Freda's Story

Spare time is hard to come by now that Freda is into her retirement years. At 71, she has more on the go than most.  Her days are filled with committee work, fundraising and volunteer activities.

Freda’s friend and neighbor Barbara, introduced her to the Bethesda-Reach Women’s Institute about 15 years ago and she’s been an active member of the group ever since. The monthly meetings offer a variety of interesting speakers and activities. Freda looks forwards to helping out with the regular luncheons the ladies host.

Freda is also an extremely dedicated member of the A-Team, a self-advocacy group for people who have intellectual disabilities.  The group is committed to educating themselves and others about their rights and responsibilities. Freda and her fellow committee members have presented on this topic at several conferences and seminars.  The group also plays a key training role in the orientation of new staff at Community Living.

When they are not busy presenting, Freda and the A-Team operates a Hot Dog Cart which can be seen at local fairs and community events. Together, the group shares the responsibility of managing the cart and selling hot dogs. The funds generated from their work have been used for a variety of things, including sponsoring local community charities and initiatives. Freda particularly enjoys supporting their local community by hosting Bingo at the Port Perry Nursing Home.

Fellow members of the A-Team elected Freda as their representative on the Board of Directors of Community Living Durham North. Freda holds the position of secretary and has been an active member of this Board for over 5 years. Freda was moved to tears when she was acknowledged for her years of service at the agency’s annual general meeting.

When asked what she enjoys most about all her community work, she replied “meeting a lot of new people.”