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Keele Site:
1652 Keele Street
Toronto, ON M6M 3W3
Tel: 416-652-2273
Fax: 416-652-8992
Davenport Site:
1884 Davenport Road, Unit #1
Toronto, ON M6N 4Y2
Tel: 416-654-0299
Fax: 416-654-0522
Eglinton Site:
2562 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 101
Toronto, ON M6M 1T4
Tel: 416-651-2273
Fax: 416-658-8992
www.communityarc.ca
Communi ty
Act ion
Resource
Cent re
2009-2010
Annual Report
S ta f f :
Alicia Walker
Ana Leon
Belinda Goncalves
Charlyn Ellis
Genevieve Komanyor
George Martin
Leticia Boahen
Mahbooba Zewari
Marilia Lana
Marion Newrick
Martha Granados
Peggy Liendo
Peter Thai Tran
Rocio Arguelles
Sherean Wilson
Ted O
Triacia Clarke
Yaquelin Hechavarria Soto
Yasmin Mohamed
Placement/ Summer Students:
Alicia Thomas
Gustavo Escobar
Jozel Cabral
Karina Portillo
Latoya Gray
Rodel Dickson
Boa rd o f D i r ec to r s :
CHAIRPERSON: Luanne Rayvals
VICE-CHAIR: Diane Walter
TREASURER: Jane Zener
SECRETARY: LaToya Williamson
DIRECTORS: Amina Sharif Hassan
Dora Ey
Dulce Gaspar
Gillian Dennis
Our Team
Page 2 Community Action Resource Centre 2009-10 Annual Report
Con t r ac ted Se r v i ces :
Pia Di Giovanni, ThinkABC – Bookkeeping
Peter Jellard – Technical Support
Vo l un tee r s :
Ada Varda
Aden Abduk Qudir
Adisa Codner
Afrha Hassan
Amina Nur
Amina Shariff
Andrea Rondinelli
Angela De Silva
Anis Gul Safi
Arta Bilaca
Asha Jama
Ayesha Ashrafi
Bev Snow
Brittany Lima
Carolina Mateo Gonzalez
Cleidina Lima
Denise Codner
Dennis Hemmings Dhamarys Santana
Dora Ey
Elimar Bertolino
Elmouchir Mustafa
Erelys Diaz Madruga
Esmeralda Silva
Ester Zacarias
Faiza Jama
Fauziah Daoud
Fiona Ruddock
Fawzia Ahmed
Gisely Signoretti
Hamdi Nur
Herma Lewis
Iolanda Cravidi
Jaimie Anne White
Jonathan Ellis
Karen Palmer
Keisha McFarlane
Khadijo Hilowle
Laila Malliam
Laurel John
Lenny Hodge
Leyla M Suudi
Leyla Osman Mohamud
Lorena Freire
Lucimar Dias Carneiro
Maria Ross
Maria Tereza M. De Queiroz
Marjorie Reid
Maryan Asir
Matheus Rondinelli
Maureen Arlain
Miroslava Mitic
Nasra Ahmed
Nasrin Iqbali
Natacia Fontenelle
Nur Siraad Huseen
Pamela Sousa
Paul Nadin
Peter Mutchler
Rosa Vieira
Saidie Butler
Sado Ali Adan
Saeed Abshir
Sahna Aboillahi
Sahra Siyaad
Saida Jama
Selma De Abreu
William L Mackenzie
The following Community
Dining program volunteers
are supported in partner-
ship with Davenport Perth
Neighbouhood Centre:
Arlene Brown
Charles Murdoch
Daphne Gunn
David Dumais
Doris Gasper
Grace Walsh
Iris Richardson
Laura Lozada
Millicent Bowen
Nelson Membreno
Paul Gikhour
Peter Gikhour
Regina Wilson
Rosa Lamanna
Roslyn Thompson
Taheed Khan
Timothy Heslip
Tony Lamanna
Triacia Jones
Valeri Kazbekov
Youth Mentors:
Ianna
Javel
Kaylee
Mohammad
Odessa
Sankara
PHOTO FRONT COVER: Finding red wrigglers in the Community Garden
A special thank you to all our A special thank you to all our A special thank you to all our A special thank you to all our volunteers volunteers volunteers volunteers ---- Board, program , Board, program , Board, program , Board, program , admin and fundraising admin and fundraising admin and fundraising admin and fundraising ---- we we we we couldn’t do it without you !!couldn’t do it without you !!couldn’t do it without you !!couldn’t do it without you !!
2009-10 Annual Report Community Action Resource Centre Page 3
Our mission statement includes the words “… to build the capacity of our communities“ During the past
year we have worked with a variety of community partners and community residents to do just that, in the
areas of community programs, settlement services for newcomers, community development activities,
and programs for children, some of which are highlighted in the pages of this annual report.
New developments during the past year included:
▪ An increase in funding from Citizenship & Immigration Canada, enabling us to add new staff and
ncrease some positions from part-time to full-time, as well as to open a new location on Eglinton
Avenue West, focusing entirely on the needs of newcomers
▪ A greater focus on the needs of the Spanish speaking community in collaboration with York Hispanic
Centre, through increased funding from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration
▪ The City of Toronto allocated some new admin space in 1652 Keele Street, that eased our space con-
straints in our program room, and as well increased our funding to support parents in our community
▪ Developmental work undertaken in early 2010 resulted in capital funding from The Ontario Trillium
Foundation to renovate and open up the lobby of 1652 Keele Street that will benefit the entire com-
munity when it becomes available for cultural gatherings and meetings, etc. Also part of this project,
the coming year will see us engaging further with the community at large in order to utilize the lobby space in new ways
▪ New community development work included working with local residents to identify their issues and
strengths, and support them working towards establishing a first residents’ association. As well, we
continued our focus on anti-poverty initiatives and anticipate a busy year ahead as we increase our
capacity to work with our community in identifying some of the root causes of poverty and work
towards positive change
▪ We also worked with a variety of community partners on new service development, including a com-
munity kitchen collective lead by York Community Services, and supporting the development of Free
Geek Toronto which is highlighted later in this report
The year just passed was therefore one of substantial growth for our organization, building on previous
organizational development work that resulted in new community partners, new staff, new space, and
new programs. The year ahead will see us undertake further planning work at the Board level to take us
into the next phase of our development.
This year, we must say farewell to Dulce Gaspar who is
leaving our Board of Directors after many years in a
variety of roles. Dulce has provided calm and stable
leadership in many areas of our development, serving
on both Boards of our two amalgamating organiza-
tions, through the exploration and merger process,
and as first Chairperson of Community Action Re-
source Centre. She was an active member of our
Personnel Committee, multiple Hiring Committees,
Nominations Committee and many more ! We thank
Dulce for her consideration contributions that played
such a strong role in getting us to this stage of our
development. We look forward to continuing to
work together on other initiatives in our community.
Luanne Rayvals, Chairperson
Marion Newrick, Executive Director
Report from the Chairperson and Executive Director
Some of our amazing staff team
Programs & Services
Page 4 Community Action Resource Centre 2009-10 Annual Report
S e r v i c e s f o r I n d i v i d u a l sS e r v i c e s f o r I n d i v i d u a l sS e r v i c e s f o r I n d i v i d u a l sS e r v i c e s f o r I n d i v i d u a l s
▪ Information and referral by
telephone or drop-in
▪ Form filling, letter-writing,
advocacy, follow-up, worker liaison
▪ Informal supportive counseling
▪ Crisis counseling
▪ Interpretation and translation
▪ Voice Mail, mail and messages
▪ Income Tax Clinics
C o m m u n i t y / G r o u p S e r v i c e s C o m m u n i t y / G r o u p S e r v i c e s C o m m u n i t y / G r o u p S e r v i c e s C o m m u n i t y / G r o u p S e r v i c e s
▪ Community Dining
▪ Child Care Registry & Information
▪ Children’s After School Program
▪ Summer Day Camp
▪ Community Access Program (CAP) -
internet access
▪ Housing Connections - Access Centre
for subsidized housing
▪ Group workshops
▪ Community Development and
Community Capacity Building
S e r v i c e s f o r N e w c o m e r sS e r v i c e s f o r N e w c o m e r sS e r v i c e s f o r N e w c o m e r sS e r v i c e s f o r N e w c o m e r s
▪ Settlement services & support
▪ Information, referral & orientation
▪ Interpretation and translation
▪ English conversation group
▪ Spanish-speaking women’s
group
▪ Group workshops on topics of
interest to newcomers
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT:
Child Care Registry
The Chi ld Care Regi s t ry ass i s ts parents to
l ocate su i table care fo r thei r ch i ld ren.
The program al so i ncluded i n format ion,
re fe r ra l , support and resources fo r ca re
prov iders and seekers , i nc luding a bi -
month l y newsle tte r “K ids ‘N Care”. The
Regi s t ry p rov ided re fe r ra l s to o ther fo rms
of ch i ld care i ncluding l icensed ch i ld
care cent res and l i censed home chi ld
care opt ions .
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT:
Satellite to Ontario Early Years - Davenport Riding
As a sate l l i te s i te of the Davenport Ontar io
Ear l y Years (OEYC) program, we support fami -
l ie s and caregivers o f ch i ld ren 0-6 years o f age,
p rov iding i n format ion, re fe r ra l , o r i entat ion,
gu idance and t rans lat ion regard ing programs
and se rv ices of fe red at Davenport OEYC, as
wel l as p rov iding workshops on top ics of i n te r -
es t to those ca r i ng fo r young ch i ld ren.
Outreach at the Davenport Ontario Early Years screening day
A workshop for parents on childcare options
2009-10 Annual Report Community Action Resource Centre Page 5
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: Community Dining Program
The Community Dining Program is a partnership program with Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Centre which began in
December 1996 to address food access in the community. It provides hot nutritious meals three times a week as well
as providing information and referral about other programs and services in the community. The average attendance
per meal is approximately 100 and includes individuals and families from different linguistic and ethnic cultures, back-
grounds and economic circumstances.
In addition to the provision of hot meals, the program provides the opportunity and support for people to find meaning-
ful ways to be involved in their community as volunteers - the program has an active volunteer base of over 20 commu-
nity residents. From time to time the program also provides activities, forums and workshops to the participants on is-
sues that impact directly on their lives.
Cook Patsy and her amazing team of volunteers
served over 6,000 hot meals in the winter season
2009-2010
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: Cross Cultural Women & Girls’ Space
With huge support from Evergreen, we had another
amazing year at the community garden, and we’re
looking forward to next year when we will take on the role
of supporting the community to self-manage the garden.
Several cultural and fun events were held throughout the
year, including a forum on International Women’s Day at
which MPP Laura Albanese spoke to the women, and we
all enjoyed an amazing program of local talent. ABOVE: MPP Laura Albanese speaks at our International Women’s
Day event
BELOW: Dub-poet Lillian Allen and evolving “eco-femanist” word artist
Blakka Ellis donate their considerable talents to a women’s group
BELOW LEFT: Pot luck at the community garden
Community Development
During the past year, we focused our efforts on
supporting local residents to identify and address their
needs, on increasing our capacity around anti-poverty
initiatives, and on service development for emerging
groups.
Working with other community partners, local residents
were successfully supported in organizing their fi rst
community BBQ, recognizing their own community and
cross-cultural strengths, and in initiating a residents’
steering committee to work towards establishing their
fi rst residents’ association.
Several workshops and training sessions were held with
local community members aroundissues of anti-
poverty, and in collaboration with Social Planning To-
ronto we participated in meetings with MPP Laura
Albanese and in a well-attended community forum by
the Colour of Poverty Campaign.
Page 6 Community Action Resource Centre 2009-10 Annual Report
Participating in meeting with MPP Laura Albanese co-ordinated by
Social Planning Toronto, to discuss progress around anti-poverty initiatives
A visit from MP Alan Tonks, and other scenes from the residents’
community BBQ
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: A new initiative: “Helping The Needy Get Nerdy”
Beginning in early 2010 we acted as trustee and provided developmental support for a new program: CyberEquality,
now registered as Free Geek Toronto. Winning the coveted prize from the Toronto Enterprise Fund and with a small
equipment grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation, this entirely participant-lead initiative has the following goals:
▪ To reuse or recycle used computer equipment that might otherwise become hazardous waste
▪ To make computer technology more accessible to those who lack financial means or technical knowledge
▪ To provide paid work opportunity for persons receiving social assistance and other low income
To learn more about the Free Geek movement , contact Free Geek Toronto directly at:
WEB: www.freegeektoronto.org EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: 416.572.3737
Children What a great summer our kids had !! Day tr ips included Ontar io Science Centre, Pucks
Farm, Woodbine Centre movie theatre, Centre I s land, and others. The campers enjoyed
workshops f rom Toronto Publ ic Health on Healthy Food Choices, getting to make thei r
own mini pizzas and of course eat them ! ! Some amazing t imes were spent with The
Love Music Ini tiative under the fun leadership of Benjamin De Graaf … learning about
the or igins of rap music and how to recognize its many posi t ive messages. The kids also
got to work in small groups developing and then performing their own spoken word .
And of course there were endless days of sports, swimming, arts and crafts, dance, and
just plain old hanging out with f r iends. Through the Toronto Distr ict School Board’s
Focus on Youth ini t iative, we great ly benefi ted from 5 extra senior students for our
summer camp program this year, as wel l as again having ful l use of Brookhaven’s
wonderful gymnasium, playground, and a program room.
2009-10 Annual Report Community Action Resource Centre Page 7
The after school program met Mayor
David Mi l ler at his “Meet Your Mayor
event” at 1652 Keele Street, doing an
amazing job informing:
“What I Want My Mayor to do”
Page 8 Community Action Resource Centre 2009-10 Annual Report
Newcomers
Our settlement services program provides culturally and linguistically appropriate services to newcomers
in various languages - Cantonese, Dari, English, Farsi, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Pashto, Somali, Spanish,
Urdu, and Vietnamese. A very busy year saw continued increase in our one on one client services, as
well as a wider variety of group programs, including:
▪ The coordination and delivery of over 110 monthly workshops and group activities for newcomer
women to provide information relating to immigration, citizenship, finance, education, health and
wellness, employment, housing, legal, and taxation, as well as a weekly English conversation group
▪ Throughout the year we collaborated with community partners on various programs including an Ex-
pressive Arts Therapy program with Access Alliance, a Job Fair with 16 community partners, a Viet-
namese Wellness & Services Fair with 12 settlement organizations, visits from the Mobile Health Clinic
for Newcomer Women with Immigrant Women’s Health Centre, supporting a Families First workshop
series co-ordinated by SIWA-Somali Immigrant Women Association, supporting development of a
community kitchen with York Community Services, and Ladies Take a Break women’s group with Dav-
enport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre. Two group trips for newcomers were organized to the Ontario
Science Centre and the Art Gallery of Ontario, and planning work undertaken to develop a commu-
nity kitchen for the Spanish speaking women’s group in collaboration with York Hispanic Centre
▪ We are one of the 25 Partnership Council Mem-
bers of the York South-Weston Local Immigration
Partnership, lead by Social Planning Toronto, and
actively participate on each of the Work Groups
(Access to Services/Social Inclusion; Community Engagement; Labour Market), and a member of
the West Downtown Settlement Services Partner-
ship as a member of its Bloor-Junction Council
▪ Over 240 job seekers, 10 employers and 6 com-
munity organizations participated in the Job Fair
that we coordinated in November at a local li-
brary
▪ In partnership with 12 Vietnamese-speaking
community organizations, we coordinated a Vietnamese Wellness & Services Fair. Over 210 partici-
pants and a dozen service organizations joined the event and the Mobile Health Clinic was deployed
at the site to facilitate various health tests at no charge for newcomer women, regardless of their im-
migration status
Increased funding from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration enabled expanded Spanish lan-
guage services, in partnership with York Hispanic Centre, and CIC increased some positions from part-time to full-time. By the Fall, our Keele office was bursting at the seams, and fortunately Citizenship & Immigra-
tion Canada approved additional funding that enabled us to open a new office dedicated to settlement
services that relieved the pressure at Keele and enabled us to expand services to meet the needs of the
many newcomers in our community. We look forward to another active year ahead.
Statement of Operations and Net Assets
For the Year Ended December 31, 2009
REVENUE
Government funding
Davenport Ontario Early Years Centre funding
United Way Toronto
Fundraising and donations
Foundations and other
Bingo and Nevada
User Fees
Membership and other
EXPENSES
Salaries and benefits
Office and general
Professional fees and subcontracting
Program supplies
Industry Canada (CAP) flow through grants
Building Occupancy
Voice Link
Staff and volunteer development
Fundraising
Travel
Other
EXCESS OF REVENUE OVER EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR
Net assets, beginning of year
NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR
2008
$465,489
21,200
18,733
44,631
23,575
6,817
2,022
582,467
420,588
46,721
36,055
23,234
9,423
3,859
7,158
3,230
2,420
2,739
4,038
559,465
23,002
26,388
$ 49,390
2009-10 Annual Report Community Action Resource Centre Page 9
A complete copy of the audited financial statements prepared by Cowperthwaite Mehta Chartered Accountants is available from the CARC office
2009
$629,456
21,200
17,825
25,499
21,662
6,650
519
722,811
525,095
58,353
37,098
27,358
19,090
14,305
6,969
5,704
4,620
3,173
1,627
703,392
19,419
49,390
$ 68,809
Financial Statements
Funders, Donors and Partners
Funde r s
▪ City of Toronto
▪ Citizenship & Immigration Canada
▪ Human Resources Skills Development
Canada (HRSDC)
▪ Industry Canada
▪ Ontario Early Years Centre funding -
Davenport Riding
▪ Ontario Ministry of Citizenship &
Immigration - Newcomer
Settlement Program
▪ Ontario Ministry of Culture
▪ Ontario Trillium Foundation (2010)
▪ United Way Toronto
Dono r s /Con t r i bu to r s
▪ CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish
▪ The Bargains Group - Project Water
▪ Windfall Clothing
▪ Individual donors
Pa r t ne r s / P r og ram Suppo r t
▪ Access Alliance
▪ City of Toronto Shelter, Support & Hous-
ing Administration (SSHA)
▪ Davenport Perth Neighbourhood &
Health Centre
▪ Davenport Perth Community Ministry
▪ Eritrean Canadian Community Centre
▪ Evergreen
▪ Housing Connections
▪ Immigrant Women’s Health Centre
mobile health unit
▪ Institute of Chartered Accountants of
Ontario (ICAO)
▪ Social Planning Toronto and
1652 Keele Street Community Alliance
▪ The Stop Community Food Centre
▪ Toronto Community Housing
▪ Toronto Public Health
▪ Toronto District School Board
- Brookhaven Public School
▪ York Community Services
We a re Member s o f :
▪ OCASI -
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
▪ Social Planning Toronto
▪ TNC - Toronto Neighbourhood Centres
CHARITABLE REGISTRATION NO: 11897 6117 RR0001
Mission Statement:
“ Our organization works to build the
capacity of our communities by mobilizing
resources and providing supportive social
services, for the empowerment of
individuals and groups. ”
Founda t i ons
▪ Artisan Charitable Foundation
▪ CHUM Charitable Foundation
▪ George Cedric Metcalf Foundation
▪ Mazon Canada - A Jewish
Response to Hunger
Together we create a sense of community, a
healthy and positive space in which all feel free
and comfortable to speak their minds in an
environment that facilitates mutual support.