Today I heard more about how you can become involved in your community and still get paid. Who doesn't love this concept?!?

 

Every year United Way Toronto hosts Sponsored Employees (SEs) to help out with the Annual Campaign. The SEs come from all kinds of different companies that pay for one—or more!—of their employees to be seconded to the United Way for a 16 week period in the fall during the very busy Annual Campaign.

 

It's a great concept—the SEs increase their interpersonal and teamwork skills, get all kinds of opportunities to public speak, and engage directly with United Way agencies. The best part is, because the SEs work at the busiest part of the United Way year, they get to really experience what it's like to be at the heart of the United Way.

 

This idea makes sense to me. People care about what happens in their community, but few of us can afford to take a leave of absence from our jobs to put that thought into action. Why not approach your company and see if becoming an SE is the right move for you?

 

If you think your company might be a match for the program, contact Mia Holmgren at 416.777.1444 x 324.

 

United Way Toronto and GenNext often work with the Framework Foundation, and are happy to be a community partner in Framework’s Timeraiser event (coming up on March 21^st!) We’re also happy to announce the launch of Framework’s new website, www.civicfootprint.ca 

What is Civic Footprint? Your civic footprint is the combination of your contributions of time and money to causes that are important to you. The earlier you start, the bigger your civic footprint can become; the bigger the footprint, the bigger the impact. 

Launch Party Details: Thursday, March 5^th, 20096:00 pm. to 9:00 pm
381 Queen Street West, Red Bull Gallery  To help launch the Civic Footprint program, Framework has entered into an exciting collaboration with Red Bull Canada.  Red Bull's Toronto office also doubles as a gallery spacecalled Red Bull 381 Projects.  For the month of March, Framework Foundation and Red Bull 381 Projects have teamed up: The gallery space will be transformed into a public space for socially like-minded organizations & individuals who are passionate about art, design, and public engagement. During this time, Torontonians can:  

• Preview the artwork from the 2009 Toronto Timeraiser
• Meet and collaborate with other civic-minded individuals
• Learn about different organizations and the issues they are helping to address

 Thursday, March 5^th is the kick off to this month-long celebration. It will officially launch the Civic Footprint program, and over 100 community and business leaders will be in attendance.  Please visit the launch site for more details and to RSVP 

 Gallery Hours: If you can't make the launch, Red Bull 381 Projects is open to the public Wednesday to Saturday from noon until 6:00 pm.

Exciting new volunteer opportunities to put your great experience to use in the community:

Child Development Center is looking to put together a dedicated group of volunteers to assist in the development of a booklet/pamphlet celebrating 100 years in the community. Key positions neededinclude: graphic designer, editor, and someone proficient in dealing with archives to retrieve old materials.. The project is aiming for completion by the end of May to be published and distributed as part of their 100 Year Celebration Event and party! These opportunities are located at Dundas and Bathurst.

St. Christopher's House is seeking some creative volunteers with graphic design and marketing expertise to assist them in creating a visually impactful template and new logo for their new youth program called Connect For Youth - C4Y. You (and/or a group of you) would help to support the development of this community based youth program. This opportunity is located at Ossington and Dundas.

Photographers & Videographers: If anyone is interested in volunteering to assist in the development of visual works (photography, videos) to support some of the wonderful agencies in our city, they are looking for you. Many are interested in developing documentary shorts (3-5 minutes) on the work they do and their involvement with the community. Photo documentaries of the participants and programs that support so many are need as well. Teams welcome! If you are interested in any of the above volunteer opportunities, please contact Pat Kinch at United Way Toronto, at 416 777 1444 ext 322 or pkinch@uwgt.org

Help our hubs rebuild – Toronto Star, Comment

Small communities have taken root across Canada, but they also blossom within big cities - neighbourhoods with their own boundaries, character, history and challenges. Federal officials should bear that in mind as they go about the business of allocating billions of dollars to projects that will stimulate Canada's economy. Urban activists in Toronto are hoping to tap the small community fund to help pay for badly needed projects in some of the city's most troubled neighbourhoods. In particular, United Way Toronto and the city have a plan to build small "hub" agencies in 13 of Toronto's under serviced and poor neighbourhoods. This sort of project, however worthy, doesn't easily fit into the big $4 billion infrastructure initiative that is at the heart of the budget. But it could reasonably be considered under the "small communities" fund. In our view, selected neighbourhoods are entitled to that designation as well as cities, towns and villages.

Plan is (good) food for thought: Top doc – Toronto Sun

Dr. David McKeown, Toronto chief medical officer of health, says the Ontario government should introduce a $100 healthy-food supplement for all adults on social assistance.

Africentric school looks like 'a go' – Toronto Star

Nearly 60 children have signed up for the proposed Africentric alternative school – 50 per cent more than the target of 40 needed by the deadline in two weeks – meaning the controversial program almost surely will open this fall. The Toronto public board narrowly approved the school a year ago, but officials said it would need at least two consecutive classes of about 20 students each to open this fall. Enrolment was slow to start, but community supporters have been working hard to generate interest. The alternative program, open to children of any background, is designed to help fight a stubborn 40 per cent dropout rate among black students by providing more diverse teaching staff and lessons that stretch beyond the traditional focus on Europe.

Charities anticipate drop in donations – Globe & Mail

Four out of 10 Canadian charities expect a drop in donations this year, suggests a survey by The Innovative Research Group. A second survey by the group shows public priorities have changed: While health-related charities once received the bulk of support, social service agencies, such as United Way and the Salvation Army, have now surpassed them to become the top choice among donors.

To rebuild a tower, first tear down a silo – Toronto Star

The Mayor's Tower Renewal aims to retrofit the more than 1,000 residential highrises scattered throughout Toronto. Launched last fall, the idea is to make them energy-efficient and socially appropriate.

Headlines is now going to be a weekly feature, highlighting some of the interesting stories from our newspapers from the previous week.

Unique Mount Dennis theatre project will involve the community

Clark Kim, York Guardian – A new theatre project is starting up in Mount Dennis where the local residents will make up the cast and crew as well as contribute in every aspect of the production from script writing to costume design. Dale Hamilton, formerly of Action for Neighbourhood Change, says the project will be used as a tool for community development.

Hundreds swarm job fair

Jason Miller, Toronto Star – United Way Toronto member agency JVS Toronto’s Job Fair drew more than 600 people looking for work, nearly double last year's numbers. The crowds found long line-ups and apprehensive employers.

TAIBU opens doors in Malvern

Mike Adler, Scarborough Mirror – TAIBU, Scarborough's latest community health centre, is open in Malvern. Which means, after a few years of struggle and anticipation, that community gets a chance to improve its own physical, mental and even spiritual health. Only the second such centre to open in Scarborough (United Way member agency Westhill Community Services has recently added two satellites covering the rest of the area), TAIBU serves residents east of McCowan Road and north of Hwy. 401.

Jane-Finch pricey place

Tom Godrey, Toronto Sun – The lower-income Jane-Finch neighbourhood is one of the more expensive places in Toronto to buy the basic foodstuffs that all families need for a healthy diet, a Heart and Stroke Foundation survey found.

Mayor doles out $1.3M

Bryn Weese, Toronto Sun – Under the banner "Your city can help," the mayor announced a myriad of programs to help people find work, provide cheap meals for seniors and interest-free loans for renters facing eviction.