Ms. Leung is a Cantonese-speaking senior who lives in Chinatown. Since overcoming kidney cancer, she returns to the hospital for exams every few months. Our outreach worker accompanies Ms. Leung to every visit to ensure that she has the language and emotional support she needs. We have been supporting seniors like Ms. Leung since 2015!

Light is a resource that nourishes us. We gather around light to build community and deepen our connections. This year, Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice 世代同行會 is raising $50,000 to organize and shine light on the critical importance of language access to the healthcare system. Will you donate today? Every dollar will help.

Why contribute to Yarrow?

• We opened our intergenerational drop-in space for community members in 2018. In the last year, seniors came in 238 times for services;
• We provide one-on-one support for seniors who face language and cultural barriers to accessing government services to meet their housing, health, and income needs;
• We are currently one of two organizations in the Downtown Eastside that provides free culturally competent case management services in Chinese, even though there is such a great community need;
• We provide medical accompaniment for seniors who need navigation and interpretation support at their hospital and specialist appointments. 

In 2020-2021, our priorities are to:

• Continue supporting seniors one-on-one through casework and medical accompaniment services;
• Grow and deepen our network of youth volunteers to build our intergenerational community;
• Shine a light on a universal issue that affects our seniors daily: access to healthcare;
• Develop leadership among seniors and youth to advocate for language justice in the healthcare system.

Here are some suggested amounts you can give:

• $15/month will help sustain our drop-in hours. To be a monthly sustainer, click here.
• $30 will provide buns and refreshments for a seniors’ healthcare workshop.
• $50 will support a senior to apply for social housing.
• $100 will ensure a senior can attend a doctor’s appointment with proper interpretation support.
• $200 will sustain a youth-led intergenerational event.
• $500 will allow us to develop a campaign strategy with seniors to make healthcare fully accessible.

Your donations matter because non-profits are always accountable to the priorities of their funders. When we apply for a grant, we must meet the requirements set forth by the funder and actualize their priorities. Funder priorities and community needs do not always align. While the priorities of our funders can change from year to year, we know that there are core services and programs that our community needs.

We strive to raise a good portion of our annual budget from community members like you, who care about Chinatown and its low-income residents. This allows us to be accountable to our most important stakeholders - our seniors and youth - and gives us the stability to focus on what the community truly needs. We are now reaching out to our community again, and asking you to help us continue to grow!

If you’re interested in getting involved in our Language Access to Healthcare Campaign, please reach out to info@yarrowsociety.ca.

Long-term Vision

Yarrow’s ultimate vision is a thriving, equitable, and intergenerational community in Chinatown. 

 We recognize that our community’s service needs come from systemic inequality. While it has been long identified that racialized people and people who do not speak English as their first language face more barriers in accessing vital services and community connection, the barriers remain in place. We recognize therefore that providing interpretation and services is not the answer to our community’s challenges; long-term inequalities require long-term solutions. For this, Yarrow will need your continued support.

Access to healthcare is a human right. Language justice is racial justice.