About Us
In our Backyard is a social enterprise owned and operated by Cambridge Shelter.
We offer professional yard and garden maintenance services in the Waterloo Region. We employ graduates of Cambridge Shelter and offer meaningful employment and personal development opportunities for our clients.
Meet our Team
Brenda Walsh
Brenda is the Social Enterprise Coordinator and the Crew Lead for In our Backyard.
Brenda has 20+ years of experience in horticulture and the landscaping industry and 10+ years working alongside vulnerable populations.
She is responsible for ensuring that we deliver a professional and first class experience for all of our customers.
Wayne Paddick
Wayne is the Executive Director of Cambridge Shelter and oversees the In our Backyard project.
He is responsible for setting the vision and building new relationships in the community.
Prior to stepping into the role of Executive Director, he was the Manager of Mental Health & Housing Services at Cambridge Shelter and established strong relationships with many of our shelter clients.
Emma Lipinski
Emma is the Customer Success Lead for In our Backyard.
She is responsible for all customer bookings, scheduling, and is your point of contact for project related discussions.
Zoe Miller
Zoe is the Client Success Lead for In our Backyard.
She is responsible for supporting our Crew Lead, Brenda, with service delivery as well as maintaining the relationships with our shelter clients.
Justin Chan
Justin is the Business Development Lead for In our Backyard.
He works alongside Wayne to set the vision for In our Backyard and he works alongside Brenda to grow and expand this project.
Our Crew Members
All crew members are graduates of Cambridge Shelter that are trained in softscaping.
They are eager and motivated to get out into the community and make a difference, one yard at a time.
Profiles of our crew members will be added as we grow the team.
The Firehall
The Firehall is the homebase for In our Backyard.
This space sits on the top floor of Cambridge Shelter and is across the hall from the overnight shelter beds. The Firehall was designed to foster a sense of community and purpose for our crew members when they show up for work. We believe this space will also inspire current shelter clients by showing them a way forward.