Keele Site:

1652 Keele Street

Toronto, ON M6M 3W3

Tel: 416-652-2273

Fax: 416-652-8992

Email: info-keele@communityarc.ca

Davenport Site:

1884 Davenport Road, Unit #1

Toronto, ON M6N 4Y2

Tel: 416-654-0299

Fax: 416-654-0522

Email: info-davenport@communityarc.ca

Community Community

Action Action

Resource Resource

CentreCentre

2005-2006

Annual Report

Staff:

Saida Ali

Michaella Ciero

Carola Cuadra

Ann-Marie Graham

Wendy Hidalgo

Carmen Leandro

Agnes Oriade

Cristel Polanco

Bertha President

Marion Newrick

Silvia Saavedra

Juliana Sankar

Cecilia Sarmiento

Sebastian Tejeda

Contracted Services:

Pia Di Giovanni, Think ABC

– Bookkeeping

Peter Jellard

- Technical Support

Board of Directors:

CHAIRPERSON: Dulce Gaspar BOARD MEMBERS: Silvina Hollingsworth

VICE-CHAIR: Luanne Rayvals * / Lisette Burchard

Diane Walter Lucia Rocha

SECRETARY: Nisha Nagaratnam Carmen Martino

TREASURER: Peter Mutchler / Anne Marie Graham

Amina Sharif Hassan

*Resigned during the year

A special thank you to all our volunteers A special thank you to all our volunteers A special thank you to all our volunteers A special thank you to all our volunteers ---- Board, program , Board, program , Board, program , Board, program , admin and fundraising admin and fundraising admin and fundraising admin and fundraising ---- we couldn’t do it without you !! we couldn’t do it without you !! we couldn’t do it without you !! we couldn’t do it without you !!

Our Team

Pge 2 Community Action Resource Centre 2005-06 Annual Report

This year we’re saying goodbye

to two long-time Board Mem-

bers: Peter Mutchler and

Luanne Rayvals. Both Peter and

Luanne came from our prede-

cessor organizations and saw us

through the complex merger

process. We extend our utmost

appreciation for your enormous

contributions, and wish you well

in all your future endeavours.

Volunteers:

Faduma Abduruhman

Sado Ali Adam

Faduma Ali (Nakruuma)

Jeinmy Alvarez

Zaida Alvarez

Sadia Aman

Kadija Cabdullahi Amay

Martha Aponte

Aide Arzeta

Rosalba Arzeta

Lydia Asfaw

Julius Ashton

Magdalene Ashton

Arcadia Avila

Afuwa Barkade

Sadia Beydan

Sadie Butler

Joaquin Chamale

Evelyn Cruz

Adolfo Diaz

Kadra Farah

Seynab Farah

Odelis Fernandez

Gaby Frias

Alicia Galindo

Peter Ghikour

Paul Ghikour

Maynuna Guled

Rahima Hassan

Oscar Hernandez

Lenny Hodge

Berris Hunter

Sado Ibrahim

Nasrin Iqbali

Mr Johnson

Marge Jones

Cristina Jovel

Rumeya Juru

Rosa Lamanna

Haydee Leiva

Anaclara Leon

Hezel Lopez

Farhia Mahmud

Cristina Marin

Jose Martinez

Maryan Matan

Adolfo Mendez

Jose Mendoza

Sofia Moge

Dehab Mohamed

Faduma Mohamed

Nafisa Mohamed

Leyla Mohamud

Fardus Mohmud

Maria Olmedo

Taiye Peters

Nilda Pinto

Cristel Polanco

Juana Portillo

Angie Preece

Charlie Murdoch

Norma Najera

Tuan Nguyent

Jeannette Rojas

Ayleen Rivero

Gabriela Ramirez

Silvia Saavedra

Saida Sabrie

Bev Snow

Lori Snow

Rodolfo Sazo

Nestor Solis

Sebastian Tejeda

Roslyn Thompson

Antonio Torres

Rafaela Vasquez

Ana Vega

Grace Walsh

Helen Yen

2005-06 Annual Report Community Action Resource Centre Page 3

Chairperson’s Report

During this past year we have undergone significant challenges and changes, including completing all

aspects of our merger process. We are now operating fully as one agency.

To enable us to continue to focus on our priorities, we were able to secure organizational development

project funds from The Ontario Trillium Foundation and from the City of Toronto, Homeless Initiatives Fund.

The goals of this project include increasing opportunities for training for current and new volunteers, de-

veloping new communication materials that include a first website for the new agency, and continuing

to increase the capacities of our Board Members.

In 2005 both our sites moved to new locations. The Davenport office relocated to new premises in the

same neighbourhood on Davenport Road. The York office moved a short distance onto Keele Street, co-

locating with 6 other non-profit agencies, as a result of the old building being demolished to make way

for a new parking lot at the York Civic Centre. The process of relocating both offices was both time con-

suming and exhausting. Thank you to everyone who worked to make this move a success, especially

Marion Newrick and Cecilia Sarmiento for coordinating this huge endeavour. I am pleased to report that

everything is now settled for both staff and clients.

On behalf of the Board of Directors I would like to thank our staff and volunteers for their hard work and

dedication to the organization and the community. Thankyou to our funders and our many partners, with-

out whom we could not undertake the work we do. I particularly want to thank our Board members for

their commitment. This year has been especially challenging for several of our members and yet they

continued to share their time and knowledge A special acknowledgement goes to two long standing

Board members who are stepping down this year, Peter Mutchler and Luanne Rayvals. It was a pleasure

to work with you and you will be missed! Welcome to our new Board members who are joining us this

year, we all look forward to working with you.

Dulce Gaspar

Chairperson, Board of Directors

On March 10, 2006, two of our long-time Board Members, Silvina Hollingsworth and Peter Mutchler, received a Newcomer Settlement

Volunteer Award in recognition of their many years’ of voluntary service, at the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration’s “ Cele-

brating Volunteeerism in Diverse Communities” event.

PHOTO: Silvina Hollingsworth, far right, standing with

Minister Mike Colle and Olga Gill, who, due to Peter

Mutchler’s illness, accepted the award on his behalf

Program Activity

Page 4 Community Action Resource Centre 2005-06 Annual Report

Client Services

▪ Information and referral by

telephone or drop-in

▪ Form filling, letter-writing, advo-

cacy, follow-up, worker liaison

▪ Informal supportive counselling

▪ Crisis counselling

▪ Settlement services & support

▪ Interpretation and translation

▪ Voice Mail, mail and messages

▪ Commissioner of Oaths

Community/Group Programs

▪ Community Dining

▪ Child Care Registry

▪ English conversation group “The English Club”

▪ Children’s Drop-in Recreation

Program

▪ Community Access Program (CAP) -

internet access

▪ Housing Connections - Access Cen-

tre for subsidized housing

▪ Group workshops

Seasonal / Donations

▪ Christmas Hampers /

Vouchers

▪ New and used clothing

bank

▪ Donated bakery products

▪ Income Tax Clinics

Community Dining Program

The Community Dining Program is a

partnership program which began in

December 1996 to address food access

in the community. It provides hot

nutritious meals three times a week as

well as providing information and

referral about other programs and

services in the community. The

average attendance per meal is 90

and includes individuals and families

from different ethnic cultures,

backgrounds and economic

circumstances.

In addition to the provision of hot

meals, the program provides the

opportunity and support for people to

find meaningful ways to be involved in

their community as volunteers - the

program has an active volunteer base

of more than 33 people. The program

also provides activities, forums and

workshops to the participants on issues

that impact directly on their lives, such

as:

• Techniques for Healthy Eating

• Health Education “Why should you quit

smoking?”

• ODSP/OW Changes and Assets

• Good Food Box Program

• How to Budget your money

• Food Preparation

• How to Prevent a Fire-Safety Tips

• Preventing an Eviction – A learning

Experience

• Have a Healthy Heart!

• Let’s Celebrate Christmas /Christmas

Caroling

• Valentine’s Day

• St. Patrick’s Day

• Black History Month

PHOTOS: Good food and good company at the Community Dining Program

2005-06 Annual Report Community Action Resource Centre Page 5

Settlement Services Partnership: Delegation from The Netherlands

For several years we have delivered Settlement Services in partnership with SIWA-Somali Immigrant Women Association

and Eritrean Canadian Community Centre. In early June, at the invitation of the funder, the Ontario Ministry of Citizen-

ship & Immigration, we were pleased to host a visiting delegation from The Netherlands. The delegation was com-

prised of Minister Rita Verdonk, Minister of Immigration and Integration of The Netherlands, accompanied by Robert

Visser, Director General, International Affairs and Immigration, Jan Hessling, Consul General in Toronto, as well as staff

from their embassy in Ottawa, various policy officers, project managers and Netherlands press. Minister Verdonk was

visiting various places in Toronto to gain first hand knowledge of Ontario’s experience in integrating newcomers - as

well as our building, the delegation visited a high school with a large Somali population, toured various neighbour-

hoods in Toronto, and attended a citizenship ceremony, as well as meeting with Minister Mike Colle. The delegation

were welcomed to our building by Somali women performing traditional Somali cultural dancing and singing, followed

by a tour of the building and a roundtable luncheon during which we discussed our experiences with the integration of

newcomers to Ontario. Special thanks to Yasmin Khan from the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto for

acting as MC for the day, at very short notice.

Youth Enrichment Project

In 2006 we received funds from the National Crime Pre-

vention Strategy for a Youth Enrichment Project which

brought programming to low-income children in the Mar-

tha Eaton Way and Keele-Eglinton area. The children

experienced visiting speakers, trips in and around the

community to places of interest and fun, learned new

skills, participated in public performances and attended

a regular drop-in program.

PHOTOS: Minister Rita Verdonk, Minister of Immigration and Integration of The Netherlands (far right), enjoys the performances of Somali

cultural dancers.

PHOTO: Cleaning up their environment on Earth Day—but the

worms were way more interesting than the garbage !

Community Development

“Empowerment Through Education” - one of the pro-

jects for which we acted as trustee and mentor was

SPLC-Somali Parents’ Liaison Coalition. With funds from

the National Crime Prevention Strategy and extensive

support from Toronto District School Board, staff Saida

Sabrie, Leila Abdi, and Saida Beyle provided a series of

forums, workshops, groups and personal support to So-

mali parents and youth to improve their experiences

and outcomes within the education system. We imple-

mented an Advisory Committee, with representation

from TDSB, Toronto Children’s Aid Society, Toronto Po-

lice, and Community Social Planning Council and oth-

ers, that met regularly with staff to oversee the project. PHOTO: Forum at Kipling Collegiate with speakers from TDSB,

Toronto Police, and Justice for Children & Youth

Page 6 Community Action Resource Centre 2005-06 Annual Report

PHOTO: Mayor David Miller speaking at the 1652 Keele Street

Open House in April.

Also in the picture L-R are the Hon. Joe Cordiano, Minister of

Economic Trade & Development, the Hon. Mike Colle, Minister of

Immigration & Citizenship, Yasmin Khan, Community Social

Planning Council of Toronto, Councillor Frances Nuniziata.

Also in attendance were Councillor Frank DiGIorigio and Trustee

Elizabeth Hill, MPP Allison Weiss representing MP Alan Tonks, and

over 200 members of the community.

Cross Cultural Women & Girls’ Space

In 2003, a report by Toronto Women’s Network “If Low In-

come Women of Colour Counted in Toronto”, written by

Punam Khosla, contained a series of recommendations to

address issues that would improve the lives of low income

women of colour in Toronto. One of these is to implement

a network of women’s houses in low income neighbour-

hoods in Toronto. With project funds from the City of To-

ronto’s Breaking The Cycle of Violence stream (now called

Community Safety Investment Program), we worked within

a partnership of Toronto Women’s Network, Community

Social Planning Council, For Youth Initiative, other agen-

cies and many women and girls from the community to

develop a vision for a pilot space within the former City of

York. The City has recently approved 3-year funding to

enable the partnership to continue to support the women

and girls in the development of their space.

A Vision for 1652 Keele Street

In Spring 2006, the 7 agencies located in 1652 Keele Street

worked with Professor Adrian Blackwell, University of To-

ronto Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Design, and

his class of students, to envision a future for improved and

expanded use of our building. The students lead us in a

design charette incorporating both the inside and outside

of the property, and returned with our ideas and dreams

documented, along with architectural drawings and a

scale model of the building. These tools will be extremely

valuable in helping our group of agencies secure funding

to make our dreams a reality.

PHOTO: Envisioning a cross cultural women & girls’ space

PHOTO: Working with Professor and students of U of T’s Faculty of

Architecture & Design on a vision for 1652 Keele Street

Child Care Registry

The Child Care Registry assists parents to locate suitable

care for their children. The program also included infor-

mation, referral, support and resources for care providers

and seekers, including a monthly newsletter “Kids ‘N

Care”. The Registry provided referrals to other forms of

child care including licensed daycare centres and li-

censed home day care options.

Satellite to Ontario Early Years - Davenport Riding

We operate a satellite Ontario Early Years program, de-

signed to serve children 0-6 years of age and their families.

We provide information, referral, orientation, guidance

and translation regarding programs and services offered

by Ontario Early Years Centre (OEYC) Davenport, as well

as providing workshops to the lead agency and satellites

in the Davenport area.

COMMUNITY ACTION RESOURCE CENTRE IN TORONTO

Statement of Operations and Net Assets For the Year Ended December 31, 2005

REVENUE

Government funding

Fundraising, net, and donations

Bingo and Nevada

Other

Davenport Ontario Early Years Centre funding

United Way of Greater Toronto

The Ontario Trillium Foundation grant

User Fees

Membership and other

EXPENSES

Salaries and benefits

Industry Canada (CAP) flow through grants

Office and general

Program supplies

Voice Link

Bookkeeping

Staff and volunteer development

Professional fees

Rent and utilities

Subcontracting

Travel

Other

EXCESS OF EXPENSES OVER REVENUE FOR THE YEAR

Net assets, beginning of the year

NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR

2005

$ 269,874

24,532

9,652

21,231

12,187

14,515

9,780

5,066

366,837

287,951

24,366

22,248

18,353

13,937

5,170

4,446

4,282

2,471

1,867

1,307

2,842

389,240

(22,403)

28,984

$ 6,581

2004

$ 215,725

32,141

10,942

19,567

10,000

12,260

3,393

304,028

234,832

19,840

16,072

11,420

8,785

2,806

3,783

5,127

4,556

4,113

1,545

622

313,501

(9,473)

38,457

$ 28,984

2005-06 Annual Report Community Action Resource Centre Page 7

A full copy of the audited financial statements prepared by Cowperthwaite Mehta are available from CARC’s office.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of all our funders, donors and partners. We look forward to working with you in the year ahead to serve our communities.

Funders, Donors and Partners

Funders

▪ City of Toronto

▪ Ontario Early Years Centre fund-ing—Davenport Riding

▪ Human Resources Skills Develop-ment Canada (HRSDC)

▪ Industry Canada

▪ Ontario Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration - Newcomer Settlement Program

▪ Ontario Ministry of Culture

▪ Ontario Trillium Foundation

▪ United Way of Greater Toronto

▪ Government of Canada's National Crime Prevention Strategy

Donors

▪ Ace Bakery

▪ Anonymous Donor, providing free and low-cost tickets to arts performances for low-income residents of the for-mer City of York

▪ The Bargains Group - Project Water

▪ Chum Charitable Foundation

▪ Mazon Canada

▪ Toronto Community Housing

▪ Windfall Clothing

Partners /Program Support

▪ Community Social Planning Council of Toronto and 1652 Keele Street Tenants’ Group

▪ Davenport Perth Neighbour-hood & Health Centre

▪ Davenport Perth Community Ministry

▪ Eritrean Canadian Community Centre

▪ Housing Connections

▪ Institute of Chartered Account-ants of Ontario (ICAO)

▪ SIWA - Somali Immigrant Women Association

▪ SPLC - Somali Parents’ Liaison Coalition

▪ The Stop Community Food Centre

▪ Toronto Women’s Network

▪ Toronto Public Health

▪ York Community Services

Mission Statement: Mission Statement:

“ Our organization works to build the capacity of our communities by

mobilizing resources and providing supportive social services, for the

empowerment of individuals and groups. We focus on serving the

most vulnerable and disadvantaged. “

Memberships

▪ Community Social Planning Council of Toronto

▪ Federation of Community Information Centres in the GTA

▪ Hispanic Development Council

▪ OCASI - Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants

▪ TNC - Toronto Neighbourhood Centres

Community ARCCommunity ARC COMMUNITY ACTION RESOURCE CENTRE IN TORONTO

CHARITABLE REGISTRATION NO: 11897 6117 RR0001