'OPEN OUR HEARTS': Woolwich group offers HOPE for one and all
WRCF’s Racial Equity Fund supports organizations’ belonging efforts
Abby Cooper hears it all the time.
“Elmira? You guys have a multicultural festival? Do you need one?” Cooper said.
To which she always responds: “Yes. Yes, we do.”
Cooper would know. Since 2023, the Elmira resident and Founder of Hearts Open for Everyone (HOPE) has been tapping into Woolwich Township’s growing diversity to foster a multicultural rural community while promoting a sense of belonging.
The township is well-known for its Mennonite heritage and agricultural roots. However, like most places in Ontario, it has evolved and grown in recent years, including the arrival of new faces.
“We’re seeing people from Japan, Taiwan, Syria, Morrocco, all different parts of the world,” said Cooper, a Sri Lankan-Canadian who moved to Elmira five years ago. “These people live here.”
A range of programs, events, and workshops are organized as part of HOPE’s mission “to create welcoming, inclusive spaces that foster belonging, connection and dialogue across cultures, generations and lived experiences.”
A workshop called Building Bridges explored the social impacts of racism, while Circle of Balance took participants through a guided Indigenous meditation. Global Flavours celebrated Elmira’s diverse cultures through food prepared by local community members, while Holidays with HOPE showcased how residents from various backgrounds celebrate holidays.
“It helped me reconnect with myself and the land in a way that I hadn’t done in years.”
HOPE's biggest event is the Multicultural Festival of Elmira (the third annual event happens at Gibson Park on Saturday, September 20, 2025), which celebrates Waterloo Region’s various ethnic groups and raises awareness of diversity and inclusion through performances, workshops, services, and vendors.
“We serve a diverse range of community members, including racialized individuals, newcomers, the Pride community, youth, seniors, and families in rural communities,” Cooper said. “Through our culturally grounded workshops, we have community events and support circles. We aim to build bridges between people who may not otherwise cross paths. That’s important to us — to tackle those kinds of conversations.”
Conversations that aren’t often easy — but are necessary.
“As much as it is a nice place to live, Woolwich, in addition to Waterloo Region, still has a long way to go in terms of becoming a lot more of an inclusive place,” Cooper said. “I think it’s just that openness, understanding. If people aren’t open to learning, we can’t move forward.”
HOPE received funding to support its programming through Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF)’s Racial Equity Fund and was additionally supported by The Motz Family Endowment, a fund held at WRCF.
The Racial Equity Fund, which supports meaningful, positive action that advances the work of organizations serving people in Waterloo Region who are Indigenous, Black, and people of colour, is further refined in order to also advance social infrastructure in Waterloo Region. WRCF has researched social infrastructure over the past few years and found a framework they support that was created by Gehl Studio, which focuses on three types of activated spaces: Hubs, Havens, and Hangouts.
HOPE is a good example of a Hub: a space that encourages interactions among diverse groups that may not otherwise interact, creating opportunities for people to connect from different backgrounds.
The Multicultural Festival of Elmira is also an example of a Hub. In 2024, the festival received funding through the Woolwich Community Fund, held at WRCF.
“Thank you for bringing joy and safety to my community. My kids loved the festival and we all learned so much.”
“It helped us build more partnerships and expand our reach to include more underrepresented voices,” Cooper said of the funding from WRCF and its Fundholders. “It supported HOPE in a way that allowed us to become a trusted connector and advocate within the community. That’s something that I don’t think we would have been able to do without their support. It’s uplifting and powerful.”
Cooper said she has experienced various forms of racism in her lifetime, as have many people she has met through her work with HOPE and elsewhere. She is hopeful that things can change for the better in that regard.
“If we can just open our hearts and listen, learn, be open to the knowledge, experiences, the stories, and the impact that each person can bring to a community, to our society, I feel we can all just live so much happier lives. Joyful and meaningful lives,” she said.
“This is the first time I’ve felt seen in Elmira. I finally feel like I’m not alone”
“If you’re more open, that would lead to being more open to listening. If you’re open to listening, you’re open to learning. If you’re open to learning... there’s a lot to that that can happen.”
She added: “This work is not done in isolation. It’s only possible because of our partnerships and volunteers. Our funders like WRCF (which) are willing to take a chance on bold ideas... like supporting small grassroots organizations like us."
For more information on HOPE and the services they offer, including information about the upcoming Multicultural Festival of Elmira, visit heartsopenforeveryone.ca.
To learn more about WRCF’s Racial Equity Fund, go to wrcf.ca/racialequity.