Community Partners

Arts Health Antigonish

Ashley Johnson Coggins, Manager of Seniors' Programs

Website: https://www.artshealthantigonish.org/

Ashlie Johnson Coggins is the Manager of Seniors' Programs for Arts Health Antigonish. In addition to program coordination, she is an artist and visual storyteller. She holds a BFA in Art History and has a background in museum education, arts programming, and social media marketing. In her free time, she loves to explore the landscape of Nova Scotia, read, cuddle with her cats, travel with her husband, and pick up more hobbies than is reasonably manageable.

Antigonish Community Transit Society

(ACTS)

Website: https://antigonishcts.ruralrides.ca/
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntigonishCommunityTransit

The Antigonish Community Transit Society (ACTS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving access to essential services, programs, and community activities for residents of Antigonish Town and County. By developing and delivering effective, sustainable transportation solutions, ACTS helps connect people to the resources and opportunities they need.

Our mission is to provide a green, accessible, and community-driven transit system that offers safe, reliable, efficient, and affordable transportation for all residents and visitors. Through a multifaceted approach to public transit, ACTS is committed to enhancing mobility, fostering inclusion, and supporting the social, economic, and environmental well-being of our community.

CHAD Transit

Website: https://chadtransit.ruralrides.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChadTransit

Founded in 1981, CHAD Transit (Central Highlands Association of the Disabled) began as an advocacy organization supporting people living with disabilities in Pictou County. When the region’s public transit bus service ended in 1996, CHAD Transit responded to a growing community need by launching accessible transportation services for seniors and persons with disabilities. Since then, the organization has continued to evolve and today provides transportation services to anyone in the community who needs a drive.

Over the years, CHAD Transit has grown from a primarily door-to-door accessible transportation provider into a broader rural transit organization offering:

• Accessible pre-booked transportation services
• Medical and essential trip transportation
• Transportation for seniors, persons with disabilities, and residents facing transportation barriers
• Management of Pictou County Transit fixed-route public transit service

Guided by its mission, “Transportation for All,” CHAD Transit plays an important role in connecting residents to healthcare, employment, education, shopping, recreation, and community life throughout Pictou County.

A major milestone came in 2020 when the Province of Nova Scotia funded the launch of a fixed-route transit pilot known as Pictou County Transit, operated by CHAD Transit. Initially serving New Glasgow and Stellarton, the service has since expanded to include:

• New Glasgow
• Stellarton
• Westville
• Trenton
• Pictou
• Pictou Landing First Nation

Today, CHAD Transit continues to grow as a trusted community transportation provider focused on accessibility, inclusion, and improving mobility for residents across the region.

Guysborough Transit

Website: https://guysborough.ruralrides.ca/

Keep Well Antigonish

(KWA)

Website: https://keepwellantigonish.ca/
Email: @email

Keep Well Antigonish is a non-profit whose vision is for a vibrant, welcoming community that embraces aging, fosters connection, and inspires older adults to live well and help create a place where everyone thrives. Keep Well currently offers a free fitness and wellness program to seniors (55+) in Antigonish town and county, which is well attended by local seniors who wish to maintain and strengthen their physical fitness and stay connected in the community. As part of the GROW-SP project, Keep Well aspires to help cultivate a community of seniors who are engaged and invested in their own and the collective wellbeing.

Mawita'mk

http://www.mawitamk.org/

Seniors for Climate Antigonish

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Seniors4ClimateAntigonish

The Seniors for Climate Antigonish Society is excited to be one of the GROW community partners. The goal of our four-year project is to foster community climate resilience. Many vulnerable seniors living in Antigonish, Guysborough, and Pictou counties have been negatively impacted by the effects of climate change. Climate change has had adverse effects on their physical and mental wellbeing, and they want to engage with others to find their own solutions and to increase their individual and collective climate resilience.

Our GROW team: Sheena Cameron (Project Coordinator), Leslie Buckand-Nicks, Edwin DeMont, Lise deVilliers, Patty MacGillivray, and Marian Turniawan

Summer Street

Website: https://www.summerstreet.ca/
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Summer Street is a charity based in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, that supports people with diverse abilities to live, work, and fully participate in their communities. Through participant-led programs, social enterprises, and employment supports, Summer Street helps individuals build skills, find meaningful paid work, and strengthen community connections in ways that promote inclusion, dignity, and choice.

Coady Institute

Website: https://coady.stfx.ca/
Facebook: @CoadyStFX
LinkedIn: @coadystfx
Instagram: @Coadystfx

Pictou County Community Health Centre

Mary MacLellan has been the Coordinator for Pictou County Seniors Outreach for nearly 20 years. She is the “go to” person for seniors’ health and wellness in Pictou County. Under her leadership, Seniors Outreach provides support for people living on their own in the community. Seniors Outreach collaborates with other organizations to provide programs that support health and wellness for seniors in Pictou County. Mary received the Peace Medal from the YMCA in 2021 for her work with seniors and the King Charles III Medal in 2025 for outstanding contributions to health and wellness in Pictou County.

Lynn Langille leads program development at the Pictou County Community Health Centre. Lynn has worked in a variety of population health-related roles at provincial, regional and community levels including health equity consultant, public engagement consultant and Community Health Board Coordinator. She has been working with seniors in Pictou County to promote health and wellness for nearly 10 years. Lynn was a Killam Scholar at Dalhousie University and holds a Masters Degree in Social Anthropology.

Upper Big Tracadie Seniors Action Club

The Upper Big Tracadie Seniors Action Club was formed on February 08, 2012, during African Heritage Month at a Senior’s Tea at Upper Big Tracadie. We registered with Joint Stocks and became a non-profit organization. We serve the 4 African Nova Scotian communities: Upper Big Tracadie, Lincolnville, Sunnyville, and Rear Monastery.

Our Mission:

• To promote cultural awareness to seniors of African descent.
• To preserve, to educate and to share our culture and heritage.
• To keep active both physically and mentally through Afrocentric learning.
• To identify and appreciate our historical culture while being active and inclusive.
• To make our community a better place to live.

Our Four Pillars:

• History and Culture.
• Tradition
• Education
• Afrocentric Care

The Upper Big Tracadie Development Association

(UBTDA)

The Upper Big Tracadie Development Association (UBTDA) is a community-based organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and strengthening the historic African Nova Scotian community of Upper Big Tracadie. Through cultural preservation, community development, and educational initiatives, the Association creates opportunities for residents, families, elders, and youth to come together in meaningful ways. UBTDA values intergenerational learning and works to foster connections between elders and youth through storytelling, mentorship, cultural knowledge sharing, and community events. By honouring the wisdom of past generations and empowering young people to carry forward the community’s legacy, UBTDA is committed to building a strong, vibrant, and sustainable future for Upper Big Tracadie.