Little Mountain Neighbourhood House
Nominator Comments:
I believe Alexis Declercq should be recognized as an employee to receive the Bhayana Family Foundation Award for Leadership for inspiring program partIcipants and staff, while building strong relationships within the organization and community.
Her ability to juggle Little Mountain Neighbourhoods’ Schools Out program in five schools and run the CREW pre-teen drop-in program while dealing with staff, parents, and administrators is a testament to her ability to delegate responsibility and properly equip her team. Her commitment to diversity is apparent in the staff group, which is reflective of the people who access our programs.
There was recently a change in the Child and Youth Manager at Little Mountain Neighbourhood House, which occurred just as school-based programs were beginning. Alexis oversaw the transition in the programs affected and was able to maintain the high level of service provided in our programs. She accomplished this through hard work and entrusting team members to take on new roles, while providing faith and support. Dealing with a change this massive in a small organization while programs are ramping up is another leadership trait that sets her apart.
While running the Schools Out program, she is an ambassador for the organization and is well known for her continued commitment to the children of the community while building strong lasting relationships with their parents. As well as acting behind the scenes, Alexis also creates lesson plans for programs. In the Schools Out program, there is a heavy literacy aspect where we rally behind children in grades 1-3 to have confidence in the words they write and the stories they tell. Alexis’ lesson plans are integral in building up the young program participants to be inspired by the newly acquired ability to express themselves through the written word.
Being a member of Alexis’ team for the past year has been exciting, challenging and fantastic for me. I am constantly learning new things from her, and have never had a doubt about asking questions or for help. It is my firm belief that she embodies the Bhayana Family Foundation Award for Leadership, and will continue to demonstrate this as our programs grow.
