To educate yourself about child abuse, and for information about what each of us can do, please visit www.childabusecouncil.on.ca.
To support the work of the Community Child Abuse Council, marking its 35th anniversary this year, join the fun on October 21st at the Mad Hatter’s Ball: www.the2011mhb.com.
The Hamilton Police Male Chorus is North America's oldest, established more than 50 years ago.
Warm congratulations to the members of the Hamilton Police Male Chorus for their recent win on “Canada Sings”. Competing as The Hammer Cruisers they pledged their winnings to Project Concern, the in-house police charity, so that the money can be directed to local charities. This community can be proud of these big-hearted singers and their commitment to local causes. Well done guys!
J. Layton, 1950-2011
Dr. Brené Brown
The great people at Lanhack Engineering are once again hosting a golf tournament this year, with proceeds going to the Community Child Abuse Council and to Help A Child Smile. Dave and Carlo and their team have been generously doing this for more than a decade now and have proven to be amazing hosts. It’s a first-class tournament, from the welcoming drive into the Heron Point grounds to the oyster bar and the live auction (Dave, you’re a talented auctioneer!). This year’s auction will include an autographed Sidney Crosby jersey.
The 12th Annual Lanhack Golf Tournament is Thursday, August 25th at Heron Point Golf Links. Interested golfers who would like to join us for a great day in support of local charities can still register by contacting Karen (enmarkassociates@gmail.com). Fee per golfer is $200 and includes 18 holes with power cart, lunch, dinner and prizes. Tee time is 1:00 p.m. (shot gun start) following BBQ lunch beginning at 11:30 a.m. Hole sponsorships are also available, and donations very welcome.
See you on the links!
Change is in the air, along with an exciting new challenge for Karen Smith, EnMark Associates’
owner and principal consultant. In August, Karen will be joining the Community Child Abuse Council of Canada as Executive Director. She’s already built a strong rapport with the agency over the past several years and looks forward to this new challenge.
Karen remains at the helm of EnMark Associates, but will be only selectively involved with the firm’s projects while settling in to her new full-time post. Most projects will be serviced by the firm’s talented team of Associates. Karen is looking forward to working with the Council’s dynamic board, talented staff team, and community partners and will be devoting her attention to these new challenges for the foreseeable future.
Clients of EnMark Associates and those wishing to reach Karen about the firm’s work can continue to do so through this site.
Yesterday, the federal government announced funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada totaling more than $5 million to support “three projects in Ontario that aim to improve mental health among children and youth in low-income families in urban, rural and Aboriginal communities. This funding covers both Phase I and Phase II of a $27 million national funding announcement by the Government of Canada. Through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Innovation Strategy, this funding seeks to improve the mental health of vulnerable populations in communities across Canada.”
The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre in Toronto is receiving more than $2.6 million for its training program, Handle With Care, for parents and child care workers. Across Boundaries, a mental health centre in Toronto, is receiving a total of $580,709 for a youth project. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, in London, Ontario will receive more than $2.6 million for the school-based program The Fourth R: Promoting Youth Well-being through Healthy Relationships.
For more information:
http://marketwire.com/CMSTemplates/MWSiteAspx/MW_News_Room_Release_English.aspx?id=1524503
Inspiring and fascinating discussions are happening throughout the field of philanthropy about new and value-added ways that donors might support sustainability in their chosen areas of giving. A good example is the dialogue taking place around philanthropic support for the farm-to-table movement. Leaders in the “slow food” arena, agricultural innovation, charitable foundations, and others are talking about this sustainability challenge and attempting to address questions like the one posed by Slow Food USA president, Josh Viertel: “why do we live in a world where it’s cheaper to buy Froot Loops than it is real fruit?”
What if we applied this sustainability challenge to other areas of community benefit? Could we apply our collective thinking, differently, to local issues in the pursuit of sustainable communities? If we can debate farm-to-table, how about considering birth-to-grave in the context of sustainability? After all, eating is but one of the requirements for survival. Should we be shifting our thinking about other essentials, as well, in order to consider the sustainability of communities?
Think about families, for instance. What does it take to sustain a family? What would it take for communities to strengthen families, to invest in their wellness and improve their odds of sustainability? Do we start with investments in young children? How about parenting and supports for the family unit? We could be thinking in this way, or we could continue to define things more narrowly and within lines drawn not around human beings but around “issues” or “problems”. We can direct our energies and resources towards disease, poverty, unemployment, or crime, for example. But could we instead direct our efforts towards people throughout their lives? What would that look like? A focus on babies, on children, on youth, on new parents, workers, neighbours, community leaders, grandparents, extended family members, mentors, and volunteers might result in different thinking about how to tackle the challenges and th
reats facing these individuals (our community members) as they move through life. Thinking about these people in the context of the families they form, the neighbourhoods they create, the communities in which they live…well that’s another layer of consideration. But it starts with asking different kinds of questions.
Summer’s official start is generally recognized to be June 21 (or, more specifically, the Summer Solstice). But for many of us, the “May 24” long weekend has traditionally heralded the arrival of the warmer weather and released us to once again enjoy outdoor living. Here’s hoping you are all making the best of this seasonal (and uniquely ours) celebration. As you stock up on charcoal, 
hose off the lawn chairs and otherwise prepare for summertime, however, take a moment to think about the season change from another perspective…
The network of community service providers whose programs and supports are vital to so many of our neighbours and fellow citizens approach the summer months with a different view than most of us: will there be enough food at the food banks to respond to the increase in demand that generally happens when school lets out? how can we best utilize the summer students who will be helping us? how many days of dangerously high temperatures are we in for and are we ready to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable? will our board volunteers meet over the summer? will enough donors remember us when our fundraising appeal comes during their summer vacation? how will the coming provincial election impact our ability to provide services? have we recruited enough replacements for our key volunteers who will be leaving for holidays?
The community engine that responds to human needs is ever running. There is no vacation for the safety net that is vitally essential to the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable citizens. The ongoing activities that keep this engine running are often unseen but always imporant. Taking time to consider that as we plan our summers can only add to the strength of the response. As we take time out to enjoy the season, we may also be in a position to help make sure it’s a good summer for all. Worth thinking about.
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