Outgoing Executive Director Debbie Hill-Corrigan: “Carrying on the Legacy….”

In June of 1998, I began a career journey with a small organization called Sojourn House. It’s sometimes hard to figure out where all the years have gone and that it is now time to pass on the leadership of this most wonderful organization.

I could never have asked for a more rewarding career than the time I have spent learning and growing as a person with Sojourn House. It has taught me many things but mostly it has taught me about humanity and the need for social justice in a world that has become increasingly violent and oppressive. Never has the world seen so many refugees as there are today and only a very few are able to make their way to a safe haven in Canada.

have been very privileged to have had the opportunity to meet many incredibly resilient and resourceful people along the way. There are so many stories; joyful, upon hearing of being accepted in Canada or completing university, sponsoring their family who finally arrive to join them but there is also great sadness for those who we lost that struggled in their refugee journey due to mental health and trauma. will never forget them. The joys and sorrows will always stay with me.

Sojourn House, as I have always said, is not a building or buildings as it has grown to be today.

It is the culture of humanity that resides within this organization that makes it exceptional. You feel it when you walk in the doors. It’s the people, from the staff at all levels to the clients that are really Sojourn House and to them I say THANK YOU for enriching my life and teaching me to be a better person along the way.