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Investing in Children

By Nicole Zummach

LONDON, ON // Today's children will be tomorrow's leaders. It's a simple fact, a cliché some might say. Regardless, statistics show that even in a country of privilege like Canada, children and youth are falling through the social safety net in one way or another. Certainly, too many aren't getting the opportunities that will help steer their future in a positive direction. That's where organizations like Investing in Children come in.

With that magical combination of passion and creativity, a small team of employees, led by executive director Anita Gilvesy, and dedicated community partners and volunteers are working to positively impact the lives of young people. CharityVillage spoke with Gilvesy about some of the projects they are currently spearheading, what it takes to forge successful community partnerships, and how they stand out from the crowd.

CharityVillage: Your organization is the result of a merger that took place in 1999. What prompted that move?

Anita Gilvesy: Investing in Children was formed in 1999 as an amalgamation of what used to be known as the London Investment in Education Council and Kids Count. The two organizations came together as a result of a conference that was held here in the city, called Investing in Children. Out of that came the vision for the current organization. The council was already working with Kids Count and it was natural for a new organization to be formed that could bring both sides together.

CV: What is different today, almost a decade after the merger?

AG: Certainly, the community looks to us as a leader when it comes to children. We publish a snapshot of London's children and youth every two years; we look at family, health, education, recreation, and arts and culture. We point out where we are shining and where we have room to grow. Other organizations and businesses in the city use this as a tool for their planning because it gives such a great overall picture of what life is like for children and youth.

We are very unique; we're not a typical social service organization. Our mandate is broad enough that, really, wherever we see that there is a gap in our community for children, we have the opportunity to take on projects there. For example, in our community there were a number of schools that were below the provincial average, as far as literacy was concerned. So we developed a series of family literacy events that specifically targeted junior kindergarten and grade three. The Thames Valley District School Board then contracted us to go into the schools to offer these family literacy events. They are being so wonderfully received that we are now going into our third year.

We are very fluid. The bottom line is that we want the children in our community to be the best they can be, and to have the skills necessary for them to become our leaders of tomorrow. So we focus on literacy, numeracy, recreation, and the arts. Another significant role that we have here in our community is to help all the elementary and secondary schools start nutrition programs. We assist them in getting funding and help them organize their programs.

CV: You obviously work with a number of different community partners. What do those partnerships entail?

AG: The one thing we do not do is work alone. Never, ever. Probably our biggest partners are the boards of education and the London Public Library. Then we work with any number of social service organizations and businesses. So sometimes it's an in-kind donation of space, or sometimes it's a partnering of resources, or of expertise. In our case, it isn't always monetary; it's looking at the strengths of what is around us and bringing that together so that it benefits all of us.

CV: Given that collaboration is such a big part of what you do, what are some of the key elements that make these arrangements successful for you?

AG: First of all, you need to be very open and creative. The key to the collaborative piece is to not always look at things in terms of dollars. That's where everyone gets bogged down because they think they can't carry on a project unless they have all the money. Yes, some of the money is absolutely necessary, but it's about taking a look at the resources and strengths within the community, and being open and creative in finding them.

CV: There are so many different organizations focused on the needs of children. Is competition for funding a challenge for you?

AG: Absolutely. When I first joined this organization, you could write a proposal for $30,000, and you'd get $30,000. Now you write a proposal for $30,000, and first of all, you're lucky if you get anything! And second, if you get half that amount you're saying, 'Woohoo!' You've done a good job. So yes, it is a challenge. But at the same time, it forces you to go out and find new funding sources and explore. Certainly, in the past two or three years we've discovered funding sources that we weren't using five years ago. It's about finding the right match. What is the criteria that funder is looking for, and do your programs fit within it?

CV: And how do you stand out from the competition?

AG: You have to be persistent. And when we do our projects we always do an evaluation. One of the things we are constantly doing is a CQI - Continuous Quality Improvement. We talk to our children, we talk to the administrators, we talk to our community partners and stakeholders, and ask, "Are we meeting your needs?" I think part of it is to be passionate, and we are very passionate about what we do. I know that everything we do, every single day, has a positive impact on the life of a child. How could I not love that? And yes, there are times when it is a struggle, but you just don't give up.

CV: What are some of the projects you are working on right now?

AG: Coming up on April 18th is something we started here in London three years ago, called Kids First Day. It's a way to celebrate the wonderful things happening in our community. We have more than 60 businesses and organizations that will open their doors [that day], free of charge, for children and their families and provide some kind of activity. It highlights the business or organization and it gives children and families an opportunity to go somewhere for free, and to explore their city. We have things like the John Labatt Centre giving a tour behind the scenes where the London Knights play hockey; we have restaurants where your child eats free when you order a meal; we have the Museum of Archaeology that opens its doors; the Grand Theatre runs small workshops. The list goes on and on.

CV: You also have a brand new event launching on February 28th.

AG: Yes! London Gets Mugged. This is going to be priceless. We wanted to raise money to support our literacy projects, so we went to leaders within our community - politicians, executive directors, business leaders, leaders from the arts circle - and asked if they would each decorate a mug for London Gets Mugged, a wine and cheese fundraiser. We ended up with 24 people who each decorated a mug any which way they liked, and we've got some fabulous mugs. Then, we took everyone's mug shot and it is going to be framed behind their mug. As the MC for the night introduces everyone's mug he's going to say what they are up on charges for. So, it's a double play on words.

CV: Where would you like to see your organization 10 years from now?

AG: First and foremost, as a leader within our community for children and youth. But I would love to see organizations such as ours in other communities. Because of our fluidity, we can recognize a gap and go in and make a difference. It would be great if other communities came to us and said, "Tell us how you've done this, and guide us in starting our own [similar organization]." Certainly, within our own community, I would like to see us continue to enrich the lives of children and youth, and continue to engage the community in making the lives of our children and youth better.

Anita Gilvesy stepped into the role of executive director at Investing in Children in 2005, and has been with the organization since 2000.

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