A Message from Our Board of Directors

Welcome to the Candora Society of Edmonton's website. In these pages, you will find information about Candora, our mission and values, our programs and community activities. For over 20 years, Candora has been a force for positive change in north-east Edmonton, ensuring that low-income Edmontonians have access to first-class, community-based programs. We take great pride in our staff members and our participants who strive every day to end the isolation of poverty and to reach out to those in need.

The Board of Directors is made up of a diverse group of individuals from various backgrounds. Together, the Board sets policies for Candora to ensure that we are responding to the needs of our community, and to ensure that our able staff have the resources they need to carry out Candora's philosophy. Candora's day-to-day operations are overseen by our Executive Director, who is responsible for a staff of 30 people.

We see Candora as an instrument for positive change in Edmonton. If you would like to contribute to our success, as a Board member, a staff member, a donor, or as a participant, we encourage you to contact our Executive Director, Debbie Clark.

Elaine Dunnigan, Chairperson, Board of Directors

Click here to see the organizational chart for Candora Society

Candora

The Candora Society of Edmonton is a not for profit organization with a community development mandate to work with the residents of North East Edmonton to create a positive environment for families to live and grow and to collectively address issues of concern in our communities. The communities of Rundle and Abbottsfield are comprised of about 1,400 multi family housing units. A major proportion of the residents are from Aboriginal, multicultural, single parent, low income, or working poor families. Formal education levels may be low but the residents hold a wealth of knowledge and wisdom from their life experiences. The people in our community have valuable strength and vision, and through our collective wisdom, strength, energy, kindness and commitment we work together to create a great place to live. Candora, with resident input and assistance, develops and offers activities for adults, children and families to connect them to each other and the broader community.
"People helping people make a difference" That’s what Candora is all about.

Philosophy

At CANDORA, we believe that strong and healthy individuals are a product of healthy and healing families and communities. Working together towards a model of community ownership is what the CANDORA society is all about: "People helping people make a difference". The CANDORA organization works from a philosophy of participatory education that enables people to come to own their own strengths, to give voice to their issues, to take a stand on what is important to them. The name CANDORA stands for CAN DO in Rundle and Abbottsfield.

Mission

The CANDORA Society promotes positive growth in the lives of women, children and families in our community. We recognize and provide opportunities for progressive learning about the issues that affect our lives.  The CANDORA Society is community driven and focuses on individual strengths and abilities. The society connects people to increase understanding of each other, reduce isolation, build self worth and enrich the community.

Main Goals and Objectives

• Connecting People - to reduce isolation, increase understanding, build self worth, and decrease frequency of crises.
• Addressing Community Issues - by supporting community capacity, providing opportunities for progressive learning about the issues that affect resident’s lives (for example: hunger, child abuse, family violence, substance abuse, community safety), and by providing the opportunity for individual and collective action to address these issues.
• Intervening Early in Crises - to lower the likelihood that crises will escalate by networking and collaborating with community partners, providing opportunities for early intervention, and supporting people in acquiring coping skills, and providing respite.
• Valuing Human Resources - by creating an environment where people are stimulated, nurtured, encouraged, and appreciated.

Click here to download our current newsletter

Click here to download our current calendar

Click here to download the Candora activities booklet