HOPE in Elmira: Abby Cooper’s vision for Equity, Diversity, and Belonging
- Amrita Maharaj-Dube
- Sep 14
- 5 min read
Abby Cooper has the brightest smile I’ve ever seen. She also enjoys bellyaching laughter. Her aura can draw anyone into a conversation.
Beneath her joyful façade is a mission to drive change—to open our hearts. As the Founder and Executive Director of Hearts Open for Everyone (HOPE), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) through educational and cultural avenues, she wants to create a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
A nominee for this year’s KW Oktoberfest Woman of the Year - Community Service Award, Abby’s work has seen meaningful change in the quaint town of Elmira, Ontario. Since 2020, her organization has started moving the needle by creating pathways for open and vulnerable conversations about equity and inclusion. Abby also leads a small but mighty team for the annual Multicultural Festival of Elmira, a new community event designed to broaden knowledge and awareness of diverse cultures while welcoming newcomers to the Waterloo Region. She’s also rallying support from the Region’s corporate citizens to nurture HOPE’s vision.
Doing EDI work is no small feat. Inclusion remains a polarizing subject. We’ve recently witnessed many US companies scaling back on their EDI programs. Immigrant populations also increase diversity in communities; however, according to Statistics Canada, immigrants tend to settle in Canada’s largest urban centres such as Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Ottawa–Gatineau, Calgary or Edmonton. Limited demographic diversity in small towns like Elmira means reduced exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences.
There’s also an increase in online hate targeting the South Asian community in Canada, and this is linked to public sentiment on immigration as a whole. This can make EDI work more challenging.
Despite this reality, Abby is a fearless leader. Her greatest asset is a big, compassionate heart.
A dream born out of loss
Abby’s story begins in Sri Lanka. “We lived through both profound love and loss. My sister passed away at a young age from medical complications, and soon after that, my family was displaced by the civil war.” Their belongings, photographs, and even their sense of place were all left behind. What remained was each other and a quiet but powerful hope for a new beginning.
Canada offered refuge, but starting over was difficult.
Her father, once a lawyer, worked as a dishwasher, while her mother held the family together with resilience. Abby recalls feeling unseen and longing for belonging. “We were often made to feel invisible or unwelcome, even within our own extended family. As a child, I remember yearning to feel seen, to feel like I belonged, to know that my life mattered.”
That longing became a guiding force. With a heart full of empathy and a deep commitment to justice, she began to see compassion not as a weakness, but as a strength. “For a long time, being “too nice” was misunderstood as a weakness, but over time, I’ve come to see it as one of my greatest strengths. Leading with compassion is what allows me to do this work authentically.”
This became the foundation for HOPE—creating spaces where others could feel what they had once craved: representation, dignity, and connection.
Elmira, a new home
After years of living in Cambridge, Ontario, Abby, her husband, and son moved to Elmira in search of a better school. The town, while largely made up of non-racialized residents, offered something different: warmth, openness, and a sense of possibility. “Before moving, we chatted with neighbours to get a sense of what life here was like. I noticed a few racialized families, but not many. I asked questions directly about racism, because the last thing I wanted was for my son to endure the same struggles I faced as a child. What I heard was reassuring.”
During the pandemic, Abby joined the Elmira BIA as a non-voting member, managing social media and connecting with local businesses. This work opened doors to the heart of the community. Abby began reaching out to families, especially racialized ones, and listened. The stories she heard were raw and revealing: experiences of racism, pressure to assimilate, and the quiet erasure of cultural identity. “What I heard was powerful and painful… that didn’t sit right with me.” These conversations sparked action.
The beginnings of HOPE
Abby launched a three-part workshop series called Cultivating a Racially Inclusive Community, and the response was overwhelming. “I reached out to speakers, many of whom volunteered or agreed to small honorariums thanks to support from local organizations and the Township of Woolwich. The turnout was strong.” People showed up. They listened. They learned. And from that momentum, the Multicultural Festival of Elmira was born.
To bring this vision to life, Abby says, “I put out a call for help, expecting a handful of responses, but ended up with a planning team of 12 passionate people. Together, we hosted our first festival, and it was a huge success.”
HOPE grew from these early efforts into a grassroots organization rooted in empathy, education, and celebration. Today, the festival draws nearly 1,000 attendees each year, and workshops reach 400-500 persons annually. Topics range from anti-racism and Indigenous teachings to inclusive practices and youth wellness.
The universe sent her signs that this was her destiny. “I realized this wasn’t just a handful of events anymore; it was my calling… for the first time in a long time, I felt completely in my element.”
The importance of EDI work in rural communities
At the heart of HOPE’s mission is a belief that equity, diversity, and inclusion are not just corporate buzzwords but essential values for thriving communities. “In smaller towns, there are often fewer chances to learn from people with lived experiences or to connect with community members from diverse cultures and perspectives. Without those opportunities, it becomes easier for stereotypes and misunderstandings to take hold.”
In rural spaces, Abby says that EDI work is about planting seeds. “Every workshop, every conversation, every festival is a way of helping people unlearn biases, build empathy, and imagine a community that truly welcomes everyone.”
“Every workshop, every conversation, every festival is a way of helping people unlearn biases, build empathy, and imagine a community that truly welcomes everyone.”
Hope for the future
Abby says, “At HOPE, our vision is to foster a multicultural rural community where everyone can be authentic and feel welcome. Communities like Elmira can become places where diversity is valued, inclusion is natural, and people can live in peace, joy, and mutual respect. When we embrace these ideals, we become stronger, more resilient, and richer—not just socially, but culturally and economically as well.”
Because when people come together across cultures and experiences, they build something stronger. Something lasting. Something rooted in HOPE.
The 3rd annual Multicultural Festival of Elmira will be held on Saturday, September 20th, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at Gibson Park, Elmira. For more festival information, visit heartsopenforeveryone.ca.
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