Sewing Success – Work Experience Opportunities Grant changes lives 

In her twenties, Kim Kerrigan organized and ran a sewing program that saw Indigenous women create 7,000 conference bags in six months. Along with confidence and valuable work experience, over 100 women earned between $100 and $1,000. 

“I wanted to do that again,” says Kim, who is the Services Coordinator at Powell Place, a 54-bed emergency shelter which houses women who live with the challenges of abuse, poverty, mental illness and addiction in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. “We’re a low barrier harm reduction shelter, so we serve women wherever they’re at in their life.” 

One of those women is Rachel, who worked in the food services industry prior to the COVID pandemic and has struggled to find work since then. “I’m trying to find my own house,” she says. At the same time, she’s looking for work. “It’s hard to find a job.” 

Thanks to the United Way BC Work Experience Opportunities Grant (WEOG) funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, Rachel, along with seven other women now has that opportunity.

Powell Place is part of The Bloom Group, which applied for the grant that supports agencies across BC to create up to 10 time-limited paid work opportunities where program participants receive essential skills training and hands-on paid work experience to improve their employability. The grant is designed to support people on income and disability assistance and Indigenous people receiving equivalent federal assistance who can find it difficult to secure meaningful work. Additional income earned by program participants does not affect income or disability assistance benefits. By working in non-profit organizations, participants have the chance to build professional networks and connections that can help them in their future careers. 

Learning skills, growing confidence 

The Sew & Grow sewing training program is a fully equipped sewing studio complete with instructors and volunteers who help students practice and strengthen their sewing skills beyond the classroom.  

“They’ve started right from basic hand stitches, and they’ve progressed using the domestic machine and industrial machines. So, they’re learning to produce,” Kim says. The women have repurposed king-sized duvets, created tote bags and learned to mend. 

This program is about more than just sewing — it’s about building confidence, creating opportunities, and helping vulnerable community members gain skills that can stabilize and transform their lives. 

“It’s empowering for me… this training helps me a lot,” Rachel says, who sews tote bags. “I have a room and I was thinking this is not a good way of waiting for a house. This program gave me information…It boost[s] my confidence… Every single time you make something, it’s valuable.” 

Because of the skills she’s learned, Rachel is considering taking on sewing piecework. 

“The United Way BC Work Experience Opportunities initiative removes employment barriers by meeting people where they are. When individuals receive the right support at the right time, their confidence grows—and so does their ability to contribute meaningfully to their communities,” says Danella Parks, Director, Community Impact & Investment at United Way BC.

The WEOG grant was introduced in June 2025, and has served 500 program participants through a diverse range of opportunities from culinary work experience in food production to training in collection, database, artifact management, and proper handling of objects for an East Kootenay museum as well as a peer support program assistant placement on Central Vancouver Island, which offers encouragement and guidance to individuals in hospital settings with brain injuries. The grant continues in 2026.

A chance to succeed 

“Opportunities don’t necessarily come easily to everybody. It can be an encouragement that they need to continue on,” Kim says. “Some of our women are looking at what’s next for them? Some are looking at design school…This is a small steppingstone in their life of making their life better.”

“I’ve had experiences in…where people have come back to me after many years, and [say] you changed my life because you did ABC….Because I did go to this program then went back to school. I upgraded. I completed my Grade 12, then I went to college, and I got my certificates, and now I’m making $25 an hour. 

“Then they say you know what? It wasn’t just me. My daughter has gone back to school too, and she’s graduated, and now she’s working…It was generationally impacting… I would not be surprised to hear a year down the road or a couple of years down the road one of the participants coming up and saying because of this program, I was able to make a change in my life.” 

Rachel agrees: “Every day is learning for me, so all of these bags are valuable. It makes me feel happy.” 

“WEOG shows what’s possible when dignity, flexibility, and community support come together to create real pathways to employment,” says Danella.

Check out United Way BC’s Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn channels regularly to see how we’re helping change lives through this empowering initiative. Learn more about the Work Experience Opportunities Grant.

Together, we are UNITED for communities.