Heather Van Boom helps deliver the paper each month, and has been doing so for a number of years. Heather and her family chose McCauley when they moved to Edmonton in December of 2010. “Becoming a block carrier was a good way to get to know my neighbours and participate in something valuable to the community,” she says.

“Besides the fact that I only have to do it once a month, I enjoy meeting my neighbours and walking around the ‘hood. I feel like it helps me to keep my finger on the pulse of the community a little more.”

Heather has been an active volunteer in McCauley with other groups in the area. She was on the McCauley Revitalization Steering Committee for over three years, and was Founder and Chair of the Parent Council at Mother Teresa School until she returned to work earlier this year.

“I returned to my career as a social worker this past spring, working at Mosaic Centre – a drop-in centre in the Fort Road area for neighbours who are homeless or under housed, or living with the effects of poverty,” she says. “It is a wonderfully welcoming place, where people can come and get a hot drink, free Starbucks pastries, rest from the streets, and non-judgmental, loving support. Can you tell I love where I work?”

Heather, who is the mother of two young children and wife to Michael, the current President of the McCauley Community League, enjoys gardening, crafts, hiking, cooking, and going to the gym in what is left of her spare time. The home they live in recently became part of the Inn Roads Housing Cooperative, and boasts an impressive garden area.

“If there are any apartment dwellers with an interest in gardening, we could definitely use extra hands in our expansive permaculture-style yard!”

Thank you, Heather, for your contributions to the paper and the community.