Leonard Heng brought his family to Canada from Singapore in 2006 because he was attracted by the Canadian education system and wanted to expose his children to a bigger country. He knows the challenges of integrating into a new country, a new community. His passion to reach out to the marginalized and those who struggle socially led him to work with The Salvation Army in one of Canada’s most multicultural centres.

“Scarborough, Ontario, has a population of close to 600,000 and is home to a highly multicultural population,” says Leonard. “Fifty-five percent of the residents are born outside Canada.

“Before I came to Canada I was doing missions work in China. I wanted to help people when I came to Canada. That’s when I discovered The Salvation Army. I was aware it was a large social organization, but was surprised to learn it was also a church.

Leonard was attracted to The Salvation Army’s mission statement. “The Salvation Army exists to share the love of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world.”

As coordinator for cross-cultural ministries with The Salvation Army in Scarborough, Leonard and his team are reaching out to the marginalized and those who socially struggle in this community.

“At The Salvation Army we help people from other cultures integrate into our community through weekly conversation classes, free monthly movie nights and cultural celebrations. Our food bank gives us opportunity to invite those who use our services to our multicultural activities. People are not only entertained but meet new friends and create lasting relationships.”

Salvation Army services respond to the demographics of the people living in their communities. We undertake studies to determine how we can serve best and strive to meet the needs of vulnerable groups and those overlooked or ignored in our communities.