Although she’s only lived here for just over five years, it’s fair to say that Chatham-Kent has charmed Donna Pollock.
As the outgoing executive director of Community Futures Chatham-Kent (CFCK) prepares to head into retirement this month, she said she has no plans to leave the community that welcomed her with open arms.
“Now that I’m retiring and have the opportunity to go someplace else, I have no intention of going anywhere,” she said. “When you relocate to a new community, you can encounter people who say, ‘You’re not from here; you don’t know all the people we know,’ and you might meet with some resistance. I don’t find that here.”
She and her husband Bill bought a downtown Chatham home in November of 2018 before she had a job in the community.
“I worked for Community Futures in Dryden in Northwestern Ontario. We loved it there but it was time for a change. I have family in Southwestern Ontario and always felt welcome when we visited,” she said.
“I’m a walker so we wanted someplace central and I wanted a backyard so we could have a garden. I like the ambiance of a well-established neighborhood,” she said.
While looking at one particular home, Pollock fell in love with the house next to it. “It was a cute, 1920s home that just had an aura about it. It was almost like it had a rainbow around it. I thought to myself that if that place was for sale, I’d buy it, but it wasn’t.
“We went back the next day for a second look at the home that was listed and the home next door that I loved had a for-sale sign on it. It was meant to be,” she said.
Bill, who had recently sold his construction business in the north, spent the next several months making periodic trips here to renovate the home.
They moved in May of 2019, and Pollock applied for the executive director’s position at CFCK.
“The board was looking for a permanent director and I met with the hiring committee and got the job.”
She said living downtown allows her to walk to work, something which some people find surprising.
“I leave the house by 7:30 and I’m at work by quarter to eight. Some of the regulars downtown know that I’m a regular too.
“One morning it was really cold and I was coming up Wellington and it was snowing. I see a man coming toward me. I think he was barefoot and wrapped in a blanket. Regardless of circumstances, that’s not right. I could have crossed the street but I chose not to. As we pass each other, I look up into his eyes. He looks at me, nods his head, and smiles. I nod my head good morning and we’re on our way.
“I see everything everyone else sees downtown,” Pollock continued. “We’ve had some issues at the office and sometimes I’ve been very frustrated and I’m not trying to sound holier than thou, but we are supposed to be taking care of each other. I’m very hopeful about the tiny homes’ development, because we need to do better.”
She said helping people has made her career at Community Futures fulfilling.
“I ran a small business and probably made every mistake that anyone could make and survived, so I figured who better to advise a small business owner than someone who has been there?” Pollock said. “Our goal is to listen to small business owners and entrepreneurs and help them realize their dreams, be successful and create jobs.”
Business proposals are reviewed by a volunteer board of directors who provide input and assist with financing when needed.
“Our board is very thorough and are experts in their fields who know the community,” she said.
The municipal economic development department, including its small business centre and tourism group, are located at the CFCK office, leading to a one-stop service in many cases.
“It’s very organic,” Pollock said. “The whole focus here is to listen to your individual story and see if we can help. I don’t know if there’s any other partnership that exists like this under one roof.”
After being “obsessed with work” for most of her career, Pollock plans to enjoy the community in retirement for a few months before considering where she wants to volunteer.
“I want to say I feel an embrace. I almost think I’m in an episode of Leave it to Beaver. Everybody on my block knows and watches out for each other. If Bill was out front working on a project, two or three of the guys in the neighbourhood would just come over and start helping. If someone’s garbage container is empty and out by the street, people will take it back up to their house for them. I don’t know if that exists everywhere anymore,” she said of her love of Chatham-Kent. “It’s what makes you smile and say, ‘Yeah, I’m home.’”
