Impacting our community this holiday season, and beyond

With the holidays just around the corner, it’s the time of year when need is felt the most. The people and groups who step up to meet that need and make a difference inspire those around them, and carry the impact of their action forward.

At FCT, we believe that giving back to our community is a responsibility, but also an important source of joy and of hope. That belief inspires our commitment to supporting youth who are going through homelessness, or are at risk, in the communities where we live and work.

“Many people don’t realize the number of youth that are at risk,” said Darren Nath, Director of programs, human resources, at FCT. “Just taking the example of food banks: I believe something like one in 20 Canadians use a food bank, which is staggering. It’s a huge amount.”

According to Food Banks Canada, about one third of food bank users are children, with monthly visits by youth rising from around 400,000 to around 700,000 since 2019. Making an impact on a national scale takes commitment and collaboration. That’s why we proudly support local partners providing direct aid in the communities where FCT has offices across Canada.

Our community partners make an impact that carries forward

Helping youth who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness isn’t as simple as making donations to food banks or getting kids off the street, because that’s often not where you’ll find them. Covenant House Vancouver, FCT’s community partner in Vancouver, B.C., put it this way:

“Lots of youth in this situation are staying with friends, they’re couch surfing, staying with other family members. They are homeless—they don’t have a safe and consistent place to stay—but they’re not the people you see on the street. They could be working at Starbucks or the grocery store.”

Our community partners give more than just food and shelter. They’re meeting the unique needs of each young person they support. They make an impact by providing counseling, mental health and trauma support, even workshops for learning life skills the youth may not have had the opportunity to pick up.

As an organization, we stand proudly behind our community partners. It means a great deal to us that we can make an impact in the places where we live and work.

At FCT, we come together to support our community

“Folks here at FCT do like to give back,” said Darren, “and they’re generous to give their time and donate their resources and give back to the community. It’s really nice to see that, and so anytime folks are looking for opportunities to give, we want to make sure they’re available.”

Initiative: Hockey Helps the Homeless

One important way we support our community partners is by participating in Hockey Helps the Homeless, an annual fundraiser and charity tournament. Teams across FCT compete with each other to raise funds, matched by the company, and split among our local partners.

“FCT has made great progress with our involvement since we first started with the tournament,” said Russell Bettinelli, Manager of strategic initiatives and digital transformation at FCT, who has led the fundraising and hockey team effort here since year one.

FCT's Hockey Helps the Homeless team photo

“Each year, more people have gotten on board with support and fundraising, so that we’ve been able to increase the amount raised again and again.”

The effort has added up to real impact: over $100,000 raised for our partners, and counting. Those funds help our partners make a difference to youth in need that lasts well beyond the initial donation. 360° Kids, FCT’s community partner in Oakville, Ontario, said:

“We’ve learned that our impact lasts a lifetime. It’s not about just giving a service—no kid ever walks through our door and says “I hear you do great counselling,” that’s not why they’re coming. They’re coming because of free food and free recreation, but what they get when they leave is a connection that is lifelong.”

As need grows in our communities, the motivation of FCT’s people to make an impact has grown along with it.

“It feels great to see my colleagues step up, and when I say colleagues, I mean FCT overall,” said Russell. “FCT has always gone over and above, exceeded plans, always tried to push the envelope and make it so that we’re doing the right thing.”

Initiative: the William G. Davis Scholarship

FCT offers the William G. Davis Scholarship each year to a student in need. Named for the late Honourable William G. Davis, a chairman of FCT’s board, former education minister and Premier of Ontario, the award has reflected his passion for education since it started in 2015.

Presented through the Halton Learning Foundation, the scholarship reflects our belief that raising up those in need and investing in their success has the power to break generational cycles of poverty.

“Our partnership with the Halton Learning Foundation is a fantastic opportunity to dig deeper and help youth in this community who may be facing barriers to their success,” said Vandana Paliwal, Vice President of human resources and operational effectiveness at FCT. “They have the desire to pursue post-secondary education, but it may not be an option financially.”

photo of Aaliyah Gordon, the 2022 recipient of the William G. Davis Scholarship

“There was a time where I lived at a women’s shelter with my mom,” Aaliyah Gordon, the 2022 recipient recalled. “It was a struggle, and we could see how the other moms and kids were having a hard time, too. We’d go out and grab groceries, then cook for everyone.”. She saw the scholarship as a chance to carry the impact forward.

“There are so many people who deserve help but don’t get it. That hurts to watch,” said Aaliyah. “Our Black community gets misrepresented in medical fields, and that has real consequences for us. For me, neuropsychology is where science meets social work. It’s how I can help.”

Initiative: Kits for a Cause

Each year FCT employees come together for the Kits for a Cause event, assembling winter kits that we deliver to our community partners for the youth they support.

“FCT has been doing this initiative since 2019,” said Darren. “We reach out to our community partners to determine what their needs are in order to build the kits—what the youth in their area need the most.”

“Last year we prepared winter hygiene kits: toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, things like that,” he continued. “This year, for instance, we’ve had more requests for hats, gloves, scarves and thermoses.”

This year, FCT employees will be assembling around 1,800 kits to support youth at risk in communities across Canada. In addition to toiletries and warm clothing, the kits contain handwritten messages of hope and encouragement from our colleagues. “One great thing about the kit building is that you can see and touch the impact you’re making,” said Darren. “When you add your kit to the mountain of assembled kits, you can step back and see the impact everyone’s made. No matter how small the effort, you know you've made an impact to our community.”

FCT employees assemble winter essentials kits for at-risk youth

“The response from our partners has been overwhelmingly positive,” he continued. “Many of them have told us that the kits help them create a supportive environment, with resources for youth that they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to provide.” Youth Impact Jeunesse, FCT’s community partner in Moncton, New Brunswick, had this to say:

“FCT has made incredibly generous in-kind and financial contributions to Youth Impact Jeunesse. The [Kits for a Cause] packages come during the holiday season and have allowed us to make holiday stockings for the youth we support. These stockings provide a sense of normalcy that these youth typically do not get and this act of kindness is something that often stays with them throughout the entire year.”

Carrying our community impact forward

“It’s important that people feel they don’t have to give just during the holidays,” said Darren. “The need is there all year round.” At FCT, our colleagues feel that need, and can support their communities through the year with their two volunteer days, along with employee and company-driven donation initiatives.

This Thanksgiving, for instance, FCT collected over 1,000 non-perishable food items, donated by our employees to support 360° Kids, providing direct aid to youth and taking some stress off of local food banks. The effect of that donation will be felt long after the food itself—that’s the impact we’re committed to making in our community.

“It’s honestly really inspiring to see how as an organization we put so much effort and emphasis on our community initiatives,” Darren reflected. “Being able to see my colleagues get together and collaborate is wonderful.”