Charitable Gaming A great fundraising opportunity.
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charitablegaming.ca
February • 2024
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Looking For Successful Fundraising? Here’s Your Answer! A remarkable gaming initiative is revolutionizing how Ontario’s charitable organizations can raise funds to support their programs and services. This initiative, called Bingo and Gaming Revitalization (cGaming), is changing the face of fundraising. It is a dynamic partnership between the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), private sector operators, charitable organizations, and municipalities. This exciting opportunity has a simple mission: through the efforts
of charity, volunteers provide stable and direct funds for organizations dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals in Ontario. Across the province, there are 37 Charitable Gaming Centres in 28 municipalities. Last year, $80 million was generated for the approximately 2,300 charitable organizations participating. With revenues growing, we are welcoming new charities and non-profits. This initiative is not to be missed for charities or non-profits looking for fundraising opportunities.
Organizations seeking participation must have charitable purposes with programs and services that directly benefit individuals in Ontario. Organizations undergo an assessment process with the respective municipality to determine their eligibility. Our Charitable Gaming Centres are renovated entertainment facilities offering diverse experiences. With engaging electronic and paper bingo games, entertainment events and other electronic games these are not your old bingo halls. Charitable organizations provide a small number of volunteers for short periods to support customer service in return for a share of the proceeds. The impact of the funds raised is immeasurable in communities across Ontario—these two heart-wrenching testimonials show just how far cGaming can go. GILDA’S CLUB Gilda’s Club provides free support, education, and hope to individuals and families impacted by cancer. Their clubhouses support thousands of individuals annually, providing a gathering place for
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people to come together to ensure no one faces cancer alone. Their unique Family & Children Cancer Support Groups are supported by the funds raised in their partnership with the initiative. “Our peer support groups provide the opportunity for children living with or impacted by cancer to connect with others who ‘get it’. It provides them with a safe and welcoming space to share feelings and experiences. Diverting them from the stress they’re facing, the programs provide normalcy all while teaching them to develop healthy coping strategies. As an organization that receives no government funding, the help of funds raised through our partnership in cGaming directly impacts our ability to respond to the community’s needs.”
to connect with up to 200 individuals a day who are facing homelessness. The program provides individuals with basic needs like food, water, clothing, and harm reduction resources and supplies. “The outreach van is on the road seven days a week; breaking down barriers for those who are not comfortable with traditional methods of accessing care. We provide advocacy, resources, referrals, and short and longterm support to individuals who are homeless. Thanks to the funds raised through our partnership with cGaming, we have been able to respond to the growing need for our services in our community. It gives us the opportunity to impact the lives of these individuals in their greatest time of need.”
THE BUSBY CENTRE If you are involved with a charity The Busby Centre’s mission is to or non-profit or know of one in advocate for and improve condi- your community, which could tions for individuals and families benefit from more funding, now who are experiencing or are at is the time to contact us and imminent risk of homelessness. explore the possibilities of this Their Mobile Outreach is a unique fundraising opportunity. unique service, allowing staff Visit us at charitablegaming.ca.
Helping Those Who Need it Most: Sabrina Dhowre Elba’s Work With IFAD Canada is a founding member of IFAD and a top donor to the Somali-Canadian Sabrina Dhowre Fund and is strongly engaged Elba grew up on teachings focused in IFAD’s governance and the on giving back—especially to impact of its programmes. communities in Africa. With her mother’s teachings at “My mom grew up in a the forefront of her mind, Dhowre pastoral, rural community in Elba has long been an advocate Somalia,” Dhowre Elba told The for rural people in Africa, focusing Independent. “She always stressed strongly on rural women and girls. the importance of giving back She has travelled with IFAD to to Africa in some way, and what projects in Sierra Leone, Kenya, rural land and agriculture mean to Zambia and Egypt to highlight rural people.” the importance of farmers in the These teachings are what led global food system. In addition her and her husband, British to IFAD, she works with various actor Idris Elba, to join the organizations, including Farm International Fund for Agricultural Africa, Conservation International Development (IFAD) as Goodwill and sits on the European board for Ambassadors in 2020. Global Citizen. IFAD is an international “The effects of climate change financial institution and a United in rural areas around the world are Nations specialized agency that devastating,” Dhowre Elba said invests in rural people, empowduring a COP27 panel. “While ering them to increase their food it is technically at the doorstep security, improve the nutrition of of everything—we’ve seen the their families, and increase their drought in Europe, we’ve seen the heat waves in America, but rural incomes. Since 1978, they have provided $23.2 billion USD in people are suffering most when grants and low-interest loans. they’re looking every day for what ALLIE MURRAY
to eat and how to get by. I mean, it’s literally adapt or starve.” Similarly, amid the pandemic and tensions in Europe, rural communities in Africa have been hit the hardest—an issue that Dhowre Elba points out in her work. “These farmers are probably the least contributors to the climate change problem but are yet being affected the most,” Dhowre Elba told BBC. The war in Ukraine has caused growing issues with food insecurity worldwide, particularly in African countries. Still recovering from the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and continual impacts of climate change, the food crisis in these countries continues to build. Africa relies heavily on imports from both countries, and more than a year after the invasion, wheat, sunflower, and oil prices have soared to unprecedented levels. “There is a method, there are steps,” Dhowre Elba explained. “It isn’t just throw your hands in the air and go ‘the world is on fire’. There are solutions and it’s figuring
out what those solutions are and how we can each play a part because we do know that every person can make a difference.” In 2021, when IFAD launched their 12th Replenishment, Dhowre Elba made the call to countries to invest in farmers. The campaign proved successful, with more than 80 countries pledging to support the initiative. Following that success, IFAD launched its 13th Replenishment in February 2023, calling for increased investments in small-scale farmers across
SABRINA ELBA VISITS MABOIKANDOH, SIERRA LEONE © RODNEY QUARCOO 2019
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developing countries. In September, Dhowre Elba attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York and advocated during a Paris meeting in December hosted by President Macron to ensure heads of state and policy funders increase pledges to the campaign. Dhowre Elba has helped to make a big difference for farmers, but her work has only just begun—and she’s leading the charge on driving positive change for rural communities.
