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Nova’s Ark Team

Board of Directors

Mary-Ann Nova

Mary-Ann Nova

President/Director

Greg Kruk

Greg Kruk

Board of Director

Geoff Nova

Geoff Nova

Treasurer

Heather Hawco-Gray

Heather Hawco-Gray

Vice President

Nicole Rands

Nicole Rands

Board of Director

Say Hello!

Volunteers are our greatest gift!

We would not be Nova's Ark without the passion and dedication of all of our volunteers. Our volunteers have gentle hearts, a respect for all living things, extreme patience, a willingness to learn and always have a big smile!

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As we enter the wonderful month of October, we’r

As we enter the wonderful month of October, we’re reflecting on the amazing September we had! It was full of learning, adventures and great experiences with friends!

Throughout last week, all of our teams focused on

Throughout last week, all of our teams focused on the truth behind Orange Shirt Day. We read stories from Indigenous authors, learned about the past of residential schools that have continued to impact the Indigenous Community today and shared different ways to celebrate Indigenous heritage.

In the forest, we created orange shirts and hearts with impactful messages about how we are acknowledging the past and why we matter. After creating our notes, we hung them in our Garden of Hope for all our friends, families and visitors to see as they head up the driveway. We also discussed the Calls to Action created by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and how we can honour those calls which have not yet been met.

We learned about the history of totem poles while discussing the meanings of totem animals. We then created our own which included totem animals that have great purpose in our lives. Our teams have also participated in different activities that focus on Indigenous culture including baking bannock, re-creating Indigenous art and enjoying games played by Indigenous Youth.

Though we spent the last week focused on the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, each day at Nova’s Ark we acknowledge the impact that the Indigenous Community has on our unique facility. Thank you to all of our staff, students and participants for caring so deeply.

To read the Nova’s Ark Land Acknowledgement, created in collaboration with the Durham College First Peoples Indigenous Centre please visit our website, NovasArk.Ca.

A big thank you to the Durham Region Home Builders

A big thank you to the Durham Region Home Builders’ Association for your thoughtful donation. It means so much for us to have the support of such a wonderful organization. Thank you for coming to learn more about our unique facility while showing so much enthusiasm towards our participants and community. We can’t wait to continue our adventures together @durhamhba !

We’re so thankful for the dedication of the @pic

We’re so thankful for the dedication of the @pickeringcasino PROUD team. This fabulous group worked together to create some awesome in-house fundraisers for us at Nova’s Ark!

It was so great to come by for a visit and meet more of the team who have been such a big part of our community this year. Being your Charity of Choice for 2024 has made a huge difference for our unique facility. Here’s to more great times ahead!

Performing risk assessments in the forest is a key

Performing risk assessments in the forest is a key component of our programming! Last week, Team Two evaluated whether travelling through the creek alongside their boat creations was low, medium or high risk. This awesome team then took the steps needed to ensure the adventures were safe for all. Great work everyone!

Huge thank you to Eva from @docusign who came to v

Huge thank you to Eva from @docusign who came to volunteer with us for the day. Throughout the week, Docusign employees are participating in Global IMPACT Week where team members volunteer at an organization of their choosing. Docusign matches the donation of the time their employee’s time spent at their chosen registered charity through @benevity !

We are so thrilled that Eva found us at Nova’s Ark. The enthusiasm, love for our community and thoughtfulness shown towards our animal ambassadors is truly appreciated. Thank you Eva for making a difference in the community and for us at Nova’s Ark! #docusignimpact

We’re having a fantastic week in "Out of the Box

We’re having a fantastic week in "Out of the Box“! From wonderful experiences for our senses to laundry-themed obstacle courses, we’ve been busy with many different learning opportunities!

Last week our Team Twos have been busy making time

Last week our Team Twos have been busy making time capsules! We will open them in June to see what we’ve accomplished over the year at Nova’s Ark!

We’re full of smiles during our first week back

We’re full of smiles during our first week back in "Out of the Box“! We’re looking forward to more helping hands, opportunities to learn in the forest and impactful Assisted Animal Therapy interactions!

Thank you so much to the amazing NielsenIQ team fo

Thank you so much to the amazing NielsenIQ team for being such a huge help, again! To assist us in getting ready for our “Out of the Box” Program, we were able to do driveway painting, garden prepping and tortoise home cleaning. We loved seeing your laughter, friendship and teamwork throughout the day. Thank you for being so understanding of our community. See you again during leaf raking season @nielseniq !

The slideshow for our final week of Summer Program

The slideshow for our final week of Summer Program on our YouTube channel, Nova’s Ark Charity! Thank you all for such a wonderful summer together, filled with amazing memories!

We have a huge thank you to our friends at @intact

We have a huge thank you to our friends at @intactinsurance for choosing to support us at Nova’s Ark through their Better Community Program! This awesome team will be helping to fund our Sway Tree Safety Upgrades. This rubberized surface has made such a huge difference in increasing accessibility and allowing our participants to explore more independently all while creating more social time with friends. From our big Nova’s Ark community, we truly appreciate your support. Thank you, Intact Insurance, for believing in us!

We can’t believe that another fantastic summer h

We can’t believe that another fantastic summer has flown by! Our 2024 Summer Program has been filled with laughter, joy and amazing friendships!

All of this has been possible because of our incredible interprofessional team. Our Resource team has done endless planning for a smooth summer. Our support staff and summer students have ensured that each day is a fabulous one for our participants. Our Animal Care team has done such a fantastic job facilitating meaningful animal interactions.

We so appreciate and value how parents support and trust our unique facility. Our conversations have been so impactful. We’ve loved seeing your smiling faces pass through the forest as you head up the driveway with so much positivity.

To our amazing Nova’s Ark community, partners and volunteers, your help has been so greatly appreciated each and every day!

We can’t wait for more creek adventures, slip-and-slide fun and green grass experiences next year! Thank you all for making this summer one to remember!

Watch out for 2025 Summer Program registration coming in early January!

Thank you all for a fantastic final week of Summer

Thank you all for a fantastic final week of Summer Program!

We’re having a blast during Week 9 of Summer Pro

We’re having a blast during Week 9 of Summer Program!

Our Week 8 Slideshow is out on our YouTube, Nova’s Ark Charity! We shared so many laughs, adventures and fun times together!

Week 9 of Summer Program is already packed with ma

Week 9 of Summer Program is already packed with many great times with friends!

Thank you to the Pickering Casino Resort “PROUD” team who came in once again to volunteer! With hard work and dedication, we could get many areas of our unique facility prepped for our “Out of the Box” Program. From weeding to cleaning, your help is truly appreciated. Thank you for constantly being an amazing partner @pickeringcasino !

Thank you to all those families who believe in us

Thank you to all those families who believe in us at Nova’s Ark! Your care makes a huge difference. Shoutout and huge thanks to the Clarke family for your ongoing support throughout the years!

What a wonderful week we had together! Thank you a

What a wonderful week we had together! Thank you all for making our 8th week of Summer Program a fantastic one!

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