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Thank You for Transforming Lives
As we reflect on another impactful year, we are deeply grateful for your unwavering support of the Teddy Bear Fund. With the incredible support of our growing donor community, $1.375 million was granted last year to the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto and Native Child and Family Services of Toronto to enable them to respond to the immediate and changing needs of children, youth, and families in crisis. Because of you, 2,259 children, youth, and families last year benefitted from a range of crucial and timely supports, including programs that strengthen parenting skills, remove barriers to special needs supports, increase access to life-enriching experiences and much more.
Every child deserves a safe, nurturing home and the support they need to realize their dreams. By design, the Teddy Bear Fund is incredibly responsive to the changing needs of the most vulnerable in the City of Toronto; ensuring front-line child welfare agencies can respond more comprehensively to the well-being and safety needs of every child, in every challenging circumstance. It has a primary focus on strengthening families at risk of kids entering government (foster) care, but also provides support to young people in government care and to youth transitioning out of government care.
Each of the crucial programs and services featured in this year’s impact report are not covered by the provincial government’s basic operational funding, meaning they rely entirely on generous investments from donors like you to create life-changing opportunities for this generation and those that follow.
Now with 44 donors making inspiring commitments of $100,000 or more, and countless annual contributors, the Teddy Bear Fund has since its inception raised more than $14 million to support 47,884 young lives and families on their journey of overcoming complex challenges to move from surviving to thriving.
We are immensely grateful to you for choosing to invest in the Teddy Bear Fund. Your commitment to the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s Teddy Bear Fund has not only transformed lives but also laid the groundwork for a brighter future for our city and its heartbeat – its children and families.
Sincerely,
Valerie McMurtry, President and CEO
Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada
Listed below are highlights of the strategic programs and services being supported through the Teddy Bear Fund.
Caring for children and youth with complex medical and developmental needs can be challenging, particularly when navigating multiple service sectors.
Kuponya Trauma Groups offer vital support to Black families facing trauma, with a focus on helping parents better understand the impact of trauma on both themselves and their children.
Every year, approximately 2,300 young people “age out” of the child welfare system across Canada the moment they turn 18 – suddenly confronted with navigating life on their own with little to no support.
“Having grown up in foster care with The Children’s Aid Society of Toronto for 14 years and being moved around various foster homes, some of which were challenging, I struggled significantly with my mental health both in and out of care. Growing up in foster care, I was too young to understand why I had been taken away from my biological parents. The concept of “family” became uncertain and blurry for me. I constantly felt as though I had done something wrong to cause this disturbance in my life. It wasn’t until I grew older that I began to realize that my placement in foster care had nothing to do with my actions or worthiness. Instead, it was the result of my biological parents’ poor choices and their inability to provide the care and stability that a child needs.
The Ovens family have been instrumental in shaping the Teddy Bear Fund’s success, serving as early adopters of the fund and opportunity to build a giving legacy through the establishment of a named endowment.
In 2022, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada was thrilled to welcome Shael Kalef as the Chair of the Teddy Bear Fund Committee. We are grateful for his ongoing leadership and contribution to the Fund’s important work!
