(l-r): Lisa Wolf, UNICEF Canada, Cathy Vine, Voices for Children, Stoney McCart, Students Commission, OTF Board Chair Helen Burstyn, Laurel Broten, MPP, Caroline Di Cocco, MPP, Dave Farthing, Youth Canada Association, Judy Finlay, Ontario's Chief Child Advocate, Peter Jaffe, Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System of the London Family Court Clinic, and Marg Stanowski, Operation Springboard.

Two of our new granting priorities, enhanced success for students and learners and healthier and more active Ontarians, were evident in a cluster of grants to some exceptional projects.

On February 9, OTF announced $2,070,900 in grants to seven charitable and not-for-profit organizations that serve children and youth. In attendance were MPP Laurel Broten, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier, and Caroline Di Cocco, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children and Youth Services. They both applauded the seven grants, which will fund programs to address violence, substance abuse, and to support their mental health and well-being.

The grant recipient organizations are UNICEF Canada, Centre for Children & Families in the Justice System of the London Family Court Clinic, Operation Springboard, Parents for Children's Mental Health, the Students Commission, Voices for Children and Youth Canada Association.

Broten brought congratulations to these organizations from the Premier, “I deeply appreciate your vital contributions to helping the young people of this great province get the best possible start in life and reach their full potential.” Di Cocco added her own praise for OTF for our role in supporting these projects.

The Premier also congratulated OTF on its work. “Through the remarkable work of OTF, charitable and non-profit organizations, Aboriginal communities and local governments have the opportunity to bring about positive change and make a real difference in the lives of countless citizens.”

(l -r): Cathy Vine, Voices for Children, OTF Board member Ken Goldberg and OTF CEO Robin Cardozo.

OTF is delighted to be a partner on projects with these exceptional organizations. For information on how organizations in your regions can apply for grants in their particular areas, please visit our website: www.trilliumfoundation.org.

Between April 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004, OTF approved more than 300 grants, specifically designed to benefit organizations and activities related to children, youth and families, investing over $20 million into Ontario communities.

Over one in three OTF grants benefit children, youth and families. These grants support diverse activities, including increased access to and availability of programming, social supports and services, public awareness, education and training and festivals and events.

The seven Province-Wide grants totalling $2,070,900 support the following initiatives:

Canadian UNICEF Committee (UNICEF Canada)
$25,000 over one year to support the participation of practitioners from Ontario in the United Nations Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against Children through the North American Consultation: Sharing the Best We Have to Give.

Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System of the London Family Court Clinic, Inc.
$589,200 over three years to develop and pilot a tool that will assist schools in successfully implementing violence-prevention programs and creating safe learning environments.

Operation Springboard
$219,600 over two years to develop, pilot test and distribute an interactive multimedia e-learning tool that will help reduce youth involvement in substance abuse and misuse.

(l -r): Dave Farthing, YOUCAN Youth Canada Association, and Peter Jaffe and Claire Crooks of the Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System of the London Family Court Clinic.

Parents for Children's Mental Health
$143,400 over three years to hold Quilt of Honour events and establish parent support groups to raise awareness and provide support for children with mental health problems and their families.

The Students Commission/La Commission des étudiants
$538,400 over three years to engage youth, particularly those who are marginalized or discriminated against, in interactive workshops, training and youth-driven conferences that focus on health, development and well-being.

Voices for Children and Offord Centre for Child Studies c/o Voices for Children
$155,300 over one year to develop a provincial network that will collect and distribute information to communities about the developmental health of children, enabling planning and action to take place at the local level.

YOUCAN PB Pilot Partners c/o YOUCAN Youth Canada Association/ L'Association des jeunes canadiens
$400,000 over three years to pilot the Peacebuilders program in three Ottawa-area high schools. The program uses a peer-to-peer framework to train youth in conflict prevention, conflict management and conflict resolution.