping Centre today from 11:30-2:30!!!

A number of local service providers, including the Thunder Bay Police Service, will be marking National Human Trafficking Awareness Day by holding an information event tomorrow (Feb. 21) at the Intercity Shopping Centre.

Come on by to learn about human trafficking and the working being done in our community through the Thunder Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking to combat it. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Learn more at https://thunderbaypolice.ca/prevention/human-trafficking and https://humantraffickingthunderbay.ca/