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WHAT'S NEW
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5 children's charities
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Get to know inspirational organizations that give Canadian kids hope for a happy, healthy future.
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By Sarah Snowdon
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Where do children go when they have no home or family to turn to? Who do they call when there is no one there to listen?
Children with special needs, health issues and lack of community support rely on various charitable organizations across the country each day. Miracles happen for children across the country, but they would not be possible without the support of caring Canadians. Here are just a few charities with inspiring visions for Canadian children.
SickKids Foundation
SickKids Foundation grants funding for child health research, care, training and education in Canada. Established in 1972, its mission is to inspire its communities to invest in health and scientific advances to improve the lives of children and their families in Canada and around the world.
The Foundation works hard to reach everyone, including business leaders, communities, individuals and major gifts donors, to encourage support. "People can have confidence about where their money is going given that the foundation has the most capable doctors, specialists and health-care professionals in the country," says Paula Roberts, vice-president of the SickKids Foundation. The Research Institute relies entirely on fundraising and donations to continue its important work.
When the Research Institute makes a discovery, it benefits everyone. Pablum, a precooked baby cereal, was invented in 1930 and in the early 90s, the cystic fibrosis gene was discovered at the Research Institute.
For more information on how to make a donation or to volunteer, visit: www.sickkidsfoundation.com.
Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada
Driven by their mission for more than 100 years, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGCC) aims to "provide a safe, supportive place where children and youth can experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships and develop confidence and skills for life." There are 104 clubs providing programs and services in 700 locations across Canada. The clubs offer activities to children and youth whose financial status would limit their involvement in sports, camp and arts expression. BGCC's scope is expansive, reaching 200,000 children and youth.
Concerned adults initiate the clubs in disadvantaged communities. "We bring out the very best in these children and help them achieve their full potential," says Pam Jolliffe, president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGCC). "The clubs help kids develop valuable life skills by emphasizing the importance of relationships and consistent role models as well as providing them with enriching activities."
For more information, visit: www.bgccan.com.
Camp Trillium
For a family with a child who copes with cancer, Camp Trillium not only offers summer camp, but year-round support through winter camp and community youth groups. With on-site medical care, the staff at Camp Trillium understands the challenges their children face on a daily basis. "There are very few places where the children can go with their families and be free," says Fiona Fisher, director of fundraising at Camp Trillium. "You would not be able to tell that it is a camp for children with cancer."
The camp relies solely on volunteers, individual donations and fundraising events. "You meet the most incredible, altruistic people at Camp Trillium, it's amazing," says Fisher. Children who have survived cancer often return to become camp counsellors.
As one parent describes: "I have no doubt that Camp Trillium is largely responsible for my family having come through our fight against childhood cancer as well as we have. Who else could have a child looking forward to a visit to the cancer clinic?"
For more information, visit: www.camptrillium.com.
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