Fund Trustees
In the summer of 1999, three soon-to-be-retired friends envisioned starting a charitable foundation with the goal of enhancing literacy in the Greater Toronto Area and, indeed, across the country. The Children’s Literacy Fund was launched in 2000, with Cliff Lewis, Paul Addie and Brian Shaver as the Trustees. More than 6 years and $125,000.00 (in scholarships, donations to elementary schools and grants to the Canadian Institute of Reading Recovery) later, the three friends still serve in the same (unpaid) capacity.
Cliff Lewis retired as a Sergeant with the Toronto Police Service. Paul Addie and Brian Shaver retired as educators with the Toronto District School Board, their last positions being Superintendent and Elementary Principal, respectively. While a little older, all three of them still share the same vision and hope to keep The Fund going and growing into the foreseeable future!
History
The Children’s Literacy Fund (The Fund) was registered as a charitable organization with the federal government on July 1, 2000. The Trustees of The Fund were given a mandate to advance education by granting scholarships to underprivileged students pursuing post-secondary studies from inner-city schools, and assist schools in underprivileged areas with Reading Recovery and other early literacy programs by providing funds for books and learning materials for underprivileged children.
Scholarships are offered to deserving, needy students who might otherwise not be able to afford a post-secondary program. We do not specify type of program or grade requirements. Principals and staff select the students on a needs basis. The Fund provides $1,000.00 the first year and $500.00 for each additional year the recipients remain in school. To date, The Fund has provided scholarships and "boosters" to over 40 students, most of whom have either graduated or continue in programs ranging from Firefighting at Durham College to Social Sciences at the University of Toronto. Scholarship funds go directly to the post-secondary institution and any returns due to early leaving go directly back to The Fund (this has not been a factor to date).
Donations at the elementary level are directed to schools in challenging socio-economic areas that are committed to early literacy programs, such as Reading Recovery. It is our firm belief that when it comes to literacy development, children learn best in a language rich environment with focused instruction and ample up-to-date learning materials. It is common knowledge that our schools are under funded. Schools in middle and upper-class neighborhoods are able to raise money through fund raising efforts: The Children’s Literacy Fund helps schools with limited opportunities to help themselves. Schools are selected by Principals and Superintendents of Education. The Fund has also supported the Canadian Institute of Reading Recovery (CIRR), which is dedicated to training teachers in “State of the Art” early literacy programs and providing program materials of similar quality. So far, The Fund has directly supported over 30 elementary schools, and made several donations to the CIRR. The CIRR has brought literacy to over 100,000 six year olds in Canada since 1987!
Since its inception, The Children’s Literacy Fund has raised and distributed over $125,000.00 through donations, golf tournaments, two retirement parties and a Evening of Music. OVER 98% of these funds have gone directly to kids, schools and the CIRR! The Trustees take no payment or expenses from The Fund. Administrative expenses are minimal.
Our goal is to carry on and expand, in order to help more needy children and more schools. To that end, we have recently agreed to support the Play for All Kids initiative. The goal of Play for All Kids is to provide genuine and purposeful play to children with both visible and invisible disabilities. This is accomplished by providing grants to community groups to build fully accessible play spaces for all kids. We ask you to consider supporting this worthy and cost-effective charitable program. Feel free to contact us at any time. We would be delighted to meet with you and your organization to discuss future directions. We can also put you in touch with principals, superintendents and students who have benefited from our efforts.
|
