Marcie Ponte has dedicated her life to supporting communities. When still a teenager she worked at St. Stephen’s Community House in Kensington Market helping newcomers adjust to their surroundings of 1970s Toronto. It was here that she was first approached by struggling female Portuguese office cleaners who were looking for help from their employer who was taking advantage of their lack of knowledge of their employment rights. Her persistent nature of never taking ‘no’ for an answer led to her being an Organizer for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.
Her passion for labour rights and community work saw her become the Assistant
Director of the Metro Labour Education Centre and eventually the Coordinator of
Employment Services for the Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre. However, it was her passion to support working class women that saw her become the Executive Director of the Working Women Community Centre for 25 years, and create a decent workplace for her staff.