Originally published in the Globe & Mail December 11, 2020

By W. Matthew Chater, Owen Charters, Dan Clement, Peter Dinsdale, and Maya Roy

One thing is true of our organizations: We exist because communities need us.

More than eight million Canadians rely on us every year. And when times are especially tough, like now, even more turn to us, Canada’s essential network of community services. We offer spaces where children safely learn and play while their parents work, a hot meal and a place to rest for the night, a first job or resources during periods of unemployment, the support people need to break through barriers and so much more. We are the heart of Canadian communities, helping those living in vulnerable situations, and right now we are struggling.

As front-line charities and non-profits, we provide programs and services critical to Canada’s social safety net. Across all provinces and territories, people turn to us as trusted community service providers to cope, connect and recover – and they need us now more than ever.

Federal pandemic relief programs, including the Emergency Community Support Fund and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, enabled us to provide emergency child care, food programs, virtual services, shelters for people experiencing homelessness and women fleeing domestic violence, mental-health check-ins, personal protective equipment, critical care packages and more. But despite these measures, we continue to be negatively affected by rising costs and diminishing revenues. Canadians are generous, but the economic effects of COVID-19 are affecting many of our supporters, with 37 per cent reporting a reduction in their charitable contributions. As a result, our capacity to serve communities in the future is uncertain.

This is why we are turning to the Government of Canada to implement a Community Services COVID-19 Relief Fund immediately to protect the essential community services Canadians depend on, encourage future philanthropic giving and help us build back better. It is the only way the services that support millions of people in need will survive the pandemic. A program like the new, temporary Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund, which helps charities experiencing financial hardship to continue to serve veterans, would go a long way for service charities and non-profits in all sectors.

With the second wave of COVID-19 upon us, our communities are in crisis, especially those that were struggling before the pandemic. Job loss, isolation, stress and other factors have resulted in unprecedented challenges affecting the health and well-being of the people we serve.

Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities have been hit hardest. Women, especially those who are newcomers, are on the front lines providing essential care and services. Women are also taking on the lion’s share of responsibilities at home and are strained as a result, while child care remains unaffordable and in short supply, compounding the “she-cession.”

We are seeing a spike in requests for support, but are struggling to keep afloat. Funding sources are significantly limited or have dried up. Costs have increased while revenues have decreased dramatically because of cancelled in-person programming and fundraising events. Tens of thousands of employees have been laid off. And we’ve experienced permanent closings of long-standing services, with many more at risk, leaving communities without much-needed resources.

We have adapted, but we are stretched thin – and when we struggle, Canadians struggle.

National service charities and non-profits are on the ground in thousands of communities across Canada, with infrastructure, physical locations and a direct line to respond to the needs of Canadians. Governments rely on us to implement or facilitate social COVID-19 response and recovery programs. What will society lose if we are unable to operate?

Without urgent financial support from the government to help us survive the next 12 to 18 months and make it to the other side of the pandemic, a gap in essential services will be created that will be difficult and far more costly to replace.

Support from the federal government is not just an investment in us. It is an investment in emergency response today, recovery tomorrow and the future resiliency of communities.

Put simply, an investment in national service charities is an investment in Canada.

W. Matthew Chater is the national president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. Owen Charters is the president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. Dan Clement is the president and CEO of United Way Centraide Canada. Peter Dinsdale is the president and CEO of YMCA Canada. Maya Roy is the CEO of YWCA Canada.

Rogers annual donation of $1 million enabled eight-week Jays Care summer program for thousands of Canadian children and youth

For more than two decades, the Blue Jays and Jays Care have worked to create a level playing field for children and youth across Canada. This year, though, the playbook looked a little different. Though COVID-19 has impacted all Canadians, the pandemic disproportionately affected those already facing significant barriers in their everyday lives, particularly children and youth.

After surveying families about the needs of more than 600 children in its programs, Jays Care rapidly adapted its summer programs to address the challenge by launching virtual summer camps.  This online program, made possible in part by a $1 million donation from Rogers, welcomed nearly 10,000 virtual campers this summer in partnership with Toronto Community Housing and 49 BGC across the country.

“This year, it has been more important than ever for organizations to work together to support under-resourced communities,” said Robert Witchel, Executive Director, Jays Care Foundation. “Our longstanding relationships with Rogers, BGC Canada, and Toronto Community Housing allowed us to make the important pivot to a new virtual camp plan so we could continue to support families in need from coast to coast to coast.

For the last two months, campers between the ages of 4 and 15 joined engaging camp counsellors, trained by Jays Care using industry-leading best practices, for 1.5 hours of daily interactive fun, tapping into two-way video technology to play and connect with other youth.  From around-the-house scavenger hunts to talent shows, the virtual camps offered an opportunity for youth to connect with children their own age and spend time with two trusted counsellors – a daily moment of joy, caring, and continuity that means more than ever after a long period of isolation.

“This has been a summer that no parent could have planned for and no child could have imagined.  Through the help of our partners and terrific counsellors, we were pleased to be able to help provide fun, interesting and safe online live programming for 10,000 kids across Canada through these virtual camps,” said Sevaun Palvetzian who leads Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for Rogers. “These camps helped fill an unusual summer, but also brought some important new connections to everyone involved.”

“This summer, thanks to the dedication and innovative approaches of Jays Care Foundation, our partners, and our employees, we were able to offer summer programs for children and youth, including virtual internships and summer jobs, while respecting the need for physical distancing” said Kevin Marshman, President and CEO, Toronto Community Housing.

The summer program provided part-time employment to 550 young adults as camp counsellors, enabling re-employment for many BGC staff who had lost positions during the COVID-19 shutdown.  This allowed BGC to continue their mandate of keeping kids active and building life skills, when so many other programs had been cancelled.

“Alleviating isolation for 10,000 kids is reason enough to celebrate the Jays Care virtual summer camps—but there’s an even greater good for many of our Club kids,” said Owen Charters, President & CEO, BGC Canada. “We know that increased isolation has meant increased risk of mental health issues among kids of all ages. Daily contact with trusted Club staff and councillors—even virtually—has been an important way we’ve been able to connect with children who need us the most. We are grateful to Jays Care and Rogers for their support.”

The 2020 virtual summer camps are part of a longstanding partnership with Rogers, which has provided more than $9 million in funding to Jays Care Foundation programs in the last 10 years alone. The partnership has supported the building or refurbishing of accessible baseball diamonds as part of Field Of Dreams, distribution of more than 1,000 adaptive home baseball kits for youth with disabilities enrolled in Challenger Baseball, almost 60 Ted Rogers Scholarships for Jays Care-nominated youth since 2017, and this summer’s Step Up to the Plate food hamper initiative which has provided 8 million meals for food banks across Canada.

Media Contact

Ben Sibley, Ben.Sibley@bluejays.com, 647.449.4605

Team members from BGC East Scarborough accept donations of Lenovo 100e Chromebooks from Best Buy Canada’s Geek Squad Agents.

TORONTO, ON (June 30, 2020) – This week Lenovo, in partnership with Best Buy Canada, delivered 650 100E Chromebooks to Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada to help support the ongoing education of Canadian students.

The donation, which will distribute devices to kids at 61 Boys and Girls Club locations across Canada, comes at a time when connectivity is more important than ever. With closures of schools and community programming as a result of COVID-19, students are forced to turn to technology to remain engaged and complete their studies.

“COVID-19 has shined a spotlight on the importance of technology in education, but unfortunately, not all students have access to the devices needed to continue their studies at home,” said Colin McIsaac, executive director and general manager, Lenovo Canada. “The rapid transition from in-class to e-learning in our education system has highlighted the deep digital divide among students that is growing more rapidly due to the global pandemic. We are proud to be doing our part to help support their ongoing education by providing Chromebooks to these students.”

“Having had a strong partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada since 2001, we understand how much children and youth rely on the Clubs for support,” said Polly Tracey, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs at Best Buy Canada. “During COVID-19, our purpose of enriching lives through technology is more important than ever. We’re proud to be able to connect Boys and Girls Club families to technology when they need it most and we’re so pleased that Lenovo was keen to collaborate with us on this initiative.”

Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada encourage and support every child and youth to play, learn and grow to achieve their dreams, through various programs that span beyond the traditional school year. Since the transition to e-learning as a result of COVID-19, the organization has ramped up its efforts to get much needed technology in the hands of students. 

“We are grateful to Lenovo and Best Buy Canada for this important donation, which comes at a pivotal time for Boys and Girls Clubs youth across Canada, especially those who may not have the resources they need,” says Owen Charters, President & CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. “In addition to students’ ongoing studies, families are beginning to think about summer plans and activities for kids. Many of our Clubs have turned to virtual programming and these devices will help keep kids and teens connected so they can benefit from everything our Clubs offer.”

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About Lenovo
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About Best Buy Canada
A wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY), Best Buy Canada Ltd. is one of Canada’s largest and most successful omni-channel retailers, operating the Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, and Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.ca) brands. With over 170 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores across Canada and an expanded assortment of lifestyle products offered through BestBuy.ca, Best Buy is a leader in total retail, catering to customers how, when, and where they want to shop. Best Buy Canada is committed to making a positive impact in the community with programs and partnerships that support youth to connect with technology to advance their education. For more information, visit BestBuy.ca

Media contacts:

Jared Morrow
Media Relations Manager, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada
jmorrow@bgccan.com

Lisa Marie Ferrell
Head of PR, Lenovo North America
lferrell1@lenovo.com