Our Philosophies
Our Team
Sally-Anne Woolnough
Executive Director
Sally-Anne Woolnough
Executive Director
Shelly Arsenault
Facility Caretaker
Mabel
Pest Control and Emotional Support
Mouse
Pest Control and Emotional Support
Board of Directors
Bazibuhe Muhabwa - Board Member
Darlene Bakker - Board Member
Deanna Boyde - Board Member
Ghirmay Teklemichael - Board Member
Jackie Hunt - Chair of the Board
Selam Habtegergish Ruusom - Board Member
Susan Waldie - Treasurer
Wilson MacLennan - Secretary
Our Community
Kirk Centre Land Acknowledgement
Kirk Centre acknowledges that the land on which we are established is in Treaty Six Territory. We thank the diverse Indigenous Peoples who have inhabited and cared for this land for centuries, including the Nehiyawak (Cree), Siksika (Blackfoot), Tsuut’ina and Dene (Athabaskan), Anishinaabe (Ojibwe/Salteaux), Nakota Isga (Sioux), and Métis. We acknowledge the Inuit who have also made this land their home. We thank the land itself, the animals, the grass and trees, the water, the wind, and the stones for creating a beautiful home for us. Like the historical and traditional diversity and generosity of this land and its Peoples, Kirk Centre strives to be open, safe, inclusive and welcoming to all people, Indigenous and settler. We call upon the shared values of our many traditions, cultures, religions, histories, stories, and beliefs to unite in building a community centre for today and future generations, so that our children and grandchildren may walk in a better world.
To learn more about this Land Acknowledgement and the Indigenous Peoples whose land we live on, click here!
Pronunciation Guide for oral recitation:
Nehiyawak: neh-HEE-o-wuk
Siksika: seeg-see-KAH
Tsuut’ina: tsoo-TIN-ah
Dene: den-EH
Anishinaabe: ah-nish-in-AH-be
Nakota Isga: Na-KOH-tah EE-skah
Metis: may-TEE or may-TEES
Inuit: IN-oo-wee
To learn more about this land acknoeledgement and the Indeginous Peoples whose land we live on
Kirk Centre is located in the community of Dovercourt, in the City of Edmonton. Along with the neighbouring communities of Sherbrooke, Athlone, Inglewood and Woodcroft, Dovercourt was established circa 1955. It is an established and stable, mainly residential, area with a minor mix of small commercial enterprises.
Our Story
Kirk United Church Congregation was a declining community of faith that took a courageous look at themselves and the neighbourhood and decided to think outside the box. In 2015, Kirk Congregation worked with its governing body, the Edmonton Presbytery, to rethink the options of what can be done with a church building when the congregation can no longer sustain it. Although Kirk Congregation disbanded in June of 2019, a continued presence in NW Edmonton was very important to everyone involved. Selling the church and property would have affected the entire community. In many cases, condominiums and retail space is constructed in these types of sold lots, causing a large shift in the feel of an established community. Communities need space to come together in many different ways and Kirk Centre provides this space. We have created a great model to re-purpose structurally sound buildings with a non-profit organization managing the building as a community centre, thus ensuring there are affordable spaces for any community group or program. In operation since 2016, Kirk Centre incorporated under the Societies Act of Alberta in December 2019, making it a non-profit organization, and has since grown to be a thriving community hub in the Dovercourt community. We are continuing to pave a new way forward for Edmonton Community Hubs and its beautiful existing infrastructure.