75 Moments: Celebrating the Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed Campaign

On June 28, the Foundation was thrilled to announce that our Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed Campaign reached its $75 million fundraising goal with an ad in The Globe and Mail celebrating the Futures Transformed Campaign Cabinet and donors who made this success possible.

The Comfort Kit Program provides high-quality backpacks filled with supplies to children and youth who are entering the child welfare system. This experience can be overwhelming and disorienting, and Comfort Kits help provide a sense of well-being, safety and security. Read more on our LinkedIn.

In July 2022, a movement for change took shape in the corridors of Bay Street. A group of business leaders — all volunteers with Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s Teddy Bear Adventure Committee — rallied their team members to participate in the Teddy Bear Adventure. Through the Teddy Bear Adventure, community members can engage in any activity of their choosing and encourage their family, friends and colleagues to participate and donate in support of the Foundation.

Sharing photos and calls to action on their social media channels, participants and event guests collectively raised an incredible $75,000 in 2022 — contributing to a total of $140,000 raised through the Teddy Bear Adventure since 2020. Every dollar helped the Foundation reach its Futures Transformed campaign goal of $75 million to help children, youth and families.

Read the full story on our website.

To recognize hitting our $75 million milestone for our Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign, we wanted to share our 2022-2023 Annual Report. The report details a year full of impact, which was made possible thanks to the campaign.

In 2022-2023, we supported 15,102 children, youth and families – 2,800 families were strengthened, 8,366 children in care received assistance, and 3,963 youth transitioning out of care were given support. All this was made possible through the incredible support of our community, including the generous donors who donated $16 million and helped us meet our $75 million Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed goal.

Read the full post about our 2022-2023 Annual Report.

Made possible with the support of the Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign, the ECN Capital Ambassador Program equips former youth from the child welfare system with education skills and support to empower their independent lives. Through a four-year $1 million investment ECN Capital Corp has made, and continues to make, a lasting impact.

In May 2023, a group of talented youth from the Ambassador Program collaborated with VIBE Arts and Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada to create a stunning mural for the Program’s School in Toronto, ON.

See the full post on our LinkedIn.

Launched in 2017, Youth Works is an innovative pre-employment development program currently being delivered in partnership with six child- and youth-serving agencies across Canada.

Its impact has been significant. Since its launch, more than 2,100 young people in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick have participated in Youth Works — and more than 92% said they achieved what they wanted to through the program. This impact has been made possible by the Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign.

Read the full post on our website.

With the support of the Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign – which recently met its goal of raising $75 million for children, youth and families in child welfare – the Foundation has been able to launch an innovative project called Safe at Home.

Safe at Home aims to strengthen the families experiencing domestic violence and that are involved with the child welfare system whose children are at risk of entering care. The program also works to prevent violence from reoccurring. Safe at Home’s two programs – Mothers in Mind and Caring Dads – have seen great success with 109 participants so far.

Read the full post.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been celebrating that we’ve reached our $75 million Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed fundraising goal. This incredible milestone wouldn’t have been made possible without our generous donor community, who give in many different ways. Cathy and her husband Surge are among some of our most engaged supporters and volunteers. They have decided to name the Foundation in their Will, a decision that has enabled them to contribute to our $75 million goal while helping create a powerful legacy of support for children and youth.

Read the full post.

“Therapy has honestly changed my life,” says Brittany, a devoted mother and advocate for children and youth in care.

As she approached the age of 18, Brittany grappled with the fear of aging out of the system and facing the challenges of the real world. Thanks to the support of resources from the Foundation, she found her way through this critical transition period. The Connections program, which is supported by the Foundation, is dedicated to connecting transitioning youth with vital mental health resources and played a pivotal role in her journey.

Read the full post.

Each year, the Foundation Gala brings together like-minded philanthropists and leaders from across the country who believe, as we do, that all kids deserve a chance to live their dreams, to heal, to hope, and to thrive. Since the $75 million Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign was launched in 2019, we’ve had 6 incredible Gala Chairs who have helped raise over $6 million through the Gala for the campaign and the Teddy Bear Fund.

The gala has provided incredible support to our partners including Children’s Aid Society of Toronto and Native Child and Family Services of Toronto, helping to support children and families involved in the child welfare system, including those in Indigenous communities.

Read the full post.

One of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s key activities is to align the Foundation’s grants and programs with initiatives being delivered by our child welfare agency partners that specifically address the unique needs of Black children and youth. Thanks to the Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign, which recently surpassed its goal of $75 million, we have been able to support youth like Rachael.

Rachael found empowerment and connection with Black history and culture through Foundation-funded programs like Soul Journey and CHEERS. Soul Journey helps Black youth in care learn about Black history and culture, and CHEERS is a mentorship program specifically for Black youth in the process of transitioning out of care into independence.

Read the full post.

Since the campaign launched in 2019, the Foundation’s Friends and Loved Ones Fund has supported over 900 young people in and from care with expenses to help enhance their sense of belonging. This might include travel and accommodation expenses so that they can be with family or friends during special occasions and holidays, or funds to help them get items that help foster a feeling of belonging.

One former youth in care, Ian, has shared that, “Over the years, the Foundation has supported me with grants, scholarships, the Friends and Loved Ones Fund, counseling, and job-seeking help. This funding allowed me to visit my foster parent over the holidays and complete my business and human resources diploma.”

Read the full post.

Every few months, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada sends a newsletter to our allies to show them their impact and how we’re supporting children, youth and families affected by child welfare. In the Summer 2023 edition of the newsletter, we shared with them the exciting news about the Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign and how it’s helped over 97,500 children and youth and 21,600 families across Canada.

Read the full newsletter.

The IGNITE THE SPARK Fund, which is supported by the Futures Transformed campaign, provides multi-year funding to help young people involved with the child welfare system participate in life-enriching opportunities. After just three to six months of participation in the activity of their choice, 99% of children and youth report increased self-confidence and self-esteem.

“Since I joined karate, I feel stronger. I have more self-confidence. And I am not afraid of bullies either! I have more friends and I hope to become a karate master Sensei one day,” says 12-year-old participant Rain.

Read the full post.

In March 2020, the Foundation worked alongside our partners to respond to this unprecedented crisis and help children, youth and families involved in child welfare who were now in an even more vulnerable situation than before.

The Foundation created the COVID-19 Response Program to address the financial, emergency and other needs that children, youth and families were experiencing as a result of the pandemic. Thanks to the incredible generosity of The Rogers Foundation, The Northpine Foundation, the Government of Ontario and our other incredible donors who supported the COVID-19 Response Program, we were able to provide immediate shelter needs, mental health support, educational support, emergency support and more. The program reached over 37,000 people, including 7,000+ families and 5,500+ former youth in care.

Read the full post.

In order to surpass the Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign goal, many people had to come together to support the Foundation and its work. Many volunteers have worked hard since 2020 in the Foundation’s annual Holiday Bike Challenge to do just that!

Motivated to support children and families experiencing vulnerable situations during the holiday season, a dedicated group of active supporters push their cycling limits while raising important funds to improve outcomes for young people involved in child welfare. Since the first Holiday Bike Challenge event in 2020, more than $220,000 has been raised, which has contributed to the Futures Transformed campaign goal!

Read the full post.

The Foundation is proud to stand by the side of determined youth on their journey towards a brighter future, which is often accessed through education. Last year, 2,888 young people reported improved academic achievements and participation – showcasing the tangible difference that your support makes.

Scholarship recipient, child welfare ambassador and advocate Cheyanne says that, “Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s funding has helped me in many ways; it funded my entire post-secondary education — two degrees, my diploma, and even trying out a dental program. The funding has been so helpful in maintaining my focus and retaining the A’s that I’ve gotten, as well as reducing the amount of stress I’ve faced.”

Read the full post.

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign has helped support young people transitioning from child welfare into life on their own by offering housing supports. Sustainable housing can be difficult to find and youth who have been involved with child welfare are up to 200 times more likely than their peers to become homeless. The Foundation’s housing programs, which provide financial supports like first and last month’s rent and access to housing experts, help youth find safety and security so they can complete their studies and secure employment.

Samantha* had been working toward a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at a university in Alberta while struggling with ongoing chronic health challenges. For her third year of the program, she was accepted at a university in British Columbia. With no family to rely on for support, she knew the move was going to be expensive. “I got in touch with my youth worker and explained my goals and circumstances. She approved me for the support to [cover] my rent, my damage deposit, and my moving expenses, which was what I needed to make this as easy a transition as it could be. I’m unsure if I would have been able to make this move without it … it demonstrates that there are people who are willing and able to help, which is invaluable to me.”

Thank you to TD for their generous support of the National Housing Program for Youth Leaving Care, and the Donner Canadian Foundation, HALO Fund and The Home Depot Foundation for their generous contributions to the Home Base Fund, for helping youth from care find safe, stable housing.

*Name changed for protection reasons

On September 13, the Foundation came together with our dedicated donors and volunteers for Stand Up for Kids Night, an evening to honour the achievements of the youth people we support. This year, we also celebrated raising $75 million for our Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed campaign and the impacts made possible by our community. Through the generosity of our donors and thanks to the campaign, over 305 scholarships were presented to students for the 2023-24 academic year, including 55 first time applicants. And, 99 youth graduated this year!

Learn more about Stand Up for Kids Night.