Ever Wonder What Your Executive is Doing with your Funds?
Recipients of Funding from RTO District 28 in 2020

Each year funds are made available for local projects involving RTOERO members for education related and/or other community projects thereby providing a means by which RTOERO members can participate in education, social and/or community projects and raise the profile of RTOERO and its members. To date, Durham 28 Executives have responded to requests by providing funding on behalf of our membership to the following groups and organizations:

1). Feed the Need - $2,000. This organization is a food hub located in Oshawa that distributes to 47 organizations throughout all of the Durham Region, including food banks, shelters, and soup kitchens. This also includes the Salvation Army.
2). Gate 3:16 - $500. Presently operates as a food bank in the Oshawa area but during normal times, provides a variety of services, such as counseling, etc.
3). Women’s Children Family Advisory Council of Lakeridge Health Oshawa - $500. The mandate of this group is to act as a liaison between hospital and community to enhance, support and promote high-quality, family-centered healthcare for women, children, and their families.
4). Christian Horizons, Durham Community - $500. This organization focuses on providing services to seniors, as well as adults with disabilities.
5). Couture Alternations: $500. The owner of this business is making masks and other protective gear to donate to various facilities across the Durham Region.
6). Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy: $500. Funds are to help pay for maintenance of animals at the Zoo during the closure and lack of income due to the COVID-19 crisis.
7). Oshawa-Whitby Kiwanis Music Festival: $500. This year’s festival will be a virtual one, however, funds will be used to support administrative, adjudicator, and scholarship expenses.
8) Borelians Theatre Group: $500. This award-winning theatre group was founded in Port Perry by a group of teachers in 1971 and continues to be supported by RTO members.

Additional donations were made to Ontario Tech University, to the Traynor family and to the Canadian Red Cross. Formal requests were not made to RTO District 28 by these recipients, but the executive voted to donate to these worthy causes on behalf of RTO District 28.

Acknowledgements from Recipients

From Gate 3:16 Outreach Centre
Good morning,
This email is to confirm that we have received your cheque in the amount of $500.00 yesterday - May 5th
We thank you most sincerely for your generosity and consideration of our centre and our further work in helping / supporting our homeless and less fortunate.

Rita Trolley - Centre Manager
Alan Perron - Administrator
Gate 3:16 Outreach Centre

(2) From Feed the Need

Hello,
Thank you so much for your very kind and generous donation received today, in support of our emergency food distribution operation in Durham Region.
We are so very grateful for the support and could not do what we do without you, our community supporters.
Would you like us to do a big cheque photo in our warehouse with a volunteer and a shout out on social media?

Stay safe and keep well

With gratitude,

Robyn

(3) From Kiwanis Music Festival

Hello Marvin. In receipt of the sponsorship cheque for $500.
Thank you so very much for the sponsorship. Not sure if Jim has told you as he has been away, we held a virtual music festival which was so well received!
Looking forward to our 50th year in 2021 and hopefully we can host a LIVE festival!

Tina-Marie Schaaf
Festival Coordinator
Oshawa-Whitby Kiwanis Music Festival

(4) From Lakeridge Health

We recently launched the Durham Region Fights COVID-19 website to help your local Hospitals through the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, many of you have donated to help your brave front line heroes. I truly want to say thank you to all of you who have given as #DurhamFightsCOVID19.
Below I am sharing with you a virtual care package compassionately crafted by our Foundation team. You will find activities for your children, heart-warming good news stories from our community, and Hospital updates from Lakeridge Health.
Thank you again, to each and every one of you for your kindness as we get through this together. Stay well and stay safe!

Sincerely,
Yves Gadler
CEO, Lakeridge Health Foundation

(5) Couture Alterations

May 22,2020
Dear RTO District 28 members,

I would like to begin to thank you once again for your previous generous donation. To that end, I have been able to sew and donate masks, gowns, and caps to the following facilities.

Pine Crest Nursing Home Participation House-Markham
CMHA Centenary Hospital
YWCA Oshawa Michael Garron Hospital
Bethesda House North York General
Hillsdale Nursing Home Sick Kids Hospital
Lakeridge Health- Port Perry-Ajax-Oshawa
Orchard Villa Nursing Home Altamont Nursing Home

Now as I continue to produce PPE, I have been making masks for deaf, hard of hearing institutions by making them with a clear film around the mouth to support lip readers. Those masks have been donated to the Helen Keller Centre in Willowdale. Also, a facility in New Brunswick made a request which I have filled.
It is important to me to let you know how your generous donation has been used to help at this time of need.
A couple of weeks ago, I am proud to say, I was featured on Global News. Global came to my business and did a live interview with myself and my two young daughters who are reaching out to help their mom. Today, I was interviewed live on CBC National TV to explain my endeavours. It is supposed to be aired on Monday, May 25 on CBC National news.
I would like to continue producing PPE and I am receiving many requests subsequent to my interviews. Many of the aforementioned agencies are calling on more support. They cannot seem to get enough supplies.

Thank you again for your support. I want to keep you updated.

Sincerely,
Meredith Brookings of Couture Alterations-Whitby