“Dance and sing. Both give an almost immediate uplift to the soul and body.”
So states a line on the list of Erin Sullivan’s “Life Lessons to Live By.”
Friends and family of the late Ennismore resident, who passed away of cystic fibrosis in October 2022, will be living by those words on Friday, March 22nd when they gather for a kitchen party in her honour to support individuals coming out of homelessness.
Held at the Peterborough Lion’s Community Centre from 7 to 11 p.m., the kitchen party will be hosted by Megan Murphy, feature a silent auction of donated local goods, and include performances by Melissa Payne, Kate Brioux, Paul Crough, and Kate Suhr.
Tickets cost $25 with all proceeds going towards One City Peterborough’s campaign to purchase a home to be called the Erin Sullivan House or Erin’s House.
“She would love this,” says Joanne Rowland, an organizer of the fundraiser. “This was just perfect for her.”
When Sullivan passed away at 43 years of age, it was 26 years later than the life expectancy she was given at birth. Though she was in and out of the hospital and the recipient of a double lung transplant, for at least the last 10 years of her life, Sullivan volunteered much of her time to One Roof — the now-defunct daily community meal program held at St. John’s the Evangelist Anglican Church in Peterborough.
“What I noticed about her is that she knew people by name,” recalls Rowland. “She’d have this really warm relationship with people there and there was no difference between her and them. She made people feel really included and welcome.”
“Whenever her health permitted, she was there,” adds Jane Wilson, another long-time friend of Sullivan’s and a fundraiser organizer. “She was very present.”
Since early 2020, One City Peterborough, a non-profit supporting the inclusion of people who have experienced homelessness and criminalization, has been the property manager of the four-bedroom home that will be known as Erin’s House.
With the assistance of a $225,000 anonymous donation, the home was purchased in November 2023 through engagement in a vendor take-back mortgage with the previous owner. With $55,670 raised by Sullivan’s friends and family since, the campaign’s goal is to raise the remaining balance of $160,330.
“I remember sitting at the Silver Bean (with Sullivan) and she said, ‘If I had lots of money, I’d just buy houses for people’,” says Wilson. “That’s where her heart was, so (Erin’s House) seemed like the perfect way to honour her.”
When Sullivan wasn’t volunteering at One Roof or working at Sullivan’s General Store, which her family has owned for more than 100 years, she was advocating for organ donor registration and hosting regular fundraisers for Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
“She had a severe illness for her whole life and that experience gave her deep compassion for anyone who was suffering, whether it be a friend or someone on the street,” Wilson says. “She understood the fragility and the uncertainty of life.”
The kitchen party’s host, Megan Murphy, also harboured a special relationship with Sullivan, having stated at her funeral that they were friends for more than 30 years. Sullivan was the subject of Murphy’s 2011 short documentary Shelf Life, where Sullivan spoke of having reached the goal of living to 32 years old and figuring out what comes next.
“Shelf Life is just beautiful,” says Rowland. “it’s about her saying ‘I’m still here, now what?’ But what she did in the last twelve years of her life was really important — that’s when she did her volunteer work.”
VIDEO: “Shelf Life” by Megan Murphy
The fundraiser’s silent auction will offer about 20 donated goods from local bookstores, retailers, theatres, and eateries, as well as jewellery and other handmade goods from local artists, including Wilson herself, who has made mugs for the occasion.
A nod to the connections she made in the community, some of the donors as well as the sponsors are offering support because of their relationship with Sullivan, including Millbrook Valley Animal Hospital where Sullivan took her dog. Other sponsors include Sarah Evan’s Century 21 Realtor, The Mortgage Group – Kellie Bonnici, Les French Locksmiths, and Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital. Organizers are still looking for more sponsors.
Whether community members are looking to support individuals coming out of homelessness or paying tribute to Sullivan, tickets to the kitchen party fundraiser are selling fast. With the musical line-up and goods available through silent auction, the organizers are promising a “joyful” event that Sullivan herself would enjoy.
“(My partner) called her a ‘little sprite’ because she just floated and danced,” says Rowland, noting that Sullivan would be out dancing just weeks after coming out of the hospital. “When she felt good, she took advantage of it.”
“She would be at the kitchen party dancing,” adds Wilson.
Contact Wilson at jlouisewilson226@gmail.com or Rowland at joannerowland@gmail.com to purchase one of the few remaining tickets or to become a sponsor for the fundraiser.
If you can’t get a ticket, you can still make a donation to Erin’s House by visiting canadahelps.org/en/charities/onecityptbo/campaign/erin-sullivan-house/.
