Enthusiastic Volunteers!

This was our 5^th year collecting non-perishable food items in support of our amazing local community organization, the North York Harvest Food Bank.

We had an incredible group of volunteers this year!…all wonderful friends and family whose enthusiasm and passion for the mission was frighteningly contagious.

Lucas and his friends Connor and Jessica distributed a flyer to all the houses in the neighbourhood in advance of Halloween night letting everyone know that they would be coming back for their donations.

On Halloween night, the only things going bump in the night were the 4 shopping buggies generously loaned to the kids for collecting food donations by our local Loblaw’s.  Loblaw’s gets an extra special shell out as they have contributed their buggies every year since Trick or Treat Food to Eat began.

Once the buggies were collected, it was back home quickly for a few chomps of pizza and then everyone formed into groups and began their door to door visits.

Each group of 2 was assigned a street to haunt for food donations, and they made their way up one side of the road and down the other.

Thanks to all those that helped make the collection of 1,600 lbs of food possible…LUCAS, CHRIS, MARCO, VANESSA, GREG, KYLE, CRYSTAL, EVELYN, and JARED!

Thanks also to Colleen and Joe who kept us all on course.  Joe, for helping Vic load and then unload the collected goodies from the car to the boxes in our garage and Colleen, for her vibrancy and enthusiasm as well as for helping shell out candies to all the trick or treaters that came to our door.

Vic and Joe

Colleen a.k.a Snooki

A special thanks to all of our neighbors.  They opened their doors, filled the night with optimism and filled our buggies with food donations.

Hugo

Sugar

Louis

Alex, we did miss you and your dedicated group of volunteers.  Hope you are all experiencing the wonderful success in University that you have  all worked so hard for!

Julie

Thought this was the right place to post this, as my journey with Colleen last year introduced her to many of you.

Colleen has let us know that she is going to be moving on from the Foundation.

Colleen was a wonderful friend for many years before joining us and although she will no longer be a Foundation colleague, I can still look forward to a friendship that I’m sure will continue until we are old and grey (my kids would say I’m old already and I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I have a few greys, but you know what I’m getting at!).

Colleen has been a wonderful addition to the Foundation and her wicked sense of humor, enthusiasm, kindness and ability to see the best in everything will be greatly missed.

Colleen, you’re the Ying to my Yang and I’ll be a bit off balance without you in that office next to mine, but I know that wherever you go, whatever you do, those that get to do it with you are blessed.

Best,

Julie

xo

PEACE OUT!

PART 2 OF COLLEENS NYC JOURNEY – SEPTEMBER 23, 2011.

Dear Jules,

Oh My Goodness, I found my way to the Bronx today, via the NYC subway this past Friday.  Google  map in hand I began the hike to POTS (Part Of The Solution). I can’t lie…I’m feeling a bit out of my comfort zone. 25 minutes later, I’ve found it. I see a group of people gathered outside of my  charity destination.

Kim gave me a tour of the centre, which was recently renovated and expanded to offer more services to the varying needs of the community. POTS offers support services that include legal and medical counsel, a clothing and food bank, accessible showers, a post office and  barber (to name just a few) . I had the opportunity to chat with James, who has been a front line worker with POTS for the past 18 years. The biggest trend he’s seen the last couple of years is the increase in the needs of the working poor. POTS have a unique relationship between their clients and the community. Mutual respect and dignity is the bottom line.

A couple of buses later,  I was making my way  to the North East Bronx to visit BBCC (Bronx Bethany Community Corporation).  The rain held off  as I walked through the residential community admiring the small community gardens that provided some fresh summer harvest between the closely packed homes.

In one of those homes I found BBCC …right in the heart of the community. I met with Richard and Melanie who talked about BBCCs mission.  Through very creative arts classes, their After School Enrichment program is meeting the needs of children in the community ages 5 to 12.  Small group classes teach Music, Dance, Arts &Crafts, Martial Arts and Strategic Learning. I think that this statement from a parent sums it up nicely. “ My children will be well rounded people, able to go anywhere and thrive in new environments. When they leave this program, they will have grown academically and socially. They will know that learning is more than just academics”   My visit here came was to an end much too quickly.

Well the rain Gods had  unleashed the fury that floods are made of. I have never  seen rain fall so hard. Melanie drove me to the subway that brought me back to Times Square. The rain was just a nightmare, the streets were flooded, no taxi’s to be found and the umbrellas were no match for the wind.

Thank goodness Tim Jaccard of AMT Children of Hope Foundation, Baby Safe Haven met me in Manhattan. (He saved me a 2 hour trip outside of the city).  I was nervous about this meeting because I knew we’d be talking about a subject that dealt with babies being abandoned.  As a mother,  I hoped that I could listen and understand without prejudges.

As a result of Tim’s passion and diligence, the Safe Haven Bill was passed in 2001. This has saved 2783 newborn babies across the nation to date. The Safe Have Bill has removed the criminal abandonment and child endangerment charges that would be laid on the Mother. Newborn babies can be safely left at any hospital without question. The mother will not be prosecuted and the police will not investigate. The process of a closed adoption then begins and that’s the part that gets me weeping;  the image of a scared young girl who has kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone, who has had no prenatal care, has no support system or after birth plan.  They find themselves giving birth alone and scared, then panic and leave the baby to die in a garbage bin.

Can you imagine how horrible it would be for anyone who finds this blessed little being abandoned?  An abandoned baby is exactly what  Tim came across in 1998.  His personal experience led him to advocate for the Safe haven Bill as well as for the Island of Hope burial site for Baby Jane and Joe Doe.  I leave our meeting, not with a heavy heart, but with an admiration for the devotion of this organization and all the heroes that champion for children who may have never made it.

Thanks Julie for the opportunity to meet these wonderful people, I wish you were here with me.  I can now cross off visiting the Bronx via Planes, trains and buses off my bucket list! See you soon .xo. Colleen.

Thanks to YOU Colleen!

My memories of site visits come flooding back as I read Colleens email.

She’s in NYC on a girlfriends weekend and took advantage of her time there, to visit the charities YPI students granted to this past school year.

I often think of the wonderful people, ideas and organizations that taught me so much and helped shape a smarter and more aware “me”.  Looking forward to our paths crossing again!

In Colleens words……….

Hey Jules-

September 22, 2011

What a trip so far. My plane was delayed into NYC but my Cab ride made up for it in time. When I started to smell the combo of burnt engine and melting brake pads the good catholic girl in me broke into a mantra of Hail Mary’s and Our Father’s. They worked. I made it to Restore NYC 15 minutes early and didn’t have to use the fire extingisher. Gawd , how I love New York!

With luggage in tow I was warmly greeted by Faith Huckel, Executive Director and Founder of Restore NYC, a Charity providing freedom and hope to survivors of sex trafficking. An organization dedicated to long term healing, housing and support to women who have been brave enough to escape a life of commercial sexual exploitation. Aprroximately 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States each year. I’m shocked.
Faith tells me about how the the process works. “Snakeheads” are the mega pimps that have networks in countries of poverty and political strife. They promise girls the “American dream” …..a home, gainful employment, good health and safety. They leave out the other details like forced rapes, physical restraints, confinement and beatings. Awful stuff, I can’t even imagine.( yep, got the leaky eyes listening to some of the horrific details of the life of a modern day slave)Then there is this bright light that shines in Faiths eye’s ( her name is not lost in the irony of the profession) and she tells me about the healing. The active partnering between Restore and the 4 different law enforcement agencies are working to put a stop to active Brothels and the snakeheads.The first “safe house ” in NYC has been established along with long term support to deal with the mental and physical abuse.I really liked Faith and her passion and determination make a difference.

I’m off to visit some charities in the Bronx today. Its muggy and hot in the city and looks like rain (great another bad hair day!) I will write soon and let you know about all the great people I meet.

xo Colleeny

PS. On 3rd avenue, I saw an entire block of 24 hour drug stores. There must have been 5 in a row! Gota love this city.

Thanks for sharing Colleen.  Continued safe travels!

One of the premier arts and culture festivals in Canada is taking place in our city.

Pride week celebrates history, courage and diversity, at the same time promoting inclusivity.

Pride week officially kicks off today with a variety of events planned all week concluding Sunday July 3^rd with the ever popular Gay Pride Parade.  This is one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world with well over 1 million people in attendance. It is a huge tourist and economic development event that attracts people from all over this country and others.

In the past, Mayor after Mayor have all participated in the colorful, fun, high-spirited parade.

Hard to imagine the current Mayor of Toronto won’t be in attendance at an event that celebrates “his” City and its people.

Apparently this is Mayor Fords weekend at the cottage with his family…something he does every year and as we heard him say in the media over and over again “Family comes First“.  I couldn’t agree with that statement more!

A true leader however, family or otherwise, leads by example, so Mayor Ford why not set a good example? Hop on one of those trains you mentioned so often during your campaign and have it rocket you into the city.

Families are Welcome!

For more info on Pride Week, check out the following link http://www.pridetoronto.com

Social Media as described by Wikipedia;

Social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable communication techniques. The term refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue.

Well…who new?  I guess I did, I was just trying to avoid it!

I can avoid it no longer.  With three kids between the ages of 16 and 21, I’ve become tired of hearing how I need to “get with the program”.

I’m throwing myself into Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.  I’ll have to learn how to program my microwave in another era.

So now, instead of trying unsuccessfully to defrost a turkey, I’m spending my time at;

Twitter (my own)- http://twitter.com/#!/J_ToskanCasale

Twitter (YPI) – https://twitter.com/#!/YPI_cares

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/goypi.org

YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/ypiCARES?ob=5

And to think…a year ago I thought blogging was a stretch!

Wish me luck.

Julie

Had the opportunity to get back to the 519 this past weekend.  The 519 Church Street Community Centre is one of the organizations I visited last fall on my site visit tour.

I was there this past Saturday as a guest (thanks Frank and Darren) for a Fundraiser.

It was so refreshing to be at an event attended by guests who were genuinely there to support the 519, it’s programs and the fabulous people they exist to serve.  The environment and each person in it looked fabulous.  The food was catered by FABARNAK a social enterprise on the 519 premises introduced not that long ago, to support the initiatives of the 519.

Andrea Martin, the Emmy and Tony Award-winning comedienne was stellar as the evening’s entertainment!  I was never a big follower of Second City, but you didn’t to be in order to appreciate her talent.  Her ability to keep the audience’s attention pretty much on her own (there was a little bantering and support from her pianist) was impressive.

Funny, charismatic, genuine…the kind of lady you’d love to have at your dinner party!

Congratulations Salah Bachir and the 519 on yet another brilliant success!

Julie

YPI May24 2011

Matthew House Refugee Ministry of Fort Erie

Rosemary, Shirley, me and Jim

This is the first charity dealing with the immediate support of refugee claimants that I have visited.

Matthew House provides assistance to refugees and recent immigrants to Canada. Managed by Jim and Shirley McNair, Matthew House has provided shelter for over 1000 refugees from seventy countries since it opened in 2000.

Along with shelter, Matthew house helps it’s residents sort out legal documents, bank accounts, doctors appointments, driving tests, language classes, grocery shopping and apartment hunting.

Canada Immigration requires that all refugee claimants complete the necessary paperwork within the fist 28 days that they arrive in Canada.  The refugee claimants medicals have to happen within that time as well. The stack of paperwork requiring completion is a couple of inches thick…and amongst the many required pieces of information is a form that needs to be completed with “your story”…your reason for needing/wanting to be in this country…why can’t you return to your home country…why did you flee your home country?

When I asked Jim and Shirley what the greatest misconception was about refugees, they thought it was the fact that people think Refugee Claimants are just looking for a fast way into Canada…a way to skip the queue.

I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to approach a border crossing, not speaking the language, unsure of how you will be treated by these men and women in uniform with padded chests and guns in their holsters.  How much fear they must be feeling, not knowing if they will be sent back to the country from which they were running. I’m a Canadian citizen and I dislike crossing the border into Canada from the U.S.  I find the border agents rude, confrontational, suspicious and power hungry (in all fairness, there may be a few I’ve come across who on a good day have cracked a smile).

Jim, Shirley and Rosemary…thank you so much for helping me understand how unfounded some of my own perceptions were. Throughout all of my charity visits, issues faced by refugee claimants is the area I knew the least about. This was a great learning!

Nova’s Ark

www.novasark.ca

Nova’s Ark is a registered charity providing stimulating experiences for people of all ages and abilities involving a wide range of exotic, gentle animals. I saw so many animals I’ve never seen before, as well as some more common ones, all selected to work in very specific ways, with children, adults and seniors with special needs.

Volunteer peer mentors are a key factor in the successful integration of the animals with the program participants.  Mary-Anne spoke so highly throughout the entire afternoon of the wonderful volunteers and how important their roles are for their own growth as well as for that of all the participants that come to visit. Volunteers develop youth leadership experiences that promote awareness, acceptance and friendship.

Nova’s Ark is committed to building acceptance of people of all ages and abilities by providing opportunities for understanding. The wide range of activities and programs involving unique and gentle animals will stimulate communication and social interactions to meet the specific requirements of individuals with special needs.

We had a terrific afternoon visiting with Mary-Ann, her inspiring volunteers Megan, Kenny, Declan, Zack and her son Kyle.  The farm is a beautiful place from the moment you turn off of the paved side road onto the exquisite green acreage. We were given a tour of the stunning property and introduced to each of the animals, learning along the way what their roles were.

Lots of pictures from the farm…I couldn’t choose which to include.  Here is just a sampling of what we saw at Nova’s Ark.

And that wraps up my visits to all of the Ontario charities that received grants this past school year, through YPI and the efforts of YPI students across our Province.

Eight months ago, I dove into an enormous commitment that required loads of driving, tons of organizing (thanks Colleen), lots of time, an overwhelming amount of reflection and a vow to blog and share my journey with anyone wanting to be a part of it. Would I do it again?  In an instant!

I think that at first many of the charities felt I was visiting to do some sort of an audit or check on what they’d done with the grant they received from our foundation, but I’m hoping they realized that my only intention was to meet them face to face, learn about their organization and thank them for all that they are doing to support the YPI students that come through their doors.

I am so grateful to have been welcomed with open arms by charities across our province who greeted me and spoke to me with such honesty and integrity.  A heartfelt thank you to every single organization that took the time to walk me through their programming, to teach me about their clients and to talk openly about their struggles, challenges and yes, their successes.  Thank you for helping me grow, for expanding my knowledge and for all that you do day in and day out to make this world more just.   I will never forget, nor will I ignore what I’ve learned.

Colleen…what can I say that hasn’t been said?  You’ve been the best sidekick a girl could ask for!  Not sure what this experience would have looked like without you.  Who would have put up with my emotional rants about injustices, disservices, inequalities and why there isn’t a Tim’s when you need one!? Each and every day you got us to where we needed to be and I thank you for that and so much more.

I’m going to keep writing. About what?…I can’t yet promise.

Thanks to all of you for following my journey!

Julie

I’m nearing the end of my charity visits…wow, that seems kind of sad!  What isn’t sad, is how fabulous this past weeks visits were.  Yes, there was a LOT of driving and yes the weather was NOT so great and YES, we got stuck in MAJOR traffic on the way back to Toronto and the 4 hour drive took us 6 1/2…but nothing was going to bring me down!!  I was too busy replaying the visits over and over again in my mind. How amazing to meet people in communities big and small, rich and poor, all working together for the betterment of our communities.

Colleen and I are in Fort Erie tomorrow visiting Matthew House Refugee Centre and then in Whitby on Friday visiting Novas Ark.  More from me later in the week. Until then, here’s a bit on my visits.

Acton Food Share – Acton;

www.actonfoodshare.com

Norman, Arlene and me at Acton Food Share

Met with Arlene and Norman, both incredibly invested in the plight of those within their community with the need for food.  They are doing a brilliant job at promoting community involvement and support.  They receive no government funding…the feeling is (like we’ve heard many times before) that the reporting required in order to receive government funding requires a great deal of time, much of which the volunteers within the smaller organizations don’t have.

When we arrived their shelves were pretty bare, but a community event happening this weekend was expected to change that.  They work from an incredibly small space, making the most it.

One of the local churches does a terrific program that I’d never heard of…it’s something called a “reverse offering”.  Instead of making a monetary offering, parishioners draw a slip of paper that suggests what they can purchase and donate to the food bank.  The food bank gets the foods they need and the parishioners know they are contributing what someone will actually need.

This food bank, like the others I visited, expressed the importance of treating their clients with dignity.

Hospice – Family Services – Perth Huron;

Me and the team from Family Services Perth Huron

It takes a truly special person to work within the area of Hospice Care…someone with a great deal of compassion, empathy, patience and a keen ability to listen.  To listen to their dying clients stories, histories, fears, desires and to help them feel as much at ease with the end of their life as possible.

I met some of these incredible people on my visit to the Perth Huron Hospice Program.  Thank you ladies for sharing your stories, straight from your heart into mine!  I admire so much the work that you do and the way in which you do it.

To know you have provided the last bit of comfort to those that need it most must be incredibly rewarding, yet incredibly overwhelming. How lucky we are that there are such people in our communities willing to take on a task that is so difficult yet so meaningful.

St. Josephs Parish – St. Vincent de Paul – Stratford;

www.ssvp.on.ca

The Food Bank that Jim runs counts a lot on their community.  Churches run collection, kids do a huge collection door to door one time a year as well as running school food collection drives.

They also issue food vouchers to their clients that can be redeemed at many of the local grocery stores. $23,000 in food vouchers were issued last year to families or individuals in need.

As with most all other organizations I visited, client numbers are up and have been climbing year after year.

Jim has also launched a series of cooking classes for their clients.  As a participant you learn to cook a specific meal and then take home the necessary ingredients to try making it at home yourself.  Classes are free and are a collaboration between the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Perth District Health unit.

The Sandwich Teen Action Group – Windsor;

www.thestag.ca

Boxing Studio at the Sandwich Teen Action Group - one of my favorite rooms..

From the second we came face to face with John, I knew we were in for an exciting tour of his centre.  It’s really more like a school…actually it used to be a school.  Anyways…my point is, John’s enthusiasm shone though each time he opened a door to show us one of the old school rooms-turned programs.

At Sandwich, at risk youth have access to all sorts of programming created to give them a comfortable place to “hang-out” and keep them off the streets and out of harms way.  It looked to me like the activities including basketball, pool, ping pong, boxing, weightlifting, movie watching, marching band and afterschool tutoring did more than just keep them off the streets.  John encourages “respect for oneself and respect for others” and kids that come to Sandwich that are not willing to adhere to that motto are asked to leave until they can.

The former school rents out some of their classrooms to other organizations working with youth in the Sandwich Community.  It’s a great way to keep a number of resources that work hand in hand together in the same environment and at the same time allows Sandwich to collect a bit of rent to help with the running of their programs.

One such program is the Community Clothing Centre, set up to provide gently used clothing, free of charge, to members of their community.  One of the most tidy and organized clothing centres I’ve seen.

Thanks to all of you!

David

Colleen