Hanging On For Hope

Brenda Cernac is the leadhand of horticulture for Niagara parks commission. - Niagara parks school of horticulture diploma. -Florist certification from Niagara college . - arborist ISA  Niagara parks arborist 8 years.

Today she offered us some Practical support in there pandemic times on  "How to Grow Your Own Food "

You can reach her for support at

Facebook Brenda Cernac or email brendaverhage@yahoo.ca or 9053212745 .  She has asked if possible you make donations to your local Humane Society for her time. 

Cheyanne Ratnam is a child advocate also has experience as a a post-secondary educator in the social services sector, and was the Phase 2 project coordinator at A Way Home Toronto (a City of Toronto and cross-sectoral community collaborative working with young people as key partners, stakeholders and decision makers regarding the formation of a cross-sectoral youth homelessness strategy for Toronto, in addition to an implementation and sustainability plan). Cheyanne is the primary investigator of the Family and Permanency Project/Study which previously engaged with young people in systems of care across Ontario to explore conceptualizations of permanency and family-making, and currently in the analysis and synthesis phase. She recently joined the Mosaic Institute as a Program Facilitator to deliver curriculum to high school students on complex themes such as inclusion, identity, prejudice, discrimination, and conflict resolution.   Cheyanne is a founding member, and lead, of the Ontario Children's Advocacy Coalition, and is on the board of directors of both Scarborough West Community Legal Clinic and the Children's Aid Society of Toronto, as well as a member of the Children in Limbo Taskforce.  Cheyanne is an independant consultant, advisor, facilitator, trainer, as well as public speaker, is an ambassador of the Children's Aid Foundation of Canada, and partakes in various communities through voluntary roles such as being the lead of the Gender Equity Committee and Working Group at the Tamil Center for Civic Action, advisor to ISEE Initiative (Tamil initiative regarding gender based violence), and sits on the stakeholder leadership table chaired by the former Ontario Child Advocate regarding advancing principles of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act.   Previously, Cheyanne was the founder and co-manager of the "What’s The Map?!" project, mobilizing young people with lived experience of homelessness from the global south to nurture a more coordinated system through multi-governmental policy circles and cross-sectoral community engagement.  Some topics she has experience in (lived experience and professional), and is highly passionate about include: youth homelessness, youth in/from the child welfare system, educational outcomes of vulnerable populations, childhood sexual abuse, youth development, mobilization and ethical engagement, equity issues and human rights issues regarding marginalized populations.  Cheyanne holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work, and in 2016 she was the recipient of one of four highest accolades presented to York University’s Alumni — the Bryden ‘One To Watch’ Alumni Award ("A graduate who has made significant impact in their field and/or community within 15 years of a bachelor’s degree or 10 years of a professional/graduate degree").

Today guest is Patrick Nelson James and who goes by Nelly.

He grew up in the Jane and Finch community of Toronto , Canada where he was exposed to a lot of things he should not have like killings, muggings, and drug dealing. He was even stabbed by his own blood brother! He grew up in a single parent household for most of his life and their was a lot of conflict,

His circumstance caused depression and he turned to gangs, drugs and alcohol and got into a lot of fights. Today we will hear about how he has turned his life around and is helping others do the same. He has now authored two books and regularly speaks and mentors and has had his work acknowledged with awards!

Welcome to Hanging on For Hope , I am your host Andrea Page. Hanging on for hope is the stories about people working to overcome trauma and adversity.  From incarceration to kids in crisis, postpartum depression, acute grief and loss and serious health challenges we hear from everyday people on what they going through and how they get through it.  We also hear from experts on the latest strategies , supports , treatment and brain science for overcoming adverse life experiences and improving quality of life .

Todays guest is Habeeb Alli

Habeeb Alli studied at Queen's College, Guyana before he graduated with a Masters in Islamic Theology and Arabic Language from the famous Deoband Seminary, India. He also holds a Diploma in Journalism from Delhi.

Habeeb is the author of nineteen books on Canadian Muslims and Contemporary Islam including the recent Underground Lines:150+Verses- celebrating Canada 150th plus anniversary.

He is a member of the Canadian Council of Imams and served as Secretary for six years. Mr Alli serves as director at the Interfaith Committee called Abraham Festival in Peterborough.

Imam Alli has presented on Islam in many conferences over the past twenty five years globally and was a regular contributor on Allexperts.com. He was recognized by the Junctian Network for Community Service in April 2017.

He presently serves as Development Officer at Human Concern International- dedicated towards global humanitarian efforts and as a Federal Chaplain with Correctional Services Canada.

Todays guest is. Natalie Watson author of “15 years and 14 chapters, The Loss of My Son in 3 ways"

Her book is the true story of her son Noah Matthew Watson, who tragically passed away while swimming with friends on May 30, 2018 in Welland, Ontario. Noah's story is a spell-binding account of love, survival, resilience and the unbreakable bonds that bind a mother and son, even after death. Throughout the course of this book, Noah's mother shares the story of her son's life from his birth to his death at the age of 14 and explores the relationship that she continues to have with him. By describing personal stories and accounts of the major events that shaped them both during the 15 years of Noah's life, Noah's mother provides a compelling account of her life and struggles as a single mother, how these challenges impacted Noah and how she survived the unspeakable tragedy of losing a child.

Todays guest is Kelsey Lemon

She is. a 27 year old stay at home mother of a 5 year old son, Parker. She is also a recovering addict who is on the methadone program. Kelsey began using at 15 years old and Before she began using I was an A++ student who was in the gifted program who planned to be a lawyer or engineer. Kelsey is also a survivor of sexual assault by a family member. She has since been diagnosed and actively struggles with major depression, severe anxiety and insomnia and has had counsellors suggest she could be manic depressive but currently remains on a wait list for a psychiatrist to get an official diagnosis. Kelsey went to college for Journalism but didn't finish and is currently looking into college programs for Fall 2020. She has been in a relationship for over 6 years with her partner and sons father,  Mitchell. As you can imagine she is still trying to figure everything out and learn to cope with her past while looking to the future. Kelsey has a lot of experience finding support and has tried almost every community program for addicts. She loves writing, hiking and bringing her son camping in the back country of our provincial parks. She remains hopeful for the future even though she is still actively struggling with her mental health and today she will share with us more about her story and pearls of wisdom about recovery. Thank you Kelsey for joining me!

Todays interview is with Kate White

Kate White is an advanced bodyworker, perinatal educator, and somatic trauma resolution professional. She is a mother of two children, holds a BA and MA in Communication, a Registered Craniosacral Therapist in the Biodynamic Craniosacral method and a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner. Her work combines somatic therapy, birth preparation, recovery from difficult birth, and somatic trauma resolution. She is the Founding Director of Education for the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and helps administer an online program for parents and professionals who work with parents, runs a private practice, and offers her own seminars through the Center for Prenatal and Perinatal Programs, ppncenter.com.

Today Kate and I discuss pre- cognitive childhood adverse experiences.