Margaret Chisholm Resettlement Centre

The day that it (MCRC) was opened, we planted a tree. Joe and I planted a tree in front of the house.

At the opening, this house seemed so big, and now it seems it should be bigger.

I think that my mom would have loved to have a center like that.

A place for people who come to Calgary. Somewhere for them to feel welcome and safe.

In her days, she had to keep people at the York Hotel until she could find them something like an apartment or something.

Whenever I come here, I feel welcome. I feel proud and grateful.

I’m grateful that we have something to help people. Because I think that is really the main issue. The main thing is we want to help you.

Maybe it was just different for us growing up than other kids. I was talking to a friend of mine, and she said, “You know, I never knew what my dad did. I knew he left in the morning and went to an office and came home at night.”

Mom had people in her house.

I remember walking into the house, and there would be a family sitting in our living room. Mom had an interpreter with her, and they were talking. They were people I’d never seen before.

We knew what she was doing. We also knew that dinner was waiting for us when we got home.

We knew that people were coming to Canada who needed a place to live and that she was helping them find apartments. We would drive with her on our way to school or wherever, and she would say, “Oh, I just have to run in here and see if they have an apartment available.”

And that’s just what our life was like. So, I think she could stay up later than me, get up earlier than me, and work harder than me. She was just that person.

And she was popular in the community. People would drive, would be walking home from work, and they would stop in. Even when I worked at the Foothills years later, I met people who would say I know your mom. She helped me when I came to Canada.

Theresa Chisholm is the daughter of Margaret Chisholm, the co-founder of CCIS and after whom the building has been named. She is currently a member of the CCIS Board.