Warden Woods Community Centre

Date(s) of creation: 1959-1984

40 cm. of textual material

74 Fir Valley Court, Scarborough, Ontario

Warden Woods Community Centre began as a Mennonite Church response to the needs of residents in a new government housing project in southwest Scarborough. Built in the early 1960s to accommodate 347 families and 392 senior citizens, the Warden Woods project had no recreational facilities and few public amenities.

Accordingly, the Warden Park Mennonite Church, with the strong encouragement of John H. Hess, Warden Park's minister, together with the Mennonite Mission Boared of Ontario, began advocating for suitable space for activities and, in cooperation with local residents, launched three programs: clothing distribution, the Woodland Nursery School, and a teen drop-in centre. Later, in 1968, the Church joined with Family Services Association, Children's Aid Society and Public Health Department to form the Warden Woods Community Services Unit, a co-operative inter-agency effort virtually unique in Canada at that time.

The Community Centre at 74 Fir Valley Court was built in 1970 with leadership and capital funding supplied by Mennonite Conference of Ontario. The Warden Woods Mennonite Church (formerly Warden Park) became of the new facility as well.

The Warden Woods Community Centre provided the opportunity to improve, and added important new services such as crisis intervention and support services followed. A number of Mennonite Voluntary Service workers worked for the Centre at various times during these years.

After 1985, the Warden Woods Community Centre was no longer run by the Mennonite Conference or other external agencies. After its 1985 incorporation, the Centre has been governed by a local board of directors, with continued financial assistance from Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, all three levels of government, the United Way, and others

The fonds consists primarily of sox series: Minutes; Correspondence; Policy Documents & Reports; Financial reports; Publicity; and Newsletter.

Custodial History: The fonds was donated to the Mennonite Archives of Ontario via Warden Woods Mennonite Church at various times.

Prepared by Sam Steiner September 2008

Series 1: Minutes & Related Correspondence

1. Warden Woods Programme Development & Operations Committees 
   1965-1969
2. Warden Woods Administrative Council (Mission Board)
   1970-1978
3. Warden Woods Community Services Administrative Committee
   1968-1976
4. Toronto Service Program Advisory Council 
   Minutes & Correspondence, 1966-1967, 1971-1976
5. Building Committee
   Minutes & Correspondence, 1967-1971 

Series 2 : Correspondence

1. Capital Fund Drive
   1968-1971
2. Mission Board & Administrative Council
   1965-1977
3. Early Correspondence and notes
   1959-1966
4. Borough of Scarborough
   1970-1974
5. Elderly Persons Centre
   1972-1975
6. City to Country Program
   1965-1971 

Series 3 : Policy Documents & Reports

1. Guidelines for Use of Warden Woods Church and Community Centre
   1969, 1971, 1977
2. Agreement Between Participating Organizations
   1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1977, 1978
3. Evaluation Procedures for Staff
   n.d.
4. Survey of Goals, Programme and Clientele of Eight Multifunctional Community Agencies Which Have Requested Grants from the Metropolitan Corporation/ Charlotte Maher, 1972
5. Final Report on Take Part 1973

Series 4 : Financial Reports

1971-1978, 1981-1984

Series 5 : Publicity

1. Publicity Materials 
   1970-1981
2. Papers, Descriptions of Warden Woods Community Centre
   (including student papers), 1970s

Series 6 : Newsletter

Fresh From the Woods, 1979-1980

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