With summer around the corner, the start of June means the launch of another Great Canadian Giving Challenge! A national contest now launched for a third year, the contest give Canadians the chance to win $10,000 for their favourite charity. So how does it work? Every $1.00* donated from June 1st to June 30th, 2017 on CanadaHelps.org or GivingChallenge.ca is an automatic entry for your chosen charity to win a $10,000 donation.
To help us celebrate the third annual Great Canadian Giving Challenge, the CanadaHelps team was joined by our partners at GIV3 and three local charities in Ottawa to launch the contest by handing out $3.00 CanadaHelps Charity Gift Cards on June 1st. Not only was it fitting to be on the streets of Ottawa just in time for Canada’s 150th birthday, the City of Ottawa also happens to be the location of last year’s grand prize winner, Camp B’nai Brith of Ottawa!
So who joined us to help launch this year’s contest? Ten Oaks Project, The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (The Circle), and World University Service of Canada (WUSC) joined us to celebrate yet another Great Canadian Giving Challenge! Learn more about each charity and what they would do with $10,000 below:
Ten Oaks Project
The Ten Oaks Project is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization that engages and connects children and youth from LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two spirit, and queer) identities, families and communities through summer camp programs. Based in Ottawa, the Ten Oaks Project has been meeting the needs of children and youth from LGBTQ+ identities, families and communities since launching its first summer camp in 2005. With innovative and cutting-edge programming modeled on the principles of social justice, campers learn through play, workshops and social interaction to enhance self-esteem, life skills, independence, leadership and self-confidence. The Ten Oaks Project strives to ensure programs remain economically accessible and are safer spaces where children and youth of LGBTQ+ communities can thrive.
The Ten Oaks Project offers four flagship programs:
- Camp Ten Oaks: a weeklong overnight camp for children and youth ages 8-17;
- Oak Grove Family Camp: a weekend overnight camp for LGBTQ+ families and families with LGBTQ+ kids;
- Project Acorn: a four-day overnight camp for youth ages 16-24, and;
- The Youth Advisory Committee: a year-round youth leadership development program.
According to Hannah McGechie, Executive Director of the Ten Oaks Project, if their charity won the $10,000 prize, Ten Oaks Project would be able to send 10 families to attend their Oak Grove Family Camp. Want to give their charity the chance to make that happen? Ten Oaks Project has launched a Canada 150 campaign raising funds to support their Oak Grove Family Camp. Visit their campaign page linked here.
The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (The Circle)
The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (The Circle) transforms philanthropy and contributes to positive change with Indigenous communities by creating spaces of learning, innovation, relationship-building, co-creation, and activation. With The Philanthropic Community’s Declaration of Action as a foundation, The Circle works alongside Canada’s philanthropic community to encourage individuals and organizations to learn, acknowledge, and understand more about truth and reconciliation through an Indigenous lens. The Circle invites everyone to join in moving forward in an atmosphere of dignity and respect towards the shared goal of reconciliation.
The Circle is proud to be a co-partner of The Ontario Indigenous Youth Partnership Project (OIYPP) alongside Tides Canada. OIYPP is based on an understanding that by acknowledging Indigenous voices to guide and shape the partnership, The Circle will have a culturally appropriate and more effective way of working with Indigenous youth who have the ability to transform their communities in innovative and necessary ways. OIYPP is a unique, co-created initiative that provides grants to Indigenous youth projects; their philosophy goes beyond the transaction and is deeply rooted in reciprocity, leadership, dialogue, action and mentorship. This focus on mutual learning experiences bridges the gap between Indigenous youth and their supporters, ultimately building a stronger and more equitable future together. It is through co-created projects like OIYPP that The Circle is able to demonstrate reconciliation as an actioning word. At this poignant point of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, there is a responsibility on all Canadians to: Learn & Remember, Understand & Acknowledge, Participate & Act. The Circle works as an approachable and humble ally to provide guidance on the journey to reconciliation. As Canada marks 2017 The Circle invites you to engage and take steps forward towards the next 150.
According to Wanda Brascoupé Peters, Executive Director of The Circle, if their charity won the $10,000 prize, The Circle would direct funds to support the OIYPP. Want to give their charity the chance to make that happen? The Circle has launched a campaign raising funds to support the OIYPP project. Visit their campaign page linked here.
World University Service of Canada (WUSC)
World University Service of Canada (WUSC) improves education, employment, and empowerment opportunities for youth. One of Canada’s most established non-profit organizations in international development, WUSC works with a diverse network of students, volunteers, institutions, governments, and businesses to support youth-centered solutions that address the root causes of inequality and exclusion. WUSC imagines a world where all young people can grow up in safe, secure, and supportive environments; where they can learn, work, and play a vital role in their country’s development. To achieve this vision, WUSC partners with a vast network of students, volunteers, postsecondary institutions, civil society organizations, businesses, and governments to improve the opportunities available to youth, their families, and their communities. With deep Canadian and international roots WUSC has formed a network of individuals passionate about our mission. These skilled development experts and enthusiasts span generations and geographies. And they provide the foundation for our work in development. Our flagship program, the Student Refugee Program, works with over 80 university, college, and CEGEP campuses from across the country to support refugee youth. The program, the only one of its kind to combine resettlement with opportunities for higher education, was able to nearly double the number of students resettled in 2016/2017. Our volunteer cooperation program, Uniterra (a WUSC and CECI program), has allowed Canadians to use their skills, experience, and passion to contribute to global development efforts around the world. In 2015/2016, 339 international volunteers from coast to coast to coast supported global development in 14 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
According to Stephanie Leclair, Manager Communications and Fundraising at WUSC, if their charity won the $10,000 prize, WUSC would direct funds to increase the number of opportunities to refugee youth, and they would also provide critical academic and social support to students when they first arrive. Want to give their charity the chance to make that happen? WUSC has launched a campaign raising funds to support theiStudent Refugee Program. Visit their campaign page linked here.
Ready to get giving? Find a charity to give to, browse Canada 150 charity campaigns, or find a charity in your neighborhood to support this June to enter them to win the $10,000 grand prize! Let’s get giving, Canada!
*Donations must be made via givingchallenge.ca or canadahelps.org. Minimum $3 donation required. Contest runs from June 1, 2017 at midnight Newfoundland Daylight Time (NDT) to June 30, 2017 at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). One (1) CAD $10,000 donation from The GIV3 Foundation to selected charity available to be won. Odds of charity winning depend on number of entries received. Math skill-test required. See full rules at: http://givingchallenge.ca/rules.html.
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