Advised
Funds Simplify Charitable Giving for Families
Donor advised funds make charitable giving easier, offering flexibility, tax benefits, and the integration of philanthropy into overall wealth and estate plans.
Tania Amardeil
a private foundation with lower costs and simpler setup, DAFs also allow either recognition or anonymity with charities and handle CRA reporting through the managing foundation. Benefaction Foundation specializes in managing DAFs, helping individuals and corporations to seamlessly incorporate charitable giving into their wealth management plans.
Creating a culture of giving
Joady, a donor and Vice-President at Assante Wealth Management, highlights the simplicity and strategic benefits of
For the holidays, they’ve partnered with Up With Women, a registered Canadian charity that works to end the cycle of poverty for women. They’re providing inspirational holiday gift boxes to 350+ people in need.
Gifts with Purpose
By donating towards the purchase of these gift boxes, corporations support a preventative approach to homelessness as well as the small Canadian business vendors who are featured in the packages. “Through us, big companies can source their employee and client gifts from smaller, local makers,” Melissa adds. “When they help others, companies also help themselves.”
DAFs. “They allow me to donate when it makes sense financially, even before choosing a specific charity,” she says. Assante introduced DAFs five years ago to facilitate planned giving conversations. “They create a multigenerational family experience and align perfectly with our firm’s values,” says Joady. The idea of enhancing family philanthropy certainly rings true for Keith, another donor with CIBC Wood Gundy. “On their birthdays, my children and grandchildren choose charities to support, creating a culture of giving,” he says. Keith also praises the administrative ease of DAFs for larger, strategic donations. “Charities often see DAFs as a threat, but in 2021 alone, they granted nearly $1 billion to Canadian charities,” he notes.
Julie Fiorini General Manager, Donor Services, CanadaHelps
Give the Gift of Sport To Kids Across Canada
Since it was founded in 1993, KidSport has been passionate about one thing: making organized sports accessible to all children across Canada. Their goal is to ensure that kids — no matter their socio-economic status — have the chance to experience the transformative power of play. “At KidSport, we believe that the power of sport participation promotes the development of children’s social, mental, and physical well-being,” says Greg Ingalls, CEO of KidSport. “We know that by assisting a child in your community today you can help create a much stronger future for them tomorrow.”
The hard truth is that sports can be prohibitively expensive for many families. In fact, it’s estimated that 1 in 2 Canadian kids are unable to participate in sports due to financial barriers, making KidSport’s work more critical than ever. “Cost is by far the number one reason that children do not participate in sport,” says Ingalls. “Whether it’s the registration fee, equipment, travel or other costs, they are all connected to the rising cost of living.”
Supporting Canadian Kids
KidSport’s annual “Give the Gift of Sport” campaign is their largest fundraising campaign of the year, central to the organization’s efforts to support children’s sports. In 2023, the Give the Gift of Sport campaign raised more than $1 million dollars, which resulted in over 3000 Canadian children assisted into sports. For this year’s campaign, the group hopes to raise another $1 million dollars to support even more Canadian kids. “Every dollar donated brings us closer to reducing the financial gap,” says Ingalls. “The truth is that the kids we helped last year are only scratching the surface of those that can’t afford to play sport. We could double the number of children we help and still have work to do.”
choices this holiday season –from gift giving to seafood selection and everything
By Katherine Cappellacci
Along with joy and merriment, the festive season can also bring about excessive waste. In fact, Canadian household waste tends to increase by 25 percent during the holidays.* With clickand-buy gifts giving and many large holiday gatherings, overconsumption quickly leads to packaging waste, food waste, and an increased prevalence of single-use plastics. Plus, higher rates of travel, energy consumption, item production, and shipping cause our carbon footprints to grow.
“We need to be intentional with what we buy and consume,” says Charlie Cox, the Director of Ocean Pollution and Plastics at Ocean Wise. “It helps to minimize waste and makes the items feel extra special.”
There are plenty of ways to give sustainable gifts. Buy your loved ones an experience or activity, make something homemade, or shop local and second hand.
Eco-conscious alternatives
Donations and fundraising make thoughtful zerowaste presents, like the Killer Whale Adoption Program. “By adopting an individual or family, you contribute to the conservation of orcas in the Canadian pacific northwest,” Charlie explains. “It’s a gift that makes a difference.” Donors are then brought along for the journey, receiving updates on key conservation and research achievements — all of which were made possible thanks to their generosity.
A global conservation organization, Ocean Wise has tons of plastic tips — small changes that make a big impact. These include swapping single-use plastics for reusable ones, reducing intake, and recycling properly. "Remember that individual actions matter, even though it can feel overwhelming” Charlie adds. “Take small steps to reduce the plastics in your daily routine, when you are ready visit ocean.org for more practical tips and hopefully that momentum will continue into the new year.”
* “Tips for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint over the Holidays, CBC Radio.” CBC News, December 18, 2022. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/holidays-recycling-christmas-tree-composting-1.6688865.
If Social Issues Are Affecting Your Mental Health, Help Is Available
ConnexOntario provides free, 24/7 access to reliable information about mental health, gambling, and addiction services for children, youth, adults, and seniors.
Abigail Cukier
Many people are feeling stressed these days over tense social and political world issues. For some, dealing with this worry and uncertainty is also contributing to anxiety or depression, making it hard to cope with everyday life.
The steady stream of news supplied by social media, alerts on our phones, and 24-hour news stations only makes this more difficult. In fact, one study during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic found an association between the amount of exposure to news on social media and more depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
When you’re stressed, your body produces cortisol. This is the hormone that gives you the energy to get up and fight or to run away to a safe place.
When you’re stressed, your body produces cortisol. This is the hormone that gives you the energy to get up and fight or to run away to a safe place. But when you’re constantly exposed to stress, you become physically and emotionally exhausted.
Helping you cope
But there are steps you can take to help you cope. When it comes to social media, you can turn off notifications, limit the time you spend consuming news each day, and build tech-free time into your day. To feel more in control, you can volunteer in
areas related to causes that are important to you.
Exercising, practising mindfulness, and staying connected with family and friends can also help.
In addition, if news surrounding social and political causes is affecting your mental health, it’s important to seek help.
ConnexOntario provides 24/7 access, 365 days a year, to reliable information about mental health, gam bling, and addiction services for children, youth, adults, and seniors. Funded by the Ontario government, ConnexOntario can assist you in finding services — for you or a loved one — right in your community from a database of more than 5,000 programs.
Service provided in more than 130 languages ConnexOntario is free and available through confidential phone, chat, texting, and email and can provide service in more than 130 languages, including live translation of web chats and text messages.
When you place a call or send a message to ConnexOntario, you’re connected with a trained professional who asks for information about your concerns to provide the right support. They listen without judgment and then recommend or refer to local programs, such as treatment services, crisis lines, selfhelp groups, or distress centres.
Sometimes you’ll be referred directly to a service, while for others, you’ll receive contact information and help with the refer-
ral process. Team members will also listen, offer support and basic education, and help you get started with coping strategies.
The ConnexOntario website features blogs, a service directory, and information on its partnerships, such as Good2Talk, which is a free, confidential helpline that provides professional counselling, mental health and addictions information, and connections to local resources for post-secondary students.
If you’re struggling to deal with difficult social and political issues, ConnexOntario is available to provide support and
vices for all.
KidSport believes in a Canada where all children have the opportunity to participate in sport.
Sandra MacGregor
There are ways to make sustainable
This article was sponsored by KidSport.
Greg Ingalls CEO, KidSport
Charlie Cox Director of Ocean Pollution and Plastics, Ocean Wise
“Make Every Play Count” by donating to KidSport So ALL Kids Can Play!
