PHILANTHROPIC CONTEST 2019
How would you use $125,000? to provide more respite for those in need?
iA Financial Group will donate close to $300,000 to various charitable organizations.
Accepting submissions starting September 16, 2019
2019 Edition
The 2019 contest will support Canadian charities working in the health, education or social services sectors who, among other services, provide respite for families, loved ones and others who need it.
Our 2018 winners
Canadian Mental Health Association
Proposition:
There’s a million Bobby’s
One of my clients (let’s call him Bobby) had a significant mental health diagnosis, and I was helping him in his search for a job. Our conversation turned to the value of work, how it is more than just a paycheque, how it gives you a sense of who you are, and how your co-workers can become your closest friends. Bobby, who is 27 (the same age as my daughter), says, “Friends would be nice. I haven’t had a friend in a long time.”
This conversation still haunts me. The money would go directly toward providing services to isolated individuals who deserve more.
Immediately, expanded hours and new programming would be available to individuals in our area. We would focus on younger adults, creating programming that would attract this group.
CMHA Swift Current facilitates access to the resources people require to maintain and improve mental health and community integration, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness.
www.swiftcurrent.cmha.ca
Centre prévention suicide du KRTB
Proposition:
Taking Action to Improve Farmer Wellbeing
Mental health affects everyone. When things aren’t going well, some people have suicidal thoughts. Some people even attempt suicide. And farmers are no exception.
With a donation of $125,000, we could hire a social worker for two years who would travel throughout the KRTB region and meet with agricultural producers and their loved ones to help them alleviate psychological distress, take care of themselves and their mental health, and fight suicidal thoughts. This front-line mental health worker would be someone who understands the farming community.
The mission of the KRTB Suicide Prevention Centre (KRTB SPC) is to meet the needs of KRTB (Kamouraska/Rivière-du-Loup/Témiscouata/Les Basques) residents with regards to suicide by working primarily with people who are suicidal, their families, people bereaved by suicide, people who intervene in suicide attempts or suicides, and vulnerable people at risk of suicide.
www.cpsdukrtb.org
Pathstone Foundation
Proposition:
Walk-In Clinic Extended Hours Program
In an effort to respond more quickly to children and families, we opened the Hear & Now Walk-In Clinic in Feb 2018. Open every Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the service is immediate, offers one-on-one support, and helps prevent a clients’ concerns from worsening. There is no cost, no appointment needed, and no OHIP card required, reducing barriers to service.
Given the program’s demonstrated success, we now want to do three main things to increase our reach and further improve access to immediate care.
- Extend the hours of service to allow more kids and families to come to us after school/work.
- Extend the days of service from 3 days a week to 4.
- Hire staff to work directly for the Walk-In Clinic.
Our mission is to strengthen the quality of life for children, youth, and families from across Niagara who are dealing with mental health challenges. Our goal is to ensure no child waits more than 30 days for therapy. We have a vision of mental wellness for all children, youth, and families.
At Pathstone, we see over 6,200 children each year, and those numbers continue to grow.
www.pathstonementalhealth.caThe seven winners of a $10,000 donation in 2018
The race was close. Congratulations to all these charities. We thank them for their participation and the quality of their submissions. We wish them the very best.
Project : Baby Love
What could be more important than the mental health of babies? The earliest years of a child’s life lay the foundation for their mental well-being. Early intervention and prevention can help babies turn into well-adjusted children and adults and reduce the need for future mental health programs. A donation of $125,000 will allows us to offer Baby Love, an evidence-based preventive intervention, to up to 100 babies and their caregivers. A special focus of this program will be delivering this intervention to teen moms and their babies who need it the most.
Organization mission
Massey Centre is a client-centred infant and early childhood mental health organization. We serve two main community-based groups of clients: vulnerable pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children, and families and caregivers from the local community. Our goal is to improve their lives through integrated evidence-based practices, education, and transitional support.
www.massey.caProject : The Ripple Support Centre
It would allow us to expand to a bigger facility able to offer more programming, support, and educational groups for the purpose of teaching life skills to help individuals and caregivers navigating mental illness. We would also like to introduce warming rooms and/or safe houses and short term shelter to homeless individuals dealing with dual diagnoses. Alberta winters can be harsh and unforgiving and we are the only existing drop-in centre of its kind in Barrhead and the surrounding communities. There is an overwhelming need for this type of support and as a result, other surrounding communities are turning to our resources and programming.
Organization mission
The Ripple Connection Support Centre is a non-profit drop-in centre for families and individuals living with mental illness. Our mission: to provide caregivers and persons living with mental illness support by promoting life management skills, education, and a healthy social network. Our vision is to end the stigma of mental illness by creating a community more conscious of the responsibility we all have to help one another by fostering spirit and growth through education and social networking.
www.rippleconnection.caProject : Multi-sensory room development
Funding will be used in the development of Multi-Sensory Rooms (MSRs) at 10 locations throughout Winnipeg, for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. The benefits of MSRs on mental health are many. They help improve mood and decrease anxiety and fear, decrease disruptive behaviours by comforting and calming, promote mental and physical relaxation, decrease stress levels, and provide a sense of security and safety. MSRs are specially designed rooms equipped with devices and furniture to create a safe, calm, and relaxing environment and provide a range of stimuli including lights, sounds, touch, and aroma allowing individuals to explore and interact without risk.
Organization mission
To provide opportunities, support, and an environment where people living with developmental disabilities can reach their full potential. DASCH is a non-profit organization established in 1974 dedicated to exploring and meeting the residential, day program, respite, and foster care needs of youth and adults. DASCH supports people living throughout Winnipeg. People can participate in personalized social, educational, vocational, and recreational services that provide learning opportunities and greater independence.
www.dasch.mb.caProject : An Optimized Entraid’aînés
Did you know that 125,000 people in Quebec City—23.3% of the population—are age 65 or older, and that nearly 12% of the regional population suffers from moderate to severe mental health problems? That’s over 29,000 potential clients, while public social services can only serve up to 11,000 people. To help bridge this gap, Communautés solidaires has created Entraid’aînés, a home-based intervention program designed to help seniors who are experiencing temporary psychological distress or struggling with mental health issues. With a donation of $125,000, the organization could hire three front line social workers to better meet this pressing need.
Organization mission
The mission of Communautés solidaires is to develop and offer assessment, intervention, follow-up, and training services to people who are experiencing psychological distress or struggling with a mental health issue. The organization aims to provide these individuals with the tools they need to achieve a sense of well-being within their community.
www.communautessolidaires.comProject : Charlford House’s Forever Home
After renting our much-loved but old & tired building for the past 48 years, we will be operating out of a new, safe, and modern facility. We will increase our capacity from 15 beds to 24 and have sufficient indoor space to run such programs as art therapy, music therapy, yoga, family counselling, and more. We will have a dedicated doctor’s office and sufficient office space for staff. There will also be room to launch a small social enterprise that develops skills and provides volunteer and/or employment opportunities. Outside, there will be an herb & vegetable garden and child- and pet-friendly spaces.
Organization mission
To provide women with a safe, healthy & caring environment where they can recover from drug and/or alcohol addiction. To provide a professionally staffed home in a non-institutional atmosphere. To inspire hope and establish lifelong relationships with the women and families we serve. To stop the cycle of dependence by increasing resources available to women entering recovery.
www.charlfordhouse.caProject : For Youth Mental Health
FamilySmart® wants to expand its network of staff in the community to connect with additional children/youth, families and professionals. We'll provide peer support, mentorship, navigation, information & resources to improve mental health for children and youth. For families, the benefits of connecting with FamilySmart® staff are great - it gives people hope, helps them feel supported and gives clear, practical plans to improve mental wellness.
We currently have staff in 33 communities in BC, connecting with over 10,000 people a year. $125,000 would enable us to expand our vital program into two additional communities - helping even more families in need!
Organization mission
FamilySmart® (The Institute of Families) brings together young people, families and professionals to learn with and from each other to create and promote better outcomes in child and youth mental health.
FamilySmart® is an independent charity that works to improve the experience and quality of services, information and support for children and youth with mental health challenges, and for their families or the caring adults in their lives.
www.familysmart.caProject : Worth living for youth project
We provide support and intervention for youth with high suicide ideation. However, we are seeing a growing need for suicide prevention—especially support that is relevant to an individual’s culture. The $125,000 will allow us to launch our Worth Living For Youth Project, which will target youth in the community through culturally specific suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention. We will provide suicide prevention training for staff, create a Youth Engagement Table in the community to give a voice to youth affected by suicide, and build a #WORTHLIVINGFOR awareness campaign to reduce overall youth suicide in the community.
Organization mission
Griffin Centre serves children, youth, and adults with mental health challenges and/or developmental disabilities and their families who need help in dealing with a range of mental health challenges and concerns at home, at school, and in the community.
We are dedicated to delivering innovative services and developing creative partnerships that enhance people’s lives and communities.
www.griffincentre.org