The Fight to End Cancer (FTEC) charity was founded by Jennifer Huggins who is also the executive director. She runs the organization with her partner and Director of FTEC, Virgil Barrow. Together they have a deep passion for boxing and a strong commitment to making a difference in the fight against cancer. Jennifer is also the owner of Kingsway Boxing, an international boxing referee and is a part of an international touring magic act. Virgil is the fight team coordinator and head coach at Kingsway Boxing. Together, they have prepared an amazing lineup of boxers who will fundraise and Fight to End Cancer at this year’s event.

“Marvellous” Mitchell Cairns – Mitchell Cairns, a sports-media student at Toronto Metropolitan University, created a documentary about FTEC Founder Jennifer Huggins and her work with young fighters at the Kingsway Boxing Club. The film was part of Cairns’ practicum for his degree and reflects his growing confidence on camera and in life, thanks to his experiences with boxing. Cairns will fight in the Fight to End Cancer event under the name Marvelous Mitchell and says he is ready for the experience, regardless of the outcome.

<MORE TO COME ON THIS FIGHTER>

Mark “The Baby Shark” Maristela – Mark Maristela, an art director at an ad agency in Toronto, immigrated to Canada from the Philippines at the age of nine and spent his school years taking care of his younger siblings. He was inspired by Manny Pacquiao and took up boxing as a means to compete and improve himself. Mark is now competing in the Fight To End Cancer, driven by his personal connections to cancer, including his grandmother and girlfriend. He finds inspiration in the struggle and strives to improve through hard work.

<MORE TO COME ON THIS FIGHTER>

Josh “The First Avenger” Siegal – Josh Siegal is the vice-president of people at 7shifts, a Canadian restaurant-management software company. He is also preparing to fight in the Fight To End Cancer charity boxing event. Josh sees a connection between HR, Marvel, and boxing, and believes his energy is his superpower, which he brings to the workplace and the boxing gym. Josh decided to participate in the charity event after cancer hit his grandparents, Roz and Marvin Starr, who were healthy and active before their diagnosis. He has no formal boxing experience but has studied martial arts and believes that boxing requires a white-belt mindset and is a form of meditation that stills the mind.

<READ OUR CHAT WITH JOSH>

Victoria “Slick Vic” Williamson – Victoria Williamson, a teacher and former soccer player, took up boxing as a challenge and will compete in the charity bout to raise funds for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. The school where she teaches is supporting her by helping with fundraising. Williamson plans to use her experience as an example of setting goals for a second-term activity on goal setting. Her training for the main event has been a lesson on the value of discipline and “presence”, an emerging philosophy that promotes being focused and connecting with others. Williamson is fighting in memory of her great aunt, who passed away from cancer in 2007.

<MORE TO COME ON THIS FIGHTER>

Alissa “Wink” Winicki – Alissa Winicki, a lawyer with Hummingbird Lawyers LLP, finds boxing to be a great way to unburden her mind after a long day of litigating estates. She also sees parallels between boxing and her profession as both are adversarial and require strategic thinking. Alissa is training for the Fight To End Cancer 2023 and is fundraising for The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. She is dedicating her fight to Antonio P. Raviele, who lost his father to cancer, and Colin Bell, a physiotherapist who died from cancer in January 2023.

<READ OUR CHAT WITH ALISSA>

Julia “Immortal Iron Fist” Siegal – Julia Siegal, a participant in the Fight to End Cancer (FTEC) charity boxing event, was inspired to take up boxing by her stepfather, who was a former boxer. The FTEC aims to raise money for cancer research, a cause that is close to Julia’s heart, after seeing the impact of cancer on her husband’s family. Julia, along with her husband, Josh, chose boxing as a way to raise funds for cancer research. Her fighting name is “The Iron Fist,” inspired by a Marvel Comics superhero who possessed superhuman strength and power. Julia sees herself as defending people and families against cancer, and her upcoming fight on May 27th is a constant presence in her life.

<MORE TO COME ON THIS FIGHTER>

Jeff “The Mimico Mauler” Skrypek – Jeff Skrypek, an elementary school teacher, will participate in the 2023 Fight to End Cancer charity event to honour his father. John Skrypek was an engineer, dad-coach, dirt-biker, sailor and guitarist who died in 2012 at the age of 54, from brain cancer. Jeff will enter the ring to the tune of Rammstein’s “Du Hast,” a song his father loved, and will fight under the name “Mimico Mauler.” Skrypek had always dreamed of participating in a real boxing fight and decided to take part in the event when he saw a Facebook post seeking a boxer. The event is on May 27th, which would have been his father’s 66th birthday.

<READ OUR CHAT WITH JEFF>

Joey “Nature Boy” Woo – Joey Woo, a returning member of the 2020 Fight To End Cancer (FTEC) team, is raising money for cancer research in honour of his father, Simon Woo, who passed away in January of 2018 due to pancreatic cancer. Simon was a respected family patriarch, a Tai Chi enthusiast, and a University of Toronto administrator who worked as a media coordinator, Chinese translator, and volunteer fundraiser, raising $500,000 in donations during his tenure. Joey manages a plant that manufactures, repairs, and reconditions railroad equipment and spends most of his weeknights at the Kingsway Boxing gym. He will compete under the name “Nature Boy” in the upcoming FTEC event on May 27, inspired by Ric Flair, a famous wrestler whose signature phrase “Wooooo!” is a perfect fit with Joey’s surname.

<READ OUR CHAT WITH JOEY>

Scott “Lights Out” Selland – Scott Selland is a real estate agent who has been training at Kingsway Boxing for 5 years. Scott and his wife both lost an aunt to cancer and his father-in-law is a survivor of prostate cancer. These events inspired him to support cancer research and fundraising with initiatives like the Fight to End Cancer charity. He is training four to five times a week and is committed to raising money for The Princess Margaret Hospital.

<READ OUR CHAT WITH SCOTT>

Melanie “Mighty Mel” Muto – Melanie Muto is a marketing and graphic design professionalm another another fighter in this year’s event. Melanie’s inspiration to participate in the fundraising campaign comes from her friend’s mother, who is in remission from cancer, and her experience watching their journey. Melanie sees her participation in the event as an opportunity to create positive change and empower others.

<MORE TO COME ON THIS FIGHTER>

These fighters, and the rest of the team, have been tirelessly training and preparing for this year’s event, and they are ready to put on a show. The FTEC 2023 Fight Team aims to raise $3 million for cancer research at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. This year’s event promises to be an unforgettable night, filled with exciting matches and inspiring stories of hope and perseverance.

All of the funds raised through the event will go towards supporting the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, which is one of the top five cancer research centres in the world. With these funds, the foundation can continue to make groundbreaking discoveries and develop new treatments for cancer patients.

In addition to the boxing matches, the event will also include a silent auction, live entertainment, and a gourmet dinner. It’s sure to be a night to remember, and tickets are selling fast.

If you want to support the fighters and make a difference in the fight against cancer, be sure to get your tickets for the Fight to End Cancer 2023 event. Together, we can defeat cancer once and for all.

For tickets and information, please visit their website.

The post The Fight to End Cancer returns after pandemic-induced hiatus appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

The After the Bell program was originally created in order to support students whose families rely on public school food programs, and thus suffer to access adequate nutrition when school is not in session through the Summer months. After the Bell works with nearly 200 community food banks and community organizations all across Canada, with representation in all 13 provinces and territories. Food banks and community organizations who apply to be a vessel for this program all have distribution partners through their communities. “They [Food banks and community organizations] could for instance be working with their municipalities on a summer food program, or they could be working with their local girls and boy scouts”, explained Tania Little, Chief Development and Partnerships Officer.

Food banks and community organizations that are accepted receive packs of food relative to the number of children that they are able to support each year in order to distribute them weekly. In addition to the packs of non-perishable, child-friendly food, they are also supplied with shelf-stable milk, and a fresh food stipend, allowing them to purchase fruits and vegetables within their region. This ensures that they are able to provide nutritionally complete snack packs to children, going above and beyond what they would typically receive in a supplemental program. “These foods are really geared towards meeting the needs of growing minds and bodies, as well as making these packs robust, flavourful, and appealing to kids with lots of variety”, Tania said.

More now than ever, this program, and its reliability, is needed among families as the COVID pandemic has stifled food banks and supplemental programs throughout the past year. In addition, more children are dealing with income instability at the moment, which happens to be the prevailing cause of food insecurity. “50% of food banks have seen a significant, between 50% and 200% increase, of new clients coming to their doors. So proportionally, with 35% of those people being kids, that’s a lot of support being needed year after year”, Tania explained.

With wavering restrictions, school supplemental programs and food security organizations have been unable to operate at full capacity this past year. There was great instability regarding attendance in schools, restrictions around volunteers and food handling safety, resulting in
inconsistency even when schools were open. “I think in the scheme of what you prioritize, I think that when kids were in class they [teachers] were focused on teaching and managing remote and in-class learning. It [supplemental food programs] wasn’t being offered in the traditional setting where kids and families could rely on it during the school year”, Tania explained.

If you have resources available, there are several ways in which you can help to make a difference in your community. You can first visit the Food Banks Canada website’s Find a Food Bank feature in order to locate your local neighborhood food bank as well as gain insight on their specific needs and how you can volunteer your time. You can then support their local food bank by donating non-perishable goods from the grocery store such as canned beans, rice, and oil, or by making a financial donation to your local food bank, which gives the maximum amount of flexibility for your local food bank. Local food banks have the ability to buy food at cost or better, make culturally and geographically relevant food choices, and purchase perishables such as eggs, meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, ensuring that they are fresh when provided to children and families.

To learn more about After the Bell, visit Food Banks Canada’s website.

The post Food Banks Canada’s After the Bell Program appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Describe your charity/non-profit/work in a few sentences.

Project Good Karma was founded in January of 2021 with a goal to provide 10,000 meals to those in need. To date we have provided 585 meals with shelters in the city of Toronto, St. Felix Centre, Youth Without Shelter, and Horizons 4 Youth. We are a grassroots volunteer run group with many of the meals funded by ourselves or donations we receive from family and friends. We have also recently started a Go Fund Me page to allow more people to get involved in our initiative.

What problem does it aim to solve?

Project Good Karma is looking to help decrease the scarcity around food in this city. The pandemic has dramatically increased the levels of food insecurity amongst our community members and have also impacted the donations normally received by shelters. Many shelters had to stop volunteer programs that would normally have volunteers come in and help cook meals for the clients at the shelters. With our program we are hoping that we can help decrease this anxiety around food that shelters may experience by even a little.

When did you start/join it?

Project Good Karma came to be in January 2021.

What made you want to get involved?

We feel that no one should be without food. Giving back is something we have done for years on our own. A few of our family and friends were also interested in getting involved so we decided to start a community. 2020 was a hard year for most of us but even harder for those who relied on food services provided throughout the city and we wanted to do our part however we could to help.

What was the situation like when you started?

As the months passed in 2020 we noticed there were a lot more people on the streets than normal. A lot of the places where people would normally pass by for a warm meal were now closed due to Covid, so those on the streets didn’t have a warm place where they could access their meals.

How has it changed since?

Due to Covid, the amount of people relying on meal programs and services has increased due to job losses caused by the pandemic. Many more are now relying on meals provided by shelters to help them. St. Felix Centre allocates 5-10 meals per meal time (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to visitors they may receive at their gates.

What more needs to be done?

We feel more funding needs to be put into programs for those in need to be able to access meals and not have to fear when/if they will eat next.

How can our readers help?

If you have a passion for cooking, you can reach out to our team and sponsor a meal for any of our upcoming dates. You can also get your family and friends involved by cooking meals or raising funds. We have been working with a few local restaurants and are happy they are willing to help. We currently set up a Go Fund Me page, we are accepting monetary donations if you would like to help fund upcoming meals supplies and ingredients.

Do you have any events coming up?

We have a few meals planned per month. All of our upcoming meals can be found on our website www.projectgoodkarma.com.

Where can we follow you?

@projectgoodkarma on Instagram

PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?

We work very closely with those at St.Felix Centre and Youth Without Shelter, two amazing organizations that help our community members have access to shelter, food, and programs that help them develop and plan for their future.

The post Charitable Choices: Toronto non profit, Project Good Karma. appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Describe your charity/non-profit in a few sentences/What problems does it aim to solve?

In 2018, a group of Tech4SickKids founders and companies pledged an investment to modernize our aging emergency department—a huge win for our 80,000 yearly ER patients. As innovators, influencers and drivers of change we called on Canada’s tech community to innovate for SickKids. Our fundraising challenge: $25 million to invest in big-data solutions and a modern new hospital to support AI’s limitless possibilities. 100% of the funds we raise are donated to the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). The $25 million funds we raise are for a new hospital to support modern health-care solutions. As we embark on one of the most innovative and transformative fields in medicine, our aging hospital is holding us back. That’s why donations will support two key areas: to Build a New SickKids, which will include a state-of- the art Emergency Department and our Artificial Intelligence in Medicine for Kids (AIM), an in- house hub to steer AI projects from lab to bedside. If child health is the root of lifelong health, data science must start here. Our goal with these funds is to build a modern new hospital equipped for data-driven care—predictive, proactive and personalized. We don’t want to have to wait for medical complications to arise. We want to see them coming.

When did you start/join it? What made you want to get involved?

Every founder starts a business with a mission to solve a problem and change the world in some small way. When starting our respective companies Quill and Willful, we both knew we wanted to build successful companies, but also ones with strong values and a commitment to giving back. Working with The SickKids Foundation over the past few years has baked purpose into our DNA. We saw firsthand the impact we were having on the lives of children and parents. We are so privileged and lucky to have a world class hospital in our own backyard and need to think of it as a community project if we want to maintain the current standards. It is a luxury not accessible to most parents and children around the globe. Pledging our upside and getting involved with the council at SickKids has been a way to share our passion for the foundation with our community. Our mission has been to inspire and engage the tech and innovation sector and their networks to support cutting-edge care, education and research at SickKids.

What was the situation like when you started? /How has it changed since?

Since Tech4SickKids’ inception on November 28th, 2017, the initiative has achieved the following:

• Seen over 600 unique donors
• 50 Upside Foundation members have pledged a portion of their company’s equity to
SickKids, with one exit resulting in one generous gift left for SickKids so far.
• Added the first Chair in Biomedical Informatics and Artificial Intelligence in Canada, Dr.
Anna Goldenberg
• Raised over $5M of its $25M goal

How can our readers help?

1) This year we launched a #Tech4SickKids Employee Matching Campaign Program where we can get employees of tech companies involved to help with our fundraising. Our combined goal is to raise a total of $1M by June 15th 2021 through employee donations that will then hopefully be matched by the employer. You can find all details on the program here: https://fundraise.sickkidsfoundation.com/tech4sickkids We’ve made the process extremely simple, which includes tax receipts, and a leaderboard where we can promote healthy competition between our tech community. We also have opportunities to customize community service for your employees to get involved with the foundation. Companies like Ecobee, Uberflip, and Tribalscale have already signed up. If you are interested in participating in this program, please contact Fatima Zaidi at fatima@quillit.io.

2) Corporate donations or hosting fundraising events on behalf of #tech4sickkids! Perhaps you already have an annual event that you’d like to align with our cause? If so, we have a team dedicated to supporting you: fatima@quillit.io

3) Share your Upside: SickKids has partnered with the the Upside Foundation of Canada, a charity platform for high-growth companies looking to donate equity. If you are interested in pledging your equity and joining companies like WealthSimple, Zoom.ai, Quill and Willful then please contact jencouldrey@upsidefoundation.ca.

Do you have any events coming up?

We will be doing a live silent auction gala in November 2021 in support of #Tech4SickKids. We will be hosting a 2-phase auction that allows participants to bid remotely via a silent auction and / or participate in an interactive live-streamed auction event. This two-week-long silent auction will include a mix of different price point prizes for the auction. Following the silent auction, our team will host a virtual live auction with higher price point items and an evening of entertainment. Our goal with this event is to achieve:

● Community engagement
● Donations to SickKids hospital
● General awareness around Tech4SickKids

Where can we follow you?

@zaidiafatima and @erinbury

PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?

Fatima Zaidi: Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue and North Toronto Cat Rescue

Erin Bury: Other than SickKids: Annex Cat Rescue and Save the Children Canada

The post Charitable Choices: Tech4SickKids, modern healthcare solutions appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Describe your charity/non-profit in a few sentences.

The CEE Centre For Young Black Professionals is a Toronto based charity that is dedicated to addressing the economic and social barriers that affect Black youth ages 14 and over who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET).

What problem does it aim to solve?

Our mission is to create a society and economy in which Black youth achieve financial prosperity and high quality of life for themselves and their families to contribute to the advancement of Canada.

CEE offers an intensive 6 weeks-8 month program to improve careers, education and empowerment (CEE) that are holistic, person-centred, culturally relevant/responsive, informed by industry standards and augmented by a wrap around social support model.

When did you start/join it?

I joined CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals in July 2018

What made you want to get involved?

In my last role I was becoming exhausted by the tiptoeing around the issue of anti Black racism and the need to name it and claim it in order to see real change and not performative Allyship.

I decided wherever I was going to put my energy in next would be a place where I could be unapologetic about it. I wanted to serve the Black community and help break down any barriers young people were facing that was prohibiting them to unlock their full potential and CEE was the perfect place!

What was the situation like when you started?

When I came to CEE, I was impressed by what former Executive Director and co-founder was Dr. Kofi Hope was able to create as a foundation for CEE.

The basis of CEE’s philosophy and pedagogy comes from community and the realities Black youth face. My job now was to take what he left behind and hone in on how to leverage what was working and create strategic opportunities for Black youth to enter into the labour market with high paying jobs that offer upward mobility.

How has it changed since?

Since I joined, we have graduated a record number of members, garnered a 92% retention rate, identified 5 major labour gaps and offer 16 programs (7 of which are new). We have also strengthened our sector leadership which allows us to support 150 3B (Black lead, Black serving, Black focused) organizations in partnership with NABC (the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities) with capacity building and also have created a new pillar to the organization that being policy. This allows us to address policies in Government and corporations that prohibit our young people from upward mobility.

What more needs to be done?

The need to offer programming that supports workforce development and systems navigation for Black youth is growing. Though we have made some progress for which we are grateful there is still much work to be done. According to statistics the unemployment rate for Black youth in Toronto stands higher than any other racialized group. This is simply not acceptable. The problem is not a people gap it’s a skills gap and that’s what we are aiming to do offerings programming in the 5 labour gaps which we have identified i.e. Social Services, Entertainment, Hospitality, Trades and Technology.

Thanks the generous support of TD Bank and the $650k grant we received through the 2020 TD Ready Challenge, we’ll be able to fund Recovery, Healing & Resilience – a program which will aim to build the adaptive capacity, system leadership and collective infrastructure of 150 Black-focused, Black-led and Black-serving (B3) groups and organizations to recover, heal and be resilient across Canada. The RHR project will lay the foundation for a resilient Black Canadian community ecosystem for the next three years. In context of the pandemic and anti-Black racism, there is the urgency to build the adaptive capacity and system leadership of B3 groups and organizations to foster recovery, healing and resilience.

This project is especially important as B3 organizations need to continue to exist and to offer programs and services to the Black community at a time when there are already significant barriers to access supports as well as increased vulnerability to infections.

How can our readers help?

We are always looking for financial contributions to continue to offer our programming as well as the wrap around supports needed to keep youth engaged through our programs. In addition, we are always looking for program and employment partners who are willing to offer paid work to our members.

If you are interested in supporting our organization we encourage you contact us at info@ceetoronto.com

Do you have any events coming up?

CEE Celebration is the event of the year. This year it will be held in December. In the meantime, we are looking forward to hosting other events virtually over the summer months. So please stay tuned for more soon! Right now, we are in Black History Month and our goal is to honour and celebrate Black people old and new with our #Blackhistory365 campaign. To learn more, follow us on Instagram

Where can we follow you?

On Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @ceetoronto or join our newsletter at ceetoronto.org

PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
Well I love CEE and by extension I love all of the amazing B3 organizations that we continue to trustee across the GTA. May they continue to prosper with the support we are receiving from TD bank and beyond. For details, please visit https://Blacktothefutureto.com/

The post Charitable Choices: CEE Centre For Young Black Professionals appeared first on Toronto Guardian.