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| Path: Main Street : NewsWeek : Archive : NewsBytes : Article |
This is an archive of CharityVillage NewsWeek.
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To view other articles in the archive, use our Chronological Index.
NewsBytes: June, 2002
Articles are arranged in reverse chronological order.
Toronto opera hits a high note with $20 million donation
June 24, 2002
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts announced a $20 million donation to the Canadian Opera Company (COC) for the building of a new opera house in Toronto. In exchange, the company will have naming rights in perpetuity. "This opera house is in a class by itself," said Isadore Sharp, founder and CEO of the Toronto-based hotel chain. "There is long-term ongoing value for the Four Seasons to have this opportunity to associate our name with this type of facility." The opera house, which has been in various stages of development for almost 25 years, will now be known as The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
The gift is the first major private donation announced since the provincial and federal governments committed a total of $232 million in May for Toronto's cultural infrastructure. Richard Bradshaw, the COC's general director, says the organization is now more than halfway to its $150 million goal, and will soon start planning for the facility's opening gala, which is slated for the fall of 2005. For more information, visit: www.coc.ca/company/facilities/house.htm.
Canadian lawsuit targets one of Britain's largest children's charities
June 24, 2002
Harold Vennell, a former "Barnardo's boy," launched a $600 million class action against Barnardo's on behalf of 30,000 children shipped to Canada between 1870 and 1939 from Barnardo's homes and orphanages in Britain. Under the program, Canadian farmers applied to the charity for children to work on their farms, in exchange for clothes, food, pay, and education. According to Barnardo's web site, the program was introduced because "it was cheaper to place a child in Canada than to care for a child in a home in Britain and it was believed it would give children a fresh start away from overcrowded slums." Vennell, now age 84, came to Canada as a teenager in 1932 to work on a farm. "While Barnardo's intentions may have seemed laudable to some, it is now indisputable that many of the migrant children were neglected, abused or otherwise mistreated," said Harvey Strosberg, Vennell's lawyer. The class action alleges that the charity did not screen or monitor Canadian applicants to ensure that children were being treated properly. For more information about Barnardo's, visit: www.barnardos.org.uk.
June 24, 2002
The Canadian Hunger Foundation received its largest private donation last week, a $1 million gift from Eric Sprott, CEO of Sprott Asset Management Inc. The funds will be used to launch a new Africa Freedom From Hunger Fund that will aim to raise twenty million dollars over the next year for agricultural projects in Africa. This marks Sprott's second donation to the foundation in support of its African initiatives. "Giving communities the power to improve their own lives now and in the long term is rewarding. I have enjoyed working with an organization that is so focused and skilled at delivering relevant and self-sustaining projects to communities in developing countries," he said. "I think that donating to Africa is a wise investment. I have already seen social returns, in terms of benefits to communities." For more information on the Canadian Hunger Foundation, visit: www.partners.ca.
Fast Fact: Number of Canadian millionaires grew in 2001
June 24, 2002
According to the recently released 2002 World Wealth Report, there were 165,000 high net worth individuals (HNWI) in Canada at the end of 2001, up slightly compared to 2000 figures. Across North America, the number of HNWIs rose by 1.8% to 2.22 million individuals with a combined wealth of US$7.6 trillion. North America's HNWIs currently account for 29% of global wealth. Worldwide, there was an increase of almost 3% in the number of HNWIs, bringing the total to 7.1 million people with financial assets of at least US$1 million, excluding real estate. Their combined wealth rose to an estimated US$26.2 trillion last year. -- Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Merrill Lynch
June 24, 2002
The motorcycling community showed its true spirit as more than 3,500 motorcyclists and motorcycle enthusiasts from across Ontario gathered in the rain for the 2002 Ride for Sight. The three-day event raised more than $700,000 for The Foundation Fighting Blindness. "We are very proud of all riders, passengers and supporters who participated this year," said John McBride, chair of the Central Ontario Ride for Sight. "The incredible grit, dedication and determination of riders at this year's event proves that they are adamant about supporting this very important cause so that one day all people will be able to see the world as they do." Ride for Sight organizers are already gearing up for the 25th anniversary of this event next June, when they hope to reach the $1 million mark. For more information, visit: www.rideforsight.org.
June 24, 2002
The federal government announced that it will fund two new projects put forth by the Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI). The projects focus on the accreditation of foreign credentials for new immigrants to Canada. "The initiatives put forward will help ensure that all people, arriving from everywhere in the world, can contribute to building our nation and to our sense of pride in being Canadian," said Jean Augustine, the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Status of Women. "I congratulate the voluntary sector for undertaking these research projects and look forward to their contribution to the ongoing federal, provincial and territorial work to improve foreign credential recognition in Canada." For more information on the VSI's work in this area, visit: www.vsi-isbc.ca/eng/reference%5Fgroups/visible%5Fminorities/index.cfm.
June 24, 2002
When the 2004 Arctic Winter Games arrive in Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo, Alberta, more than 4,000 volunteers will be ready to help make the event a memorable one. Shell Canada and Albian Sands Energy hope to make their job a bit easier with a donation of $175,000 for uniforms, recruitment material, training, recognition, and other necessities. The gift also makes the two companies the official sponsors of the volunteer program for the games. "The Arctic Winter Games is a huge event for northern communities around the world," said Neil Camarta, senior vice president of oil sands for Shell Canada. "I think that the volunteers are the ones that are going to make the difference between good games and great games." For more information, visit: www.shell.ca/code/library/news/2002/02nr_jun17_albian.html
Fast Fact: Charitable contributions down in the US
June 24, 2002
In a year of recession and crisis, the US charitable sector did not go unscathed. The 2002 Giving USA report finds that charitable giving totaled $212 billion in 2001, a decrease of 2.3% compared to the previous year. Individual donors gave an estimated $160.72 billion, representing more than 75% of all estimated giving. Corporate giving fell by approximately 14% to $9 billion, while foundation giving increased by 2.5% to $25.9 billion for the year. Gifts made to relief and recovery after September 11 accounted for less than 1% of the estimated $212 billion in contributions and Giving USA estimates that a total of $1.88 billion was received by the major national September 11 relief funds as of the end of 2001. -- AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy
June 24, 2002
The Atkinson Charitable Foundation awarded a $50,000 cheque to the Massey Centre for Women last week for its work with children at risk. The Toronto agency provides highly specialized and comprehensive services to teen mothers and their babies. The annual award was established in 1998 to improve the lives of children and is the largest of its kind in Canada. "The Massey Centre provides teen mothers with the tools they need to deal with the whole range of problems they face," said Betsy Atkinson Murray, one of the foundation's trustees. "It's a program that sets up young mothers for success, so both they and their babies can live up to their full potential." For more information about the Massey Centre, visit: www.massey.ca.
June 24, 2002
London's Parkwood Hospital received a $100,000 donation from Cold Springs Farm last week. It will use the funds for much-needed geriatric research and care in the region. "This generous contribution recognizes the importance of research and applying that research to improving the quality of life for all older persons," said Michael J. Borrie, chair of geriatric medicine and program director for the Southwestern Ontario regional geriatric program. Statistics show that there are currently an estimated 200,000 people who are age 65 or older living in the area served by the hospital; a figure the hospital says is well above the national average.
June 24, 2002
Even though the summer holiday season is once again upon us, CharityVillage NewsWeek will be on the job, bringing you our weekly crop of nonprofit news from across the country. Many of our stories each week come from visitors like you, so if there is something happening in your organization that you'd like to share, please drop us a line at help@charityvillage.com.
If you know an exceptional volunteer in your organization or community, please send a note to Cam Tait, our Spotlight columnist. He's always on the lookout for new profiles of the great people who are making our sector more vibrant and successful every day. Send your Spotlight ideas to Cam at cam@charityvillage.com.
June 17, 2002
Canadian Pacific Railway announced a new community investment program that replaces the charitable donations previously made on CPR's behalf by the Canadian Pacific Charitable Foundation, which closed its doors last year. Community Connect has a new charitable focus and will establish multi-year partnerships with nonprofit groups. "This program reflects the natural strengths of the railway - building and connecting communities, celebrating our shared heritage and supporting our neighbors," said Paul Clark, vice president of communications and public affairs. "Community Connect supports a few key programs that we believe will make a significant and lasting contribution to the quality of life in hundreds of communities along our tracks." Program partners include the Canadian Association of Food Banks, the United Way, and the Breakfast for Learning Canadian Living Foundation. Partner charities are chosen for their ability to pass on the benefits of the company's contributions to a large number of communities. For more information about the Community Connect program, visit: www.cpr.ca.
June 17, 2002
With the ski season now over, the tally from this year's Toshiba Breath of Life® Celebrity Ski Challenge is in. The series of five ski events, held across the country, raised $340,000 for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF). It was the most ever raised in one year since the event began in 1985. Ken Read, a former Olympic and World Cup champion skier, started the challenge 18 years ago when his nephew was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. The event pairs corporate sponsors with Canadian sports legends for private ski clinics, a dual slalom downhill ski race, and a special awards ceremony. For more information about the Breath of Life Celebrity Ski Challenge, visit: www.cysticfibrosis.ca/page.asp?id=47.
June 17, 2002
A recent study from Ipsos-Reid found that 92% of Canadian Internet users use e-mail on a regular basis and 88% use it on a weekly basis. The survey also revealed that 79% of Internet users have opted-in to receive e-mail campaigns from certain web sites. Of those respondents who opted into e-mail campaigns, 54% turn to news and information web sites, while 38% favour entertainment sites. Sixty-two percent say they receive too much irrelevant e-mail and 43% cited spam e-mails as their number one pet peeve. -- Ipsos-Reid
June 17, 2002
In celebration of Environment Week, British Columbia and the federal government, in partnership with several of BC's leading conservation organizations and foundations, introduced a new publication to help donors make informed decisions about supporting environmental causes. Green Legacies: A Donor's Guide for BC includes everything the financial advisor and potential donor need to know about gifts to conserve British Columbia's ecology. "Having the ability to leave future generations with a nature-focused legacy is an option that more and more people want," said David Anderson, the federal environment minister. The guide provides key information about which ecological areas need to be conserved, the range of gifts that can be made, and the conservation organizations in BC that are working to protect those areas. Copies of the guide are available for $8 by contacting the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund at 1-800-387-9853 ext. 4, greenlegacies@stewardshipcentre.bc.ca, or by visiting: www.stewardshipcentre.bc.ca/greenlegacies.
June 17, 2002
This year on World Refugee Day, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will pay tribute to refugee women and their children, who account for 80% of the world's refugees. To help raise funds and support its programs for refugee women, the UNHCR joined forces with eBay to launch a celebrity online auction featuring signed memorabilia and objects primarily donated by famous women. Items available include a UNHCR baseball cap and t-shirt signed by Angelina Jolie; a signed script of Meryl Streep's next movie; a signed tennis racket from Martina Hingis; and many more items from such celebrities as actress Cate Blanchett, fashion designer Christian Lacroix, model Naomi Campbell, and figure skater Katarina Witt. The auction ends on World Refugee Day, June 20. For more information, visit: members.ebay.ca/aboutme/worldrefugeeday_ca.
June 17, 2002
As a tribute to the late Peter Gzowski and his contribution to communication and literacy across Canada, the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, in partnership with Frontier College, announced a new $25,000/year scholarship for doctoral dissertation research. The purpose of the scholarship is to develop and foster graduate training that integrates university with community objectives related to child and family literacy. The award will be given for two consecutive years and the Network will supplement travel and living expenses related to project training and research while at Frontier College's head office in Toronto. The deadline for applications is August 5, 2002. For more information, visit: www.cllrnet.ca/en/programs/training/GzowskiScholarship/index.php.
June 17, 2002
A new Chronicle of Philanthropy survey indicates that 126 large charities raised more than $96 million online during the 2001 fiscal year. Forty-eight of the organizations reported that electronic gifts more than doubled from 2000 to 2001 and another 27 saw growth rates of more than 10%. However, despite these encouraging results, only 11 of the charities raised 1% or more of their total revenue online. The Chronicle notes that the survey included very little of the money raised online by relief organizations after September 11 because the disaster occurred during many organizations' 2002 fiscal year. -- The Chronicle of Philanthropy
June 17, 2002
Bell Canada announced a $500,000 contribution towards the launch of the Laboratoire de recherche en ingénierie sociale (LaRIS) for the UNESCO-Bell Chair for Communications and International Development at the Université du Québec at Montréal. LaRIS will analyze new applications for information technology and communications and study the behaviour of communications systems users. The donation is part of Bell's ongoing involvement with Bell University Laboratories. For more information about the University of Quebec, visit: www.uquebec.ca
June 17, 2002
Toronto residents trying to locate information on community, social, health and government services can now dial 211 from any phone or connect to 211Toronto.ca. The new 24-hour service, a partnership between United Way of Greater Toronto and Community Information Toronto (CIT), is available to everyone - families, professionals, and people who face barriers to services, whether by language, poverty, homelessness, age, or personal difficulty. "211 expands our existing service to provide information and referral 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in a variety of languages," said Allyson Hewitt, executive director of CIT. "Whether you are a family facing eviction or seeking support for an aging parent, dialing 211 cuts through the confusion and connects people to the services they need." Plans are also underway to introduce 211 services in other Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Windsor, Kingston, Ottawa, and Halifax. For more information, visit: www.unitedwaytoronto.com or www.211toronto.ca.
June 17, 2002
Corporal Danny Bois, a member of the 1st Battalion Royal 22e Régiment from the military garrison in Valcartier, Quebec, is once again on his annual trek to gather funds for sick children. His "March for Life" began in Dawson City, Yukon, and with the full support of the Canadian Forces, this year Danny will take up the challenge of crossing Canada from coast to coast for the first time. He started to collect funds for children with incurable diseases upon his return from a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia in 2000. Deeply touched by the misery of the children, he created a foundation to help Canadian children. To date he has collected $35,000 for the cause.
June 17, 2002
Three charitable organizations won a total of $3,500 in Metasoft System's proposal competition, which was designed to recognize and promote excellence in proposal writing. The three prizewinners were the Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of British Columbia, the AIDS Committee of Toronto, and Abbotsford Community Services. Proposals were judged on project value, organization and impact, and on overall presentation. Metasoft is the creator of BIG Online, a fundraising database for North America's nonprofit sector. For more information, visit: www.bigdatabase.com/bigonline.nsf/publish/welcome.
June 10, 2002
Donors from across Canada participated in this year's Children's Miracle Network Telethon, breaking many records along the way. "We are thrilled by this amazing show of support, and very grateful to everyone who contributed," said Sharon Jones, senior development officer for the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, which raised a record $6,002,341 during its Sick Kids Miracle Weekend. "Viewers from across the country told us they were moved and inspired by the many incredible stories of hope that helped explain what makes this hospital unique."
The 24-hour telethon was broadcast nationwide on June 1 and 2, inviting donors to pledge their support. In Western Ontario, donors raised $2,794,162 for the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario Foundation, while in Eastern Ontario $3,587,436 was raised for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Foundation. There was also record-breaking success in Western Canada where donors pledged $7,161,593 in support of the BC Children's Hospital Foundation, surpassing last year's total by $700,000. For more information about the Children's Miracle Network, visit: www.cmncan.ca.
June 10, 2002
After an Accord was signed between the voluntary sector and the Government of Canada on December 5, 2001, the Joint Accord Table of the Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI) formed three working groups to help develop plans and products to implement that Accord. As a result, two draft codes of good practice, one on funding and the other on policy development, were created as guides to interactions in these areas between government departments and voluntary sector organizations. These draft codes are now available online and the VSI will be accepting comments and feedback about them until June 17. The Joint Accord Table will finalize the codes by early July. To view the codes and provide feedback, visit: www.vsi-isbc.ca/eng/ draft_codes.cfm.
June 10, 2002
According to Walter Noel, Minister of Government Services and Lands, Newfoundland bingo operators who are unable to achieve the minimum return to charities will not have their licenses revoked. Bingo represents a $50 million industry in the province but is illegal under the Criminal Code unless run for charitable purposes. A policy introduced in March of 2000 requires that bingo operators return 15% of proceeds to participating charities by June of 2002, but almost half of the province's bingos have not complied with the rule. Noel says the policy was intended to help charities make more money and that nothing would be achieved by closing down bingo operators who cannot comply. The policy is now being reviewed and should be completed within the next few weeks. For more information, visit: www.gov.nf.c a/releases/2002/gsl/0604n06.htm.
June 10, 2002
A new survey released last week reveals that 74% of British Columbians made at least one charitable contribution in 2001 and 25% plan to give even more this year. When broken down by age group, the youngest segment of the population (ages 18-33) indicated the greatest desire to give more in 2002 (33%). However, the 55-plus age group contributes the most to charity overall, with 86% donating an average of $852 last year. When asked to identify the largest barrier to charitable giving, 76% of respondents cited competition and clutter within the marketplace, saying there are just too many organizations asking for donations.-- Ipsos-Reid
June 10, 2002
Valcom Ltd. announced it will donate $1 million to the Richard Ivey School of Business to create a professorship in strategic leadership. Paul MacPherson, president or Valcom and a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, said the professorship will also honour three professors emeriti who had a significant impact on his career. For more information, visit: www.ivey.uwo.ca/media/macpherson.htm.
June 10, 2002
Last year, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and Global Television created a special award to give thanks and recognition to all those individuals in the Canadian television industry who give their time and efforts to assist charitable organizations. Now in its second year, the Gemini Humanitarian Award is once again seeking nominations. The award honours the philanthropic efforts of an individual within the industry and includes a $10,000 financial contribution to the recipient's charity of choice. The deadline for nominations is June 28. For more information or an application form, visit: www.academy.ca/gemini/gemini/gmspecialawardshumanitarian.htm.
June 10, 2002
After months of heated debate over whether or not the American Red Cross misled donors who gave money to help victims of September 11th, the organization announced major changes to the way it solicits donations for disaster relief. The charity decided that it will no longer seek contributions for victims of a specific disaster and will instead inform donors that their donations could be used to help individuals in any emergency situation. The controversy began last fall when donors to the Liberty Fund learned that the Red Cross planned to use part of the money for expenditures unrelated to the September 11th attacks. The charity reversed that decision in November and as of April 30th had distributed $630 million of the $967 million raised by the Liberty Fund. For more information, visit: www.redcross.org/press/disaster/ds_pr/020605dsfunds.html
Fast Fact: Donors likely to give more when thanked promptly
June 10, 2002
In a national study of donor communication and recognition, 78% of individual donors said they would definitely or probably give again to a charity that provided them with prompt acknowledgement of their gift, followed later by a meaningful update on the program they had funded. Of those respondents, 41% went on to say that they would likely give more to the charity the next time they were asked. In addition, 61% of survey respondents said they sometimes receive a request for another gift in the body of a thank you letter and 81% reported being offended when this occurs. -- Burk & Associates
June 10, 2002
ATB Financial, an Alberta-based financial institution, announced that its third annual Teddy for a Toonie campaign raised more than $184,000 for specialized medical services to children in the province. Customers were invited to donate two dollars to the cause by entering a draw to win a teddy bear at each ATB Financial location. The $114,000 that was raised in the northern half of the province will go to the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation. The $70,000 raised in southern Alberta will be donated to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation. For more information, visit: www.atb.com/news.asp?id=205.
June 10, 2002
Over the past year, the Maytree Foundation and Naomi Alboim of Queen's University, School of Policy Studies, have been involved in policy work related to the integration of skilled immigrant professionals into the Canadian labour market. The project team spoke to dozens of experts from government, post secondary educational institutes, community agencies, occupational regulatory bodies, immigrant professional associations, and academic credential assessment services. Their experience, thoughts and opinions helped to inform the thinking and recommendations of the project, which were recently published in a paper by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy. Entitled Fulfilling the Promise: Integrating Immigrant Skills into the Canadian Economy, this publication represents the beginning of a sustained commitment to seeing the development of a systems-based approach to valuing and benefiting from the skills, knowledge and experience that immigrants bring to Canada. To view the paper, visit: www.maytree.com/RefugeeImmigrantProgram/Publications/PublicationsAbstracts/FulfillingPromise.html.
June 10, 2002
More than 60 breast cancer survivors from across Canada and around the world were able to attend last week's World Conference on Breast Cancer thanks to a successful fundraising campaign by Scotiabank employees. The Pink Ribbon campaign, which took place at Scotiabank branches across the country, raised more than $74,000 to send breast cancer survivors representing every province and territory in Canada as well as countries ranging from Cameroon, Zambia and Iran to India, Egypt and New Zealand. "The fight against breast cancer has become one of the largest single causes supported by Scotiabank. Our employees are also very active in their communities and they have always been enthusiastic in their support of breast cancer initiatives," said Sylvia Chrominska, executive vice president of human resources for Scotiabank. For more information about the conference, visit: www.worldbrea stcancerconf.ca/wcbchome.html.
June 3, 2002
A donation of $8 million in cash and an 88-hectare parcel of land valued at $8 million will bring some major improvements to the University of Calgary's business school. The gift, made by prominent Calgary businessman Dick Haskayne and his wife Lois, is the largest ever to the university and one of the largest ever to a Canadian business school. "I realized that this business school is on the verge of being one of the best in the world, and with greater financial support now, this vision could be realized sooner rather than later," said Haskayne. The money will be used to establish the Haskayne Endowment for Achieving Excellence, which will build intellectual capital for the business school by funding professorships, scholarships and bursaries to attract and retain outstanding professors and students. For more information, visit: www.fp.ucalgary.ca/unicomm/news/May_02/haskayne.htm.
June 3, 2002
As part of the Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI), a new project being managed by the Centre for Voluntary Sector Research and Development and the Centre for Public Studies at the University of Victoria will give members of the voluntary sector and the government a chance to switch places temporarily. The Policy Internships and Fellowships Program (PIAF) aims to develop policy knowledge, experience, and skills in the voluntary sector and the federal government and enable the voluntary sector to become a more viable partner in the development of public policy. The program will bring together voluntary organizations and federal government departments to propose a policy project and then an intern will carry it out. Applications to participate are due by June 25, 2002. For more information or an application form, visit: www.cvsrd.org/eng/piaf.html.
June 3, 2002
St. Joseph's Health Centre, the oldest hospital site in Toronto, received a $5 million donation from Eugene Melnyk, the chair and CEO of Mississauga-based drug maker Biovail Corp. It is the largest private donation made to the hospital in its 114-year history and will be used for much-needed renovations and upgrades. His father, Ferdinand Melnyk, was a physician at St. Joseph's for more than 20 years before his death in the 1970s. "This generous gift is a wonderful statement from a member of the St. Joseph's Health Centre family," said Marilyn Bruner, president and CEO of the centre. "It is a show of gratitude for a wonderful relationship that illustrates our commitment not only to members of our family, but speaks volumes to the community we serve." For more information, visit: www.stjoe.on.ca.
June 3, 2002
Combined spending on culture by all three levels of government was almost $5.9 billion in the fiscal year 1999/2000, representing an increase of 1.5% from the previous year. Municipal governments reported the highest increase at 6.7%, spending just under $1.5 billion on culture in 1999. Provincial and territorial spending was up by 2.9% to about $1.9 billion while federal contributions remained virtually unchanged at $2.8 billion. At the federal level, grants, contributions, and other transfers to artists and cultural organizations accounted for 20% of the total cultural budget in 1999/2000. The grants portion of provincial and territorial cultural budgets was 62% of the total budget for that year. -- Statistics Canada
June 3, 2002
Michael Barnstijn and Louise MacCallum announced that they will contribute $1.3 million to the Walter Bean Trail, a project designed to link Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge and neighbouring townships along 76 kilometres of the Grand River. Most of the money will be used to build a $1.2-million walking bridge across a wide part of the Grand River in south Kitchener. "There has to be an initial show of support from somebody," Barnstijn said. "Building a bridge in metre increments doesn't work." Since retiring from Research In Motion in 1998, the young couple has donated millions to local causes in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. For more information about the Walter Bean Trail, visit: www.sju.ca/grt.
June 3, 2002
A research brief commissioned by the VSI Secretariat outlines some of the challenges facing women volunteers and paid staff in the voluntary sector. Motivation at the Margins identifies both the gaps in research and indications of progress towards gender equality in the sector and also makes recommendations on how to move towards greater gender equity. Although information about the voluntary sector is incomplete at present, data indicates that between 50% and 75% of employees and 54% of all volunteers in the nonprofit sector are women. To download the report in PDF format, visit: www.vsi-isbc.ca/eng/pdf/reports_motivation.pdf
June 3, 2002
Tens of thousands of people gathered in cities across Canada last week for the 18th Annual World Partnership Walk. The event, an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), raised an estimated $2.6 million to fight global poverty, surpassing last year's total by 25%. It also brought out record numbers of people in support of international development. "The unparalleled support shown for the Walk across the country - both from individuals and corporations - is an indication of the bond Canadians feel with people in the developing world," said Nazeer Aziz Ladhani, CEO of AKFC. All funds raised by the event are matched by the Canadian government through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and are used to support development projects in Asia and Africa. For more information, visit: www.worldpartnershipwalk.com/en/index.html.
June 3, 2002
A $5 million fund, created with equal contributions from Canadian Heritage and the TELUS Foundation, will promote quality online Canadian content for schools across the country. The Canada-TELUS New Media Learning Fund is dedicated to the development of online new media content for the K-Grade 12 education sector. "It is important that talented Canadian new media developers have the opportunity to create innovative online content that reflects our culture and our distinct national identity," said TELUS president and CEO Darren Entwistle. "Through this fund we will help Canadian content developers unleash the power of the Internet by providing valuable new media resources to Canada's educators, parents and children." For more information about the fund, visit: about.telus.com /community/telusfund.html.
June 3, 2002
Grant Thornton's 10th annual European Business Survey reveals that 41% of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe have a formal policy on environmental responsibility in place, with Sweden topping the list at 71%. In addition, an average of 29% of European SMEs have a formal charity donation policy with Ireland (51%) and Norway (49%) leading the way in this category. Companies in France are the least likely to have a formal policy on charitable giving (7%). Finally, an average of about 15% of the companies surveyed have a formal policy with regards to ethical sourcing of goods and services. In this category, Greece tops the list at 38%. -- Grant Thornton International
June 3, 2002
Zenon Environmental Inc. is number one when it comes to corporate citizenship, according to a new survey by Corporate Knights, a recently launched web site and magazine aiming to be the primary resource on the topic of responsible business and corporate ethics. The list is based on factors ranging from community development and employee relations, to environmental and safety practices, and even share performance. "Corporations are really, in many cases, part of the problem, not the solution," said Toby Heaps, a co-founder of Corporate Knights. "But the companies in this ranking have a least shown an openness to become part of the solution, and that's what we want to emphasize right now." Other companies in the top ten include: Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd., RBC Financial, Jean Coutu Group, and Petro-Canada. For more information, visit: www.corporateknights.ca.
June 3, 2002
When the mayor of Fruitvale, BC found out she won the lottery, she didn't let the money go to her head. It never even made it to her wallet. Libby Nelson donated the entire $100,000 she won in a province-wide fundraising lottery to help retire the debt on the local community hall. Much-needed renovations on the hall ended up costing $1.2-million and the local council has been trying to pay down Fruitvale's debt ever since. "It was just the right thing to do," said Ms. Nelson who is now in her sixth year as mayor of the town. "The community hall is the heart of Fruitvale. I really didn't think of doing anything else. I'm already rich in everything that matters."
June 3, 2002
Sifto Canada Inc., which owns and operates the world's largest salt mine, announced a donation of $500,000 towards the Mind and Body Community Campaign in Goderich, Ontario. The community is raising funds for the construction of the Community Health and Wellness Centre, a sports and recreation complex for residents of Central and Western Huron County. It will feature an indoor swimming pool, an ice rink, a gymnasium, and will provide health and fitness programs to members. For more information about the Mind and Body Community Campaign, visit: www.mindandbody.ca.
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