Meet Jonas Cornelsen, recreation assistant, St. Marguerite and Holy Cross Manors
July 25, 2024
By Ben Freeland, communications advisor
Jonas Cornelsen, a recreation assistant at St. Marguerite Manor and Holy Cross Manor, two closely connected Covenant Care sites in northwestern Calgary, requires no prompting whatsoever to talk about his beloved pet project, Covenant Cafe, a three-day-a-week social hub for residents and family members that he was instrumental in creating.
“I like to call it a recreation program cleverly disguised as a coffee shop,” says Jonas. “Most of what we do in recreation is pretty structured. I wanted to offer something that would broaden that scope in the form of a venue where residents might get out of their room and experience something different, maybe meet a new person, enjoy a conversation over a cup of coffee or just sit quietly somewhere in a different setting.”
The cafe was created when Jonas was working as a casual employee at Holy Cross Manor and noticed a space at St. Marguerite Manor that had formerly been occupied by a commercial coffee shop that had shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and never returned. A subsequent trip to Montreal, which exposed him to that city’s vibrant cafe culture, got the wheels turning in his head and gave him the idea of starting a coffee shop in the space.
“I observed how all the different cafes in the city brought people together,” he says. “I then had a vision of this coffee shop space here at St. Marguerite and decided we should be doing something in this profoundly underused space.”
“I figured a cafe was something that had so much potential for improving quality of life and enjoyment for our residents. We launched it as a pilot project last year, with start-up funding from the resident and family council, and it’s been a huge success!”
Covenant Cafe celebrated its first anniversary on April 25 this year. The coffee shop is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to all residents of St. Marguerite Manor, Holy Cross Manor and nearby Evanston Summit and their families and friends. Jonas, who serves as barista, says that at any given time you can see 15 to 20 people huddled around tables, reading newspapers, playing board games or just chatting. A guitar hangs on the wall for impromptu singalongs, which he happily leads.
Covenant Cafe doesn’t compromise on quality coffee, Jonas says. Machines are on hand to produce cappuccinos, lattes, French vanilla coffees, hot chocolates and so on, a step up from regular dining room offerings. Ongoing grant funding from the Covenant Foundation also means that coffee and small snacks can be offered for free to residents and their guests, although donations that help keep the place up and running are strongly encouraged.
Jonas’s conception and execution of this much-loved institution at St. Marguerite and Holy Cross earned him Covenant’s 2024 Mission Award in the category of Stewardship.
“It’s a huge honour,” says Jonas of his award.
“I really appreciate being recognized for seeing an opportunity where nothing was being done and then doing it or at least being a major part of starting something new. I think the value of this project speaks for itself, and residents and families and even my colleagues here have noted how it has completely changed the social dynamic of the building. That said, everyone who was nominated was a deserving candidate, and I tip my hat to all of them.”
Jonas notes that while he’s worked in coffee shops before and appreciates what they offer, his current role is above and beyond any job he’s held before, thanks to the community of residents, families and co-workers around him.
“In any workplace, it's all about the people that you meet and the connections you make,” he says.
“Recently, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Holy Cross, and we acknowledged 37 people who have been at the facility for the full 10 years. I think that speaks volumes to the culture of this place and what makes it truly special. This team just shows up every day to do this kind of work. I just love the people I work with, and I love that my job allows me to create a social space where people come together. I see how much it means to other people, and that’s what keeps me going.”
Jonas encourages newcomers to the field of therapeutic recreation to be brave and forward-thinking in putting their ideas out there and moving on them, just as he did.
“I've been amazed at how well my ideas have been received by people who have been working in this field for a long time. In this field, we're always trying to meet needs, and those needs are always changing. So don't be afraid to put together some sort of proposal for consideration. Look to see what opportunities are right where you are. What I'm doing here is site-specific because we had this wonderful, underused space. Look around in whatever context you're in for these opportunities to do something a little bit different, and don’t be afraid to go for it!”