So many amazing charities are started in Toronto as well as many others who have offices and a strong foothold in the local community here. Charitable Choices examines these organization with interviews and events from the best and most innovative charities in Toronto. If you know of a charity that you think we should cover please get in touch.
Tomorrow at Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto Dairy Queen Canada is bringing flying acrobats, stilt walkers and acro-contortionists to entertain visitors and celebrate the DQ Blizzard upside-Down or free campaign.
Photo: CMN
On top of the performers there will be “an army” of Blizzard experts handing out Kit-Kat Blizzards from 11:30 – 1:30 to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. CMN is a charity that raises money for 170 children’s hospitals worldwide with 14 of them being in Canada.
So many amazing charities are started in Toronto as well as many others who have offices and a strong foothold in the local community here. Charitable Choices examines these organization with interviews and events from the best and most innovative charities in Toronto. If you know of a charity that you think we should cover please get in touch.
On may 10th, 2013 the Shangri-La Hotel’s ballroom will host the 2nd annual Right To Play Ball in support of the Right to Play organization. Right to Play‘s mission is to use sport and play to educate and empower children and youth to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict, and disease in disadvantaged communities.
Photo: Right To Play Ball Poster
In its second year the Right To Play Ball will be hosted by Toronto’s fashion aficionado Glen Baxter who has been heavily involve in the Right To Play organization, having self-financed several trips to participate in the program in Benin, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan and Mozambique. “Having participated in many of Toronto’s top galas and charity events over the years, I knew there was a compassionate and collaborative community that would be proud to support this incredible cause”, says Baxter, “The first annual event was a huge success, having sold out almost immediately, and this year I look forward to another amazing event to raise awareness of the incredible work of Right To Play”, says Baxter. Last year $80,000 was raised through the Right to Play Ball for the organization.
So many amazing charities are started in Toronto as well as many others who have offices and a strong foothold in the local community here. Charitable Choices examines these organization with interviews and events from the best and most innovative charities in Toronto. If you know of a charity that you think we should cover please get in touch.
There is an awesome event coming up that auctions artwork by contemporary artist from across Canada and the world in order to raise money for War Child. Freehandhas collected more than 55 donated works of art from the artists and will be auctioning them off online as well as live during their event. There will also be 6 works of art created by children from War Child’s Afghanistan program.
A preview of the work will take place on Saturday, April 20th and Sunday, April 21st from Noon to 5:00pm at Waddingtons Auction House, 275 King Street East, 2nd Floor in Toronto. The Freehand art auction will take place on April 25th at 6pm at 99 Sudbury St in Toronto.
So many amazing charities are started in Toronto as well as many others who have offices and a strong foothold in the local community here. Charitable Choices examines these organization with interviews and events from the best and most innovative charities in Toronto. If you know of a charity that you think we should cover please get in touch.
This week I got to learn a bit about a Toronto company called “Project: Humanity” that uses the arts to raise social awareness, with a strong emphasis on community service.
With many programs focusing on theatre it is no surprise that the organization began with a theatre program for youth in Ontario prisons.
The attention was switched to global causes when traveling to Jamaica to work with Father Ho Lung and the Friends of the Poor where caring for children in orphanages and assisting with Jamaica’s first musical turned out to be very life changing for the founders. The non-profit organization was therefore created and named “Project: Humanity“.
What types of art programs do you run? Are you run by funding? Volunteers?
For the past five years, we have offered drama programming to at-risk youth in the youth shelter system on a periodic basis. This program uses drama and improvisation exercises to assist youth with confidence, communication skills, listening, team work, public speaking, and creativity. We also provide workshops in the public high school system on building empathy, and using theatre as a tool for social change.
We receive funding for the development of new artistic works on a project-by-project basis from the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and Canada Council for the Arts. We do not currently have operating funding, and therefore the company is run by volunteers: the four co-founding members.
So many amazing charities are started in Toronto as well as many others who have offices and a strong foothold in the local community here. Charitable Choices examines these organization with interviews and events from the best and most innovative charities in Toronto. If you know of a charity that you think we should cover please get in touch.
In this week’s Charitable Choices I got to chat with the executie director of Dixon Hall, Kate Stark. Dixon Hall is a multi-service agency located in Toronto’s downtown Eastside that offers a wide range of supportive programs and services for the diverse communities it represents. They promote good jobs, good health, safe shelter, vibrant cultures and a strong community primarily for residents of Regent Park, Moss Park, West Donlands, East Bayfront and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
How has your business changed over the years?
Our business has changed in some ways quite significantly and in others not so much. We have served the downtown east side of Toronto since 1929, beginning as a soup kitchen at a significant time of need and now are an agency that provides a range of assistance to people of all ages and experiences. Our size has grown from two staff to over 150 in the past 80 years and our budget from approximately $10,000 annually to $8,000,000 annually. The significant changes we have seen in the past decade are changes such as – in response to the recession more people asking for assistance in the areas of employment support and housing, more people needing assistance in accessing food. More of our clients are presenting with significant challenges including addictions and issues of mental health. Unfortunately with the youth we serve, we see higher incidences of youth dying as a result of violent action by others – this is happening across the City. We see younger and younger children being attracted to unsafe activities that put themselves, their families, and their communities at risk. Again this is happening across the City. Our funding is from all three levels of government and in the past decade the funding has moved away from core funding to project funding, agreements of only one year, rather than ongoing funding. This makes it difficult to plan and respond to community needs. The changes in how we receive government funding have come at the same time as governments have reduced taxation on individuals and corporations. I view this as a move away from investing in our community assets that create safe and healthy community for all of its citizens.
So many amazing charities are started in Toronto as well as many others who have offices and a strong foothold in the local community here. Charitable Choices examines these organization with interviews and events from the best and most innovative charities in Toronto. If you know of a charity that you think we should cover please get in touch.
I found out about this annual bike ride that raises money and awareness for youth mental health. Ride for Jackis gearing up for its 4th year running and signups for students and adults have begun. The event consists of three distances that riders can choose from; 50k, 100K and 125K. Boyd Conservation Area in Vaughn(8739 Islington Ave.) will be the host of this year’s bike ride which is set to take place on May 25th, 2013.
Photo: Ride for Jack
Currently there is an early-bird sign-up bonus. If you sign-up before the 15th of March you get entered into a draw to win 2 tickets to any Air Canada destination in North America.
Photo: CMN
