The children in the preschool room were delighted to have their special visitors read to them and every child received a new book.

Constable Martin McLaughlin introduced the children to Elmer the Safety Elephant and led them through traffic safety basics.

We send a big thank you to P.C. David Johnson for organizing this donation, and to Thomas Allen & Son Ltd., Scholastic Canada Ltd. and the World’s Biggest Bookstore for the books.

P.C. Johnson is a strong believer in getting books into the hands of children early on: “The importance of reading is learning and the importance of learning is education.” He is a great friend and neighbour of the Mission!

Check out the photos from Family Literacy Day on our Facebook page.

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Julia & Rachel, both team captains from YSM get ready to freeze!

Coldest Night of the Year is back on February 25 and we need your help!

That’s the night we are hosting a walk in support of the hungry, homeless and hurting in Toronto. The Toronto walk begins and ends at Yonge Street Mission in downtown’s Regent Park area. Along the way our event sponsor Starbucks will warm you up with complimentary hot drinks.

All walkers receive a blue toque, modeled here by a few of our enthusiastic team captains.

This year’s goal is to raise $50,000. Can you help?

Start a team, join a team or donate to a team!
Visit coldestnightoftheyear.org. Look for YSM teams under ‘Toronto’.

We have thirteen teams so far and room for more. Please freeze with us on February 25! You’ll get a nice warm feeling!

Check out our new promo video!
We can’t say “thank you” enough to Gordon Pinsent, Peter Keleghan, Leah Pinsent, Mark McKinney, Ennis Esmer, Veronica Tennant, Cle Bennet, Patrick McKenna, Maria del Mar, Colin Mochrie, Deb McGrath, The Canadian Tenors, and Gordon Poon for helping us make it happen!

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Our Christmas Market is brimming with toys and good things to eat, thanks to wonderful donors who share so generously at this time of year.

“It simply isn’t Christmas unless there is turkey on the table and toys under the tree for my children. I am overjoyed that the Mission can help me provide both for my family,” said Raul, a widowed father of two small children.

The Mission’s Food and Toy Markets are open for eight days before Christmas, serving about 6,000 people. Parents in our low-income community come to the Toy Market by appointment to choose toys, books and gifts for their children. At the Food Market, they receive a turkey and may select a variety of other food items to make the holiday special.

“I am blessed to have your help at Christmas!” Shelley is on disability support and buys all her clothing at Double Take, YSM’s second-hand store. Despite her thriftiness, her budget does not extend to buying toys for her children.

Christmas banquets are served throughout December. Turkey dinners with all the trimmings are a treat for our community and everyone is welcome to enjoy dinner and Christmas entertainment. Volunteers help us deliver Christmas boxes of food and gifts to seniors and shut-ins.

“I can smell the turkey. This is just like a real Christmas!” said Don, arriving at a YSM Christmas banquet. “Usually I just warm up a can of soup.”

A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers and donors who have made Christmas 2011 a time of joy for many who are hungry, homeless or struggling with poverty.

Check out some of the photos from our Christmas celebrations and markets on our Facebook page.

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He enjoyed the children’s book section, remarking that his grandchildren call him ‘Grandpa Books’ because he reads to them so much. Apparently re-living his days on the Harvard hockey team, Mr. Johnston posed with a hockey stick at one point.
All the parents appreciated his advice and declared him to be a “very nice man.”

Mr. Johnston met with senior staff at the Mission and was most impressed with our 115 year history of helping the poor in downtown Toronto. He is an enthusiastic proponent of volunteering time and talent and has stated that helping one’s neighbour should be a core feature of Canadian citizenship, not an extra-curricular activity.

Several other volunteers joined Mr. Johnston for lunch in the Mission’s kitchen when his volunteer duties ended. “He’s an inspiration!” said one. He also met with key YSM donors Irene Martin and her son, Jim. The Martin family made possible the purchase of 306 Gerrard St. East, the building where the Toy Market takes place. The Governor General agreed with Mrs. Martin on the importance of family: “Family is your rock,” he said.

We are delighted that Mr. Johnston was able to volunteer to help families in our low income community and look forward to welcoming him back soon!

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Thursday, December 15, 2011

Governor General to volunteer at Toronto’s Yonge Street Mission

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, is going to lend a hand at Yonge Street Mission’s Christmas Toy Market this Friday, December 16. His Excellency plans to volunteer at the Toronto charity’s annual event, which allows parents the opportunity to choose free Christmas gifts for their children.

The Governor General has made philanthropy a major focus of his term as Governor General. He became particularly aware of the needs of poor communities, such as the Regent Park area served by Yonge Street Mission, while serving as co-chair of the United Way in Montreal many years ago. will be meeting with volunteers while helping at the Toy Market. His visit emphasizes the importance of community building through volunteering, in an effort to build a smarter and more caring nation.

Yonge Street Mission has served the poor in Toronto for 115 years. The Christmas Market, which runs from Wednesday, December 14 through Friday, December 23, has brought joy to neighbourhood families for over 20 years.

For information, contact:
Ann Barnard Ball, Mission Development Officer
416-355-3547 or abarnardball@ysm.ca

Julie Rocheleau, Rideau Hall Press Office
613-993-2569 or julie.rocheleau@gg.ca

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These fantastic musicians with big hearts just released a CD entitled ‘Frost & Fire: A Celtic Christmas Celebration’ and are giving the proceeds from downloads of their recording ‘There is No Silent Night’ to help the hungry and homeless here at YSM.

Rant Maggie Rant was a huge hit at the Mission’s gala ‘A Celtic Night’ on October 27. We are so grateful for support from such creative and compassionate friends.

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In the short term, we are using a rental truck, which is not covered by our insurance. Needless to say, this is an expense we had not anticipated. It’s unavoidable, however, because we need to get out to you, the donors, to pick up all your wonderful contributions for the Food Bank and the Christmas Market.

We could really use some help! We hope to upgrade to a larger, dock-level truck. If you are able to help, please contact Jon Unger Brandt our Director of Development at 416-929-9614 ext. 4259 or jungerbrandt@ysm.ca.
Your support can make this happen, thank you!

Yonge Street Mission’s ornaments have been an annual tradition for many years and are perfect to adorn a Christmas tree, mantle or centrepiece. Every year we produce ornaments in a different design and a variety of colours. This year, choose from the 2010 snowman in red, white or blue or the 2011 shepherd design in gold, blue or green. You will receive a case of 24 beautiful ornaments when you donate $250. And you will get a tax receipt for $175.

Your Christmas shopping worries are over! Just complete and return the order form.

Thank you for supporting Yonge Street Mission this Christmas!

If you prefer to make a donation in lieu of a gift, you can download our Christmas Gift of Hope form to send to colleagues, clients, family or friends.

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The winner of the Kids’ Fun Page picture contest is 11-year-old Grace Von Loenen of Brampton. Her collage of things she is thankful for featured a picture of her family, her church, the Earth, and her favourite sport, soccer. She even taped some coins to her drawing (thank you, Grace!)

As our winner, Grace was invited to visit our Saturday Children’s Breakfast Club with her grandmother, Fena. Grace thoroughly enjoyed her time at YSM on November 5, especially “making crafts and playing in the gym.” Her grandma’s favourite part was the breakfast, she said.

Grace is considering how she can help children at Yonge Street Mission in the future.
“I can give money and buy food for the Food Bank,” she says.

The Kids’ Fun Page contest was advertised in the Summer issue of Urban Lights, YSM’s quarterly newsletter. Dozens of children returned drawings showing what they felt thankful for at Thanksgiving. Pictures were displayed at Yonge Street Mission Thanksgiving meals.

Many entries came from the children and grandchildren of donors, but we also received quite a few from children in YSM programs. No matter what their background, most children put their family front and centre in the picture.

Donate now to Christmas meals.

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The Mission’s computer lab is a popular after-school destination in the Regent Park neighbourhood for good reason. Julian says, “I rely on a really great team of volunteer teachers who are so innovative in the way they teach the basics to the kids; some are specialists who have designed courses in web design and computer graphics.

Now Julian needs your help! Seventy children have signed up for his introductory course and will graduate on November 30th, thereby earning a computer of their own. Historically the Mission has received enough donated computers to be refurbished for the graduates, but as average class sizes have grown this has become a challenge. Right now we have just enough cpu’s but need 70 monitors (preferably 20” LCD flat panels), mice and keyboards.

Earning a computer to take home and use for school projects and practicing newfound skills means a lot to children in a low-income family. “I remember how cool it was to be awarded my first computer when I was in grade 4,” said a computer lab volunteer. He is now in second-year university student and plans to become a physician. His single mother gave up a lot to raise him in Canada and expresses her gratitude to the Mission for the help and encouragement they have received; both give back as volunteers.

Julian tries his best to ensure that all of the children receive comparable computers; donations from corporate groups after an IT refresh is an ideal way to make this possible. With the quick pace of change in technology, this is a green solution that allows businesses to redirect usable equipment from landfills.

A donation of recent computer equipment from your organization would be greatly appreciated. Your gifts will help Yonge Street Mission continue this cycle of learning, giving back to the community and breaking the bonds of poverty.

For more information contact: Anne Keyes 416-929-9614, ext 4247 or akeyes@ysm.ca.