The Canada Post Community Foundation (CPCF) has donated $25,000 to the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton (CAFH) to support their DREAMS Begin At Home program. This program helps young people who have experienced trauma or loss by providing them with tools to stabilize and grow. Canada Post raised money at its different locations through multiple ways, such as raffles, gift baskets, requesting donations, and contributing $1 from every yearly, special-edition CPCF stamp.
The funds will directly benefit the DREAMS Begin At Home program, run by the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton. CAFH is a charity that supports children, youth, and families who have faced challenges such as abuse, neglect, loss, or unstable housing. Through resources, advocacy, and opportunities for healing and education, CAFH aims to create positive childhood experiences and foster growth. In partnership with the Halton Children’s Aid Society (CAS), a government-funded agency that addresses child abuse and neglect in the region, CAFH works to improve the lives of those in need. Each year, CAFH serves approximately 5,000 young people across Halton.
Tina Blatchford, executive director of the CAFH, said, “Over the years, we’ve realized that if they don’t have a safe place to sleep, food in their belly or clean clothes, they can’t focus on school or what their dreams could be”. DREAMS Begin At Home provides beds, cell phones, and personal hygiene products, among other essentials that a child or youth might need.
The program is customized to meet the specific needs of the children and youth supported by CAFH. It offers services like access to new phones and assistance with post-secondary education. The $25,000 donation is part of CPCF’s annual grant distribution, which, this year, saw a record $1.3 million donated to 106 groups across the country—CPCF’s largest-ever distribution of grants.
“I love this program,” says Kayla Labelle, a retail business manager at Canada Post. “It all stays local. We’re earning this money from everyone who’s here by rounding up or donating and they did a wonderful raffle here with prizes that people could win by donating. It’s everybody helping each other.”
The Canada Post Community Foundation provides grants to Canadian schools, charities, and organizations that support children and youth up to age 21. Since 2012, CPCF has awarded $14.8 million to over 1,300 projects, offering grants in three key areas: community (social services, arts, and culture), education (therapeutic and rehabilitative programs), and health (support for vulnerable children or those with disabilities or illnesses).
Source: Burlington Today
