Harmony profiles: Solidarity sundays

A Place to Belong

On Sunday mornings, between 10 a.m. and noon, something quietly special happens at the Harmony Centre.

The doors open. The kettle goes on. Someone strikes a few notes on the piano. A game board appears on a table. Children wander in with parents, seniors settle into conversation, and neighbours — some long-time locals, some brand new to Owen Sound — find themselves sharing space, food, and time.

This is Solidarity Sundays: a welcoming, inclusive weekly gathering that has become a gentle anchor for community life.

Solidarity Sundays grew out of conversations between locals, including the Bousfield-Bastedo family (pictured with their children), who were all circling the same question: Where can people gather — without pressure, without expectation — just to be together? Now in its third season, Solidarity Sundays has settled into something both simple and powerful — a weekly hangout where people can arrive exactly as they are.

Louise Jarvis, a newer participant and volunteer (but no stranger to the Harmony Centre), describes her first impressions: “People gather in small clusters chatting, playing board games, or simply enjoying the company of others. Music drifts through the room. On any given Sunday, you might hear a piano, a ukulele, or a group sing-along. Everyone is friendly and welcoming.”

A key part of Solidarity Sundays is the shared meal organized by Food Not Bombs — an independent, volunteer-run collective that prepares (from donated food items) and shares plant-based meals with anyone who wants them. People can donate if they’re able, volunteer if they wish, or simply enjoy the meal — no questions asked.

Extra food prepared each week is intentionally set aside and delivered to Safe N Sound, supporting people in the community who need it. Donations help cover food costs, kitchen supplies, and the basic overhead that makes this sharing possible.

Founding member, Simon Jo-Keeling, says: “At its core, solidarity at the Harmony Centre isn’t about slogans or labels. It’s about standing together.Valuing difference.Creating space where people feel seen, safe, and supported — whether they come for conversation, food, music, or simply to be with others.”

Thanks to donor support, volunteer energy, and the Harmony Centre’s open doors, that feeling is available every Sunday — and the invitation is always open.

Solidarity Sundays are made possible through donations. If you are able, please bring a small donation to cover costs or a potluck snack. Crafts and board games are also welcome! Bring a musical instrument if you’d like to join the jam circle (beginners welcome). The room has a wheelchair ramp and is fully accessible. See you there!

by Tammy Allen

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Profiles is an awesome series of articles written by Harmony Centre Board member Lorraine Campbell and volunteer Tammy Allen. Taking turns as authors, they spotlight the people and community groups who bring this remarkable place to life.

Music, Community, and Connection

By Lorraine Campbell

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kelda Mikalson recently and took the time to get to know a little bit about her and the programs she offers at Harmony Centre.

Originally from Calgary, Kelda holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Lethbridge as well as being a certified Personal Support Worker, and now spends her time teaching music as well as working in group homes in the area.

Kelda moved to Owen Sound in 2009 to help a friend move her store, got involved and subsequently became assistant manager of ‘Around the Sound’ local food market and community kitchen until 2011.

She was teaching music at Fromager’s when it was purchased by Long and McQuade music stores, and stayed with the new owners when they made the move to the upper east side of Owen Sound.

Prior to COVID, Kelda was taking her intergenerational programs to retirement homes and long-term care facilities. The programs were aimed at infants, parents, and seniors. She says the participants had a lot of fun all together.

Looking for a space of her own Kelda moved to Harmony Centre in June of 2024, and has settled well into her airy studio. With softly carpeted floors and bright colours on the walls, it is easy to picture her students feeling comfortable in this space.

She teaches voice to children starting as young as five years old and on up to ‘children’ in their senior years. Her classes are low pressure, and she encourages her students to play and have fun with their voices; to open up and explore and be brave. She offers both private and group lessons and everyone is welcome, whether the student is seasoned or brand new to singing; whether the student is serious and preparing for auditions or singing for the pleasure of self-improvement and gaining confidence for church choir, campfire, or karaoke. Classes run late afternoon and into the evening on weekdays.

Kelda also offers a preschool program four mornings a week for young children and their caregivers called “Music Together,” which is based on an established program. She provides an illustrated book, a CD, and a download of the songs for each session so that the participants have a collection of music, which changes each session.

Kelda’s parting words: “Just sing and have fun! Use your voice!”

If you would like more information on what Kelda has to offer, please contact her at:
musictogetherwithkelda@gmail.com
or 519-371-8275

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Profiles is an awesome series of articles by Harmony Centre board member Lorraine Campbell. Each month Lorraine writes about the people and the community groups that make this remarkable facility what it is today.

The Beat of Community: Drumming at Harmony Centre

By Lorraine Campbell

There is so much music happening at Harmony Centre, and of such variety! On Wednesday nights the djembe drummers gather in Greaves Auditorium and enjoy the balanced acoustics of the hall.

Drumming has been happening at Harmony for many years, first under the facilitation of Tara McKenzie and more recently Lorraine Campbell (hmm, now that might be a familiar name!)

Why drum? Quite simply, it makes us feel good – studies have shown that drumming for as little as 15 minutes reduces stress. Drummers can be found in summer festivals, community centres, music stores, local parks, churches, and camps.

Rhythm is universal, a natural force within us. We arrive in this world in tune with the rhythm of our mother’s heartbeat, we walk every day with the rhythm of our footsteps, we hear rhythm in the wind and in the steady murmur of traffic. We are born with the understanding of this universal language, and community drumming is a way of connecting with others through this universal language.

Drumming creates both physical and psychological changes in a body: the physical activity increases blood flow, enhances breathing, and promotes eye contact with fellow drummers; and psychologically, group awareness and connection occur. Polyrhythms (the rhythmic layers that we learn and play drumming) put us in touch and in synch with our fellow drummers, reduce our heartrates, gives us a creative outlet, and release endorphins.

I started drumming in 2013 and have attended workshops yearly since then at Ontario Womyn’s Drum Camp – virtually, during 2020 and 2021 – with several different facilitators: Ubaka Hill, Pele, Lori Fithian, Catherine Veilleux, Afia Walking Tree, Shara Claire, Terri Segal, Tara McKenzie, to name a few. I lived in Tobermory and was actively involved in the drum circle there as well, and in 2020 I began facilitating that circle. When I moved to Owen Sound in 2023 I drummed with Tara, rekindling our connection from Drum Camp. She was ready to take a step back from her drum ensemble here so my arrival was timely, and I stepped in at Harmony Centre…

The fall session of Harmony Drummers runs from September to the end of November, then starts up again on Wednesday nights from 6:30 – 8pm in January. Experience is not necessary as we learn new rhythms each session. There are some drums available, and they can also be rented locally from Long & McQuade. In addition to learning traditional rhythms, we always have space to cut loose and express ourselves, improvising in jam time.

Our drum circle at Harmony is a gathering of equals, a safe place to relax, connect, experiment, and make a joyful sound. If you are seeking more information about Harmony Drummers or just want to reach out, I can be contacted at hlcampbell58@gmail.com.

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Harmony Profiles is an awesome series of articles by Harmony Centre board member Lorraine Campbell. Each month Lorraine writes about the people and the community groups that make this remarkable facility what it is today.

We always appreciate our residents and love sharing their successes. It’s always nice to receive a little thanks in return.

The Georgian Bay Folk Society is one of the many groups that call the Harmony Centre home for their operations, events and gatherings. This year they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival.

We’re thrilled for this incredible milestone and to have them in the community. We’re also very appreciative of the recent thanks they shared.

Rock the Sound Choir Finds Its Voice at Harmony Centre

By Lorraine Campbell

Owen Sound has a wealth of performing arts and artists – and Harmony Centre is home to so many of them!

Rock the Sound Choir is one such community choir singing in Harmony. Originally organized by local musician Tara MacKenzie in 2012, the baton was passed to singer and choir member Holly Sled in 2020. As we all know, 2020 was a bad luck year for so many people and groups.

Holly faced the challenges creatively – since singing indoors (two banned activities right there) was not permitted, she gathered her group and they met in her backyard to share the joy of music.

Once life had settled a bit she and her choir ventured indoors, first to St. George’s Church hall and then back to Harmony Centre, where it had all begun. Holly has a close attachment to the Centre as it was Knox Church – Harmony’s previous incarnation – where she attended services and sang in the church choir as a child. Coming full circle has been very satisfying for her.

Rock the Sound Choir has doubled from 25 members post-pandemic to 50, currently. The choir meets Sunday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. from September until the end of April. The choir has three sections, low medium and high voices, each with a section leader so that Holly can circulate and spend time with the groups as they learn their part.

The song list is composed of several genres of music – classic rock, pop, modern, rap, country – there is something for everyone. Holly and the members work towards an April concert as a culmination of all their efforts over the eight months of singing together. The concert is open to the public and held in the Greaves Auditorium at Harmony Centre. Of course, each year the focus is different. Last year the theme was music from Motown, and this year… Holly says it is a surprise.

Holly mentioned that the choir is diverse and inclusive, open to anyone interested in singing for the joy of it. Do you sing in your car, in the shower, or to your dog? You’ll fit right in! She teaches the songs by ear and by repetition, not by sheet music. She provides audio tracks so you can practice in your kitchen or in your car.

Gentle, patient, and inclusive, Holly makes people feel comfortable. For first-time choir members, she fosters a safe environment and helps new voices feel brave enough to sing out loud. “Everyone that wants an opportunity to shine can have it”, she says, “and everyone that doesn’t want to shine – because there are lots of those folks too- well that’s cool too. We are all here for the pleasure of group singing”.

Holly emphasizes that Rock the Sound Choir is for everyone. If you are interested in joining, it is not too late. There will be some catching up to do, but the choir has until April to learn everything. You can contact Holly at missholly1976@icloud.com.

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Profiles is an awesome series of articles by Harmony Centre board member Lorraine Campbell. Each month, Lorraine writes about the people and the community groups that make this remarkable facility what it is today.

Shawna Banville Art Therapy is among the many creative residents who call Harmony Centre home. Later this month, Shawna will be hosting a unique creative experience called The Art of Seeing. Running from 10:00 to 3:00 on November 29, this Expressive Art Retreat will guide you on a journey of mindful self-exploratio

Cost: $150

AWAKEN YOUR SENSES

Get out of your head and step into a day of presence, creativity, and mindful self exploration. Nurture your body, mind, and spirit through art, sound, and movement.

Explore and play in a safe, supportive and confidential space and leave with practices and insight to integrate connection and awareness into your everyday life.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Guided mindful journey inward
• Reflective Art Therapy exercises and art materials (sensory processing, drawing, watercolour, journaling)
• Exploration of what gets in the way of seeing ones truth
• Sound/frequency healing
• Opportunity for group sharing
• Catered lunch and refreshments

YOUR HOSTS

Shawna Banville, BA, RP, Registered Art Psychotherapist,
nature lover, mother, artist, dancer, private practice owner, and
guide in creative mindful self discovery.

Mike Merrit, MSW, Clinical Logo therapist, Ex Naval officer,
2nd degree black belt in Karate, dabbler in the arts, and
mindfulness practitioner.

Contact Shawna to Reserve
1-519-374-9850
shawnabanville@gmail.com

Therapists Tap Self Awareness to Heal Emotional Wounds

By Lorraine Campbell

Julie Devaney and Rob Whiteman of NEW RIVER THERAPY are new residents at Harmony Centre. They offer in-person or virtual counselling following the Gestalt method, a style of psychotherapy that focusses on self-awareness and responsibility, and the present moment. The method views the client as a whole person: emotions as well as body.

Gestalt therapy is beneficial for a range of issues, including: anxiety and depression, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, trauma, substance abuse and other issues.

Following five years of training at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto and a further two years securing their registration with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, they set up their practice in Gestalt Therapy in Toronto in 2018. During the pandemic they made the shift to virtual sessions, and their client base expanded exponentially as their catchment area became unlimited. With the realization that their business could thrive regardless of their location, they recently moved to Owen Sound without disrupting services to their clients.

Expression is Key

New River Therapy offers individual, couple, and group sessions (to a maximum of 10) for clients 12 years of age and up. Their clients come to them either through referral, word of mouth, or accessing online databases. The magazine Psychology Today – yes, the one that you may have seen at your doctor’s office – is a great resource for sourcing many kinds of professional help and they advertise there, too. Sessions take place in Studio 6 at Harmony Centre, a quiet room filled with sunlight and comfortable chairs and a box of art supplies for those who are more comfortable drawing their troubles rather than talking about them.  The room feels inviting and safe.

For Julie and Rob success is recognized as the client who continues to show up, begins to speak up and out and express themselves, and learns to accept and feel comfortable exactly as they are.

And what does the future hold for New River Therapy? They hope to increase the number of group sessions, and in the spring Rob would like to introduce outdoor sessions especially with younger people.

If you or anyone you know are interested in finding out more about Gestalt Therapy and New River Therapy, please contact Julie or Rob at https://www.newrivertherapy.ca.

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Profiles is a series of articles by Harmony Centre board member Lorraine Campbell. Each month Lorraine writes about the people and the community groups that make this remarkable facility what it is today.

Hello friends! We’re looking for (at least) two web based volunteers – we need help posting to our wordpress website (copying over content from our newsletter, approving events) and we’d also like some help with Facebook – creating posts and sharing content from our amazing residents and user groups.

If you’re looking for a way to help from the comfort of your home and become part of a great team dedicated to this special social enterprise/registered charity please get in touch!

info@harmonycentre.ca and 519-376-8880

One of the newest residents at Harmony Centre is Margaret Curtis. Her business, Margaret Curtis Landscape Design, was formerly based out of Meaford, but after welcoming her baby a few months ago she decided the time was right to move the office to Owen Sound to be closer to home. She and her husband share studio space (Jesse is the founder of the local magazine Rrampt), and the arrangement is ideal for both of them.

Margaret has taken an interesting and expansive route to landscape design. She studied fine art at university and that led to a career in floral design in Toronto, which led to work in film as a set director, and then to starting her first business, as food stylist for TV and print (her childhood dream was to be a chef). 

An Unexpected Evolution

She loved floral design working on weddings and big events but she sought something more challenging, something on a bigger scale. Margaret headed back to school to study landscape design and was hired by a well respected designer in Toronto, Joel Loblaw Inc. After graduating, she remained with his firm for five more years and continued to hone her skills. Although her evolution as landscape designer is unexpected, the path to reach this point has been logical and has given her the skills to utilize all her experiences in her design work.

After spending ten years in Toronto, Margaret was ready to head closer to her childhood home. She settled back in Owen Sound and established her business in Meaford, developed some contacts with local architects and builders and found a niche for her skills mainly in the Muskoka-Collingwood-Thornbury-Meaford areas. She works independently and occasionally calls upon a freelance artist to help with some of the computer generated renderings that she uses.

Margaret takes her responsibility as designer very seriously, “landscaping is a luxury, and people are putting a lot of faith and trust in me,” she says. “I want to make sure that people love their outdoor spaces and [that the spaces] are going to function well for them and their families.  The designing is about creating something that is beautiful now but will also look beautiful in 15 year’s time.”

Design a Lifelong Interest

Margaret measures success in terms of her client’s happiness, and also in terms of pushing herself to be a growing and creative person. I asked her what it is that makes her good at her job. “I’m a good listener,” Margaret explains. “My clients might not know exactly what they want, so I have to suss out through our conversations what would be most appealing to them. As well, I have been interested in design for a very long time, since I was a little kid,” she adds. “It’s been a lifelong interest of mine.”

Check out Margaret’s designs on her website at margaretcurtisdesign.com, reach her at hello@margaretcurtisdesign.com, or pick up a copy of this summer’s July/August edition of House and Home where her designs are displayed on the cover of the magazine.

This profile provided by Harmony Centre board member Lorraine Campbell. Each month Lorraine writes about the people and the community groups that make this remarkable facility what it is today.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Matt Evans, one of the first ‘residents’ at Harmony Centre. Harmony Centre uses the term ‘resident’ to describe the folks who base themselves out of the many studios available for rent. I was interested in meeting with him and learning about his organization: OSAID – Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving.

Lorraine:Can you tell me a little about yourself?
Matt: As a teenager I was involved in Katimavik, a programme that engages youth through volunteer community service work. The programme sparked my interest in working with youth and with community projects.

Lorraine:Can you tell me what OSAID is about?
Matt: The mission of OSAID is to impower youth to eliminate impaired driving. It is a student-led, peer-to-peer charity that helps to develop valuable leadership skill in teenage volunteers. OSAID tackles a critical issue – impaired driving, the number one criminal cause of death and injury among youth. Although impaired driving is an old known issue for adults, it is a NEW concept for teens since they are entering that area for the first time.

Lorraine:How did OSAID begin?
Matt: In the mid 1980s teachers, police officers, and students were realizing that the reason so many students were being injured or dying was because they were in a car – and they’d been out partying, and drinking, and then driving. The evidence was found in the memorial pages in high school yearbooks and road statistics collected by the government. Conversations started in Gananoque and soon spread.

In the 1990s I was hired as provincial co-ordinator. Over the next decade, OSAID grew from 50 chapters to 500 chapters due to the efforts of one staff (me) and over 5000 volunteers. Students, teachers, volunteers, police, public health, and many civic-minded people were all involved. There were regional workshops and national conferences with motivational speakers and leadership training for the youth. The result? There was a 51% decline in youth impaired driving, a faster decline than in any other age group in the province.

This programme ran successfully with provincial chapter numbers in the hundreds, until the pandemic caused a drop in the number of groups due to the change in schooling routines. Now there are only 40 provincial chapters, and consequently student injuries and deaths due to impaired driving have risen over the past few years.

Lorraine:How are you addressing this lack of a local chapter?
Matt: Grey/Bruce County at one time had an OSAID chapter at practically every school. Now, there are only a few schools that are active. We have tried everything – but it really takes a teacher or student to step up and say, “I am going to promote awareness around this issue at our school”. We still need to get the message out.

Lorraine:How will you go about finding the support you need?
Matt:May 15, 2025 has been designated as SAID DAY.  This project won the provincial initiative of the year by the Ministry of Transportation. SAID Day encourages schools, businesses, and community organizations to participate. The first 40 schools to sign up get free T-shirts and awareness-raising swag. It would be wonderful if we can find a principal, a teacher, or a student willing to start a chapter in Owen Sound.

Lorraine:How can we find out more or get involved?
Matt: For more information about OSAID, to get involved, to find activities and resources, or for information on what schools, business, or community organizations can do, go to  www.osaid.ca.