Spotlight
Champions of Lotherton Pathway: Judith Campbell
Champions of Lotherton Pathway is a series of stories told by community leaders and residents from the Lotherton neighborhood. These dedicated community leaders and residents have been working tirelessly in the Lotherton neighbourhood, building a community where all belong and thrive.
I am Judith Campbell, and I migrated from Jamaica to Canada in 1972. My husband and I came to Toronto together. We lived around the Bathurst area, and in the seventies, I remember seeing a large Black population around the area we lived in. My first job was a waitress at one of the first Caribbean restaurants called Carib. I moved on to work at Soul Palace, another Caribbean restaurant around Yonge and Dundas. It was the go to place for most musicians and performers coming to Toronto. I met famous artists such as the Commodores as well as Lionel Richie there. From there, I moved on to work in a couple more places and my last and longest workplace was Mr. Christie Cookies for the past 35 years.
I started getting involved in the community close to my retirement. It started with the Fashion/Sewing program, and I enjoyed the program. When the funds ended for the program, myself and Lisa decided to keep it going by funding the program ourselves. Aside from the fashion program, I also help with the cook and chat program, and sometimes with senior’s yoga that Vivienne leads. I also support running errands for community needs, be it getting seedlings for the gardening program, helping with the mulch, and/or other needs that may arise. As they say, I am a pretty strong woman.
“Lotherton has always been a safe community for me. I currently have no plans to move away from Lotherton, my family lives in Lotherton, and my grandson is also here. I have a support system here, and I am also a support system for others.”
I want to make sure that the people in my community are doing well. I pray for a healthy and long life, and the strength to continue supporting others and my community whichever way I am able to.
In comparison to the number of people living here, there are very few people involved in the community. We need to reach out and get more people to be active, engaged, and to contribute to Lotherton. It is always good to see the number of residents coming out for our yearly summer festivals, barbeque, and basketball games.
“My vision is to see more community programs for youth, seniors, and to see more residents getting involved.”
