April 2025

Women in Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park: Initiatives and Celebrations

Author: Joyce Chew

International Women’s Day, 2025 Although International Women’s Day is universally recognized on March 8th, other women-led initiatives are often overlooked. This community is incredibly diverse, and coincidentally 2 other remarkable events surfaced on this same day. Although equally significant , such events may inadvertently go unnoticed as important contributions by women. However, such initiatives are vital foundations that elevate the spirit of International Women’s Day.

This celebratory International Women’s Day 2025 event was organized by The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO) on March 8th, 2025. It was a lively and entertaining three-hour celebration at the East York Town Centre, featuring guest speakers, mental health facilitators and performers. This event was open to the entire community and welcomed all guests.

Among the activities and entertainment, the seniors from TNO’s Integrated Services for Seniors (ISFS) once again stepped up with their dances/performances.

What stood out for me was the solo performance of ISFS senior, Kaye Weigaten, who sang “Before the parade passes by” from the musical Hello, Dolly!. Her encore rendition of “Cabaret” was a WOW that engaged the crowd to dance to the energetic tempo.

Guests were treated to thoughtful gifts: a long-stemmed rose, a sugar cookie with inspiring words, and samosas prepared by the St. James Town Catering Collective.

The other gifts were motivational bookmarks designed by our talented local community artist, Erum A.

The 2025 Ramadan Free Meals, now in its 6th year, was a community-based initiative in Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park. Originally launched during the COVID-19 pandemic by Project Lead Shakhlo Sharipova, the initiative continued with support from the Ramadan Team from Thorncliffe Park Autism Support Network, the Coalition of Women in Leadership, and dedicated volunteers. The Ramadan Free Meals project’s goal is to provide free hot meals to registered clients, including people with disabilities, seniors, and those in need. The project was made possible by financial and in-kind donations from the community and the tireless efforts of an inspiring team of women and volunteers who prepared, cooked, and coordinated meal pick-ups and deliveries to special needs clients.

On this International Women’s Day, 230 meals were prepared at the East York Meals-on-Wheels community kitchen by these amazing women. The Ramadan Meal Project supported Iftar, the evening meal to break the fast, with each meal including a main dinner (typically a protein), a salad, naan bread or dinner rolls. Each week, 460 to 480 meals were distributed.

On a somber note, our deepest condolences go out to Shakhlo, whose dad passed away in Tajikistan, one day before International Women’s Day. Yet, Shakhlo wholeheartedly fulfilled her responsibilities through her resilient leadership to coordinate these remarkable Ramadan Meals.

Shakhlo, we salute you and your team of A+ women on International Women’s Day and everyday.

Before saying “adios” to this year’s Ramadan Meals, Najia Zewari, one of the dedicated volunteers, expressed the team’s gratitude for the generous financial contributions, the use of East York Meals-on-Wheels community kitchen, and the invaluable support of volunteers who coordinated, cooked and delivered nearly 2000 free Ramadan meals in 2025. Greetings of Happy Eid, Happy Nowruz and Welcome Spring were extended to all.

All meals adhered to Canadian nutritional guidelines and featured delicious, home cooked meals from the diverse cultures within our community. This initiative truly showcased a multicultural mosaic and exemplified the dedication and compassion of this extraordinary team. Kudos to these amazing women!

Stitching the Sacred : Introducing Islamic Geometry through Embroidery Also on this year’s International Women’s Day, Elaine Tountas and Adil Patel from Integrated Services for Seniors, collaborated with North York Arts to facilitate this unique workshop at TNO’s Youth Wellness Hub. Attendance was limited, with most guests being women—except for one gentleman, who was encouraged to join by his wife, who shared a similar interest. Leila Fatemi, the instructor, walked us through the intricate art of Islamic geometry through embroidery. Leila provided a historical overview of this creative craft before guiding attendees through hands-on exercises using pre-designed templates that we could select.

The primary colour I chose was purple, as this was one of the official colours associated with International Women’s Day. I was “gung ho” in the interpretation of the design I selected and hoped for a rewarding handicraft but my wish turned anti-climax and was not worthy of showcasing (yet I was glad that this was a craft that I had experienced and could continue to improve).

However, the participant sitting next to me chose my identical template but she selected a pink theme (I could hear her adjusting and sighing several times on her initial errors) and her vision resulted in a monochromic effect on 3 different shades of pink.

Leila brought along some stunning samples to kick-start our thought process (left picture), whether we preferred simple designs, or felt a little ambitious. As the session progressed, two participants proudly showcased their completed embroidery pieces, beautifully visualized geometric patterns brought to life from paper templates. This workshop brought forth a therapeutic effect through soothing music (albeit after some initial frustrations experienced when attempting to understand the craft’s concept), we experienced calmness, grounding, beauty through individual interpretation and pride through our end result.

What a Bonus – three remarkable events in our community within the same day of International Women’s Day, 2025. These resilient women, leaders, and visionaries, to name a few, were out front conveying this important message of women (together with some men) and their undivided significant contributions.

Photos Credit : Ruslan Kurt and Ramadan Meals Team.

Events

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Community engagement