Purple might be the trendiest colour this season, but re-think the $79 you were going to spend on that new coat. Put the money towards providing an hour of counselling or group work for newcomer women who are victims of violence and help them begin new lives.

We’re glad that you Give A Damn because it means we can talk with you about how we can make this city better. Having people like you who care makes a big difference! We want to know what’s important to you, what you think needs improvement in our city, and what you think we can do to make it better. We have a feeling that you have some opinions, and we want to hear them!

GiveADamn.ca was created by Espresso Brand Infiltration, in partnership with United Way Toronto’s GenNext program, and is meant to be a space for dialogue, not just a one-way lecture. So we hope you’ll comment on blogs, and post your videos and pictures.

These are tough times for a lot of people around us – people you know may have lost their job, and people you don’t know who were already in difficult circumstances might now be at even greater risk of falling through the cracks. However, one thing we know about Torontonians is your capacity for generosity, not only with your money, but with your time too. People in Toronto have always come together, because we know when we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. You can read more about the people that we help here.

Because you give a damn we want to ask you to get involved; we want you to act on the fact that you care.

There are lots of ways you can make a difference in your city and your neighbourhood:

Visit Volunteer Toronto (a United Way member agency) to find out about volunteer opportunities with United Way member agencies in your area. Or, take a look through the list of member agencies here, pick one that you want to help out, and give them a call.

Join the United Way campaign committee in your workplace or become a GenNext Ambassador, to help raise money and awareness among your colleagues and friends at work. If your workplace doesn’t have a United Way campaign, start one up – read more about that here.

Visit the United Way Toronto home page to make an online donation now.

You’ve found us on giveadamn.ca: tell us what you think and how you feel – comment on blog posts and upload pictures and videos.

GenNext has a newsletter – keep up to date by signing up here.

E-mail us: gennext@uwgt.org.

And there are other ways you can get in touch with us too: find GenNext online, on Facebook, on LinkedIn and on Flickr.

Continue to Give A Damn! Continue to care about your city, and we know you’ll continue find ways to make it a great place to live.