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Happy Pride month from FST!

Posted on June 5, 2019June 5, 2019 by cedit_fst

Family Service Toronto is celebrating the diversity and inclusiveness of the city’s fourth annual Pride month throughout June and salutes the work of its David Kelley Services unit.

FST’s DKS unit is committed to trauma-informed, anti-oppression practices to help empower LGBTQ+ individuals, couples and families, as well as people living with, affected by or concerned about HIV/AIDS. It also works to enhance participation in LGBTQ+ communities and in the broader society.

A highlight of Pride month is the annual Festival weekend (June 21-23) which culminates in the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 23.

Download the Pride Guide for a full list of events and activities.

FST welcomes new directors

Posted on June 3, 2019June 3, 2019 by cedit_fst

FST is pleased to welcome Leila Sarangi as its new Director, Social Action and Andrey Timofeev as Director, Finance effective June 3.

Leila’s professional experience demonstrates a concentrated commitment to advocacy and social action grounded in the community sector.

Leila started her career as a front-line crisis counsellor in the women’s shelter system and in community development initiatives across Toronto. She has since held management roles in several community organizations.

Andrey is a CPA, a CGA and has a solid background in the non-profit sector. Over the last several years, he has held a number of financial management roles at the Canadian Cancer Society (formerly the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation) and the AIDS Committee of Toronto.

FST chooses new leadership

Posted on April 16, 2019April 16, 2019 by cedit_fst

A veteran civic leader of innovative approaches to social and community development across the City of Toronto will lead Family Service Toronto into the next decade.

“We are most pleased to inform you that Chris Brillinger has been chosen to be the next Executive Director of Family Service Toronto,” said Terrie Tucker, chair of FST’s board of directors. “With the support of search consultants at KCI Ketchum, the board conducted a thorough search and made a unanimous decision.”

Chris comes to FST after 31 years of exemplary leadership and dedication to Toronto public service as the city’s Executive Director of Social Development, Finance and Administration (SDFA).

He will take over from Margaret Hancock, who is “rewiring” and moving on to a new chapter after leading FST for 12 years. Margaret’s last day will be July 19 and Chris will start Aug. 6.

“I have always been driven by two key passions: a love of Toronto and a core belief in social justice/equity,” Chris said on his decision to join FST. “I believe these passions align with the core purpose of Family Service Toronto. Joining the FST team provides an opportunity to continue to contribute my skills and energies to both.”

Chris has been instrumental in leading the development and successful implementation of numerous important city building and social development initiatives including but not limited to: Tenants’ First (involving the transformation of Toronto Community Housing), TO Prosperity (City Council’s poverty reduction strategy), Social Procurement, Community Benefits, Seniors Strategy, Newcomer Strategy, Youth Equity Strategy, Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020, For Public Benefit (a framework for working with community-based not-for-profit organizations) and City Council’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism Action Plan.

Chris is eager to return to the For Public Benefit sector to continue his work in social inclusion and social justice. An urban planner by training, he started his career in the non-profit sector working at Neighbourhood Information Post in the city’s east end joining the former Metro Toronto government in 1988 as a community development officer.

Through this work, Chris has shared an important history with FST as he was the grants officer involved in the merger of the Toronto Counselling Centre for Lesbians and Gays and FST that resulted in the David Kelley Services program.

Those who have had the great pleasure of working with Chris on several initiatives over the years know him to be compassionate and committed to excellence in service, innovative solutions, social justice and equity.

We look forward to welcoming him this summer.

Calling all seniors caregivers

Posted on April 11, 2019April 11, 2019 by cedit_fst

Family Service Toronto is offering a series of free monthly workshops to caregivers who provide assistance to a senior (55+).

The workshops are presented in English and other languages (Dari, Farsi, Somali, Spanish, Tamil) and are also offered to the LGBTQ+ community. Workshop topics include home safety, community resources, medication management and crisis prevention.

April workshops focus on Aging 101. Information and registration is available online, or call 416-595-9618.

FST salutes our volunteers

Posted on April 9, 2019April 11, 2019 by cedit_fst

FST is celebrating National Volunteer Week by recognizing and thanking those who give their time and skills to make a difference in their community and share our vision of a city in which individuals, families and communities are resilient and thriving.

This year’s national recognition event runs April 7-13 and celebrates Canada’s 12.7 million volunteers and the significant impact they make on lifting our communities.

“As we recognize the collective efforts of volunteers, we reflect on the multitude of actions taken locally to help people, communities and neighbourhoods become better prepared to respond to the unexpected, and better positioned for a more sustainable future,” Volunteer Canada notes in their media release.

FST’s history of volunteer involvement began in 1914 when we were founded by volunteers who worked to address growing levels of poverty in Toronto. Volunteers continue to play an essential role at FST and are engaged in many aspects of our work.

Check out our Volunteer page to learn more.

FST recognizes Equal Pay Day

Posted on April 9, 2019April 8, 2019 by cedit_fst

Family Service Toronto joins our Campaign 2000 colleagues on April 9 in recognizing Equal Pay Day, which marks the extra three months women in Canada have had to work in 2019 to match the amount of money men made in 2018 alone.

The gender pay gap persists in Canada, meaning that full-time working women earn less than men. And the gap is about more than gender, because it’s worse for women who are racialized, Indigenous, living with a disability, or newcomers to Canada.

Help raise awareness about #EqualPayDay by sharing it with your friends, family and other groups and your social media channels including Facebook.

Campaign 2000, a non-partisan coalition of 120 groups and individuals co-ordinated by FST, is also working with several national partners on a childcare-for-all campaign leading up to the October federal election. Affordable childcare would help close the gender pay gap and campaign partners include Oxfam Canada, Childcare for All coalition and YWCA Canada. Visit Campaign 2000 to learn more about the campaign for a major federal investment in childcare.

United Way exceeds target

Posted on March 11, 2019March 11, 2019 by cedit_fst

Congratulations to United Way Greater Toronto which raised $110.3 million for its 2018 community campaign. It had set a target of $110 million.

“We’ve made huge strides for people in our communities, because our generous donors and caring volunteers, dedicated agencies and committed corporate and labour partners showed their local love,” said United Way CEO Daniele Zanotti in making the announcement Feb. 7.

The 2018 campaign represented the first for the recently-merged United Way Greater Toronto which now includes Peel and York Regions as well as Toronto.

FST played its part in the 2018 campaign by raising more than $22,500.

For more details, see the United Way news release.

Explore Indigenous Peoples Portal

Posted on March 11, 2019March 11, 2019 by cedit_fst

Events and services for Toronto’s Indigenous communities are the focus of a new website launched just in time for the New Year.

The Tkaronto Indigenous Peoples Portal was developed by the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council and provides a reference for programs and services as well as highlighting upcoming events and jobs across the city’s Indigenous communities.

The Council will be fine tuning the site over the winter with the view it will become a welcome online meeting place to learn and share resources and experiences.

Happy International Women’s Day

Posted on March 8, 2019March 8, 2019 by cedit

Family Service Toronto joins the world today (March 8) in celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and supporting a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is an important catalyst and vehicle for driving greater change for women and equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender. This year, everyone can show support through social media by visiting #BalanceforBetter and taking groundbreaking action to build a gender-balanced world.

“Balance is not a women’s issue, it’s a business issue,” notes the IWD website. “The race is on for the gender-balanced boardroom, a gender-balanced government, gender-balanced media coverage, a gender-balance of employees, more gender-balance in wealth, gender-balanced sports coverage …gender balance is essential for economies and communities to thrive.”

In the lead up to International Women’s Day, Oxfam Canada published its annual Feminist Scorecard, tracking government action to deliver on a feminist agenda, both at home and abroad.

The scorecard assesses the steps that the federal government has taken over the last year to make progress on women’s rights and gender equality. The scorecard focuses on eight policy and spending categories that affect the lives of women in Canada, and world-wide. They include: representation, global development, climate change, care work, gender-based violence, tax, jobs and pay equity, and conflict and crisis.

Scores are reflected on a stoplight range (red, yellow and green) where the Liberal government has either made very little, some, or significant progress. Only representation and global development achieved significant development marks this year.

Read Oxfam’s Full Feminist 2019 Scorecard.

FST launches ED search

Posted on December 17, 2018 by cedit_fst

Family Service Toronto has launched an intensive search for its next Executive Director.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is accountable for FST’s overall organizational performance and sustainability.

FST has retained KCI (Ketchum Canada Inc.) to lead this search. Inquiries and nominations should be directed to Tara George via email at [email protected].

Interested candidates should consult the Executive Brief and are asked to reply by Jan. 23, 2019.

Seasonal lesson key for kids

Posted on December 5, 2018December 6, 2018 by cedit_fst

Talking to kids about poverty during the holiday season is very important, says FST’s Anita Khanna who is quoted in a Canadian Living article on families coping with poverty at this time of year.

“Many low-income people are not connected to family or community,” says Khanna, director of Social Action and Community Building at Family Service Toronto and the national coordinator for Campaign 2000. “If they do have social connections, they may isolate themselves because they can’t afford to give gifts or prepare food to share.”

Parents of children who are more fortunate should have tough conversations about poverty with their kids and explain why their peers may have received more or less than they did, the article recommends.

FST marks Day of Remembrance

Posted on December 5, 2018 by cedit_fst

December 6 is known as Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at École Polytechnique de Montréal. They died because they were women.

It is a day to pay tribute to the memory of the murdered women and remind ourselves that we must continue our important work to eliminate violence against women while making our city safer for all residents.

About one third of all women worldwide experience either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organization.

Family Service Toronto has joined 10 community groups this year in releasing an open letter to raise awareness about intimate partner and gender-based violence in Toronto. It calls on everyone to take action if they suspect someone has experienced abuse and provides a link to online resources at Toronto For All.

November and December are important months for raising awareness of gender-based violence in Canada and around the world. Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence began Nov. 25 with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and ends Dec. 10, with International Human Rights Day.