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This is an archive of CharityVillage NewsWeek.
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Please note: While we ensure that all links and e-mail addresses are accurate at their publishing date, the quick-changing nature of the web means that some links to other web sites and e-mail addresses may no longer be accurate.
To view other articles in the archive, use our Chronological Index.
NewsBytes: December, 1999
Articles are arranged in reverse chronological order.
$753 million for homeless from Ottawa
December 20, 1999
Calling for a day when "no Canadian has to go to bed hungry or without a roof over their head," federal minister responsible for homelessness Claudette Bradshaw promised last week that Ottawa will spend $753 million over the next four years to help the country's homeless population. Nearly half of the money ($305 million) will be directed to nonprofits and municipalities for local programs as part of the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative. The feds will also inject $170 million into existing programs, as well as $228 million for renovations to existing low-income housing, $40 million to convert non-residential buildings into shelter, and $10 million to convert surplus federal buildings to housing.Reaction to the announcement was tempered but generally positive. United Way of Greater Toronto President Anne Golden lauded the government for its first step, but cautioned that the cash infusion must be part of a larger plan to address the issue of affordable housing. "With today's announcement, the federal government has responded to the need for a coordinated approach to solving homelessness across the country," said Golden. "This is a creative and flexible plan that addresses many of the major recommendations outlined in the Task Force's Report with the significant exception of new, affordable housing. However, I am heartened by the emerging public consensus on the critical need for affordable housing and am optimistic that we will see funding for new, affordable housing in the February budget or in the federal-provincial infrastructure program now under discussion."
Catherine Boucher, president of the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) called the announcement "a welcome first step," but also called on the government to commit more money to new affordable housing units, noting that "The real solution for homelessness is permanent housing." Ontario NDP Housing Critic Rosario Marchese argued that "a much more comprehensive and well funded approach is needed."
December 20, 1999
According to the annual UNICEF report on the State of the World's Children, no country is doing enough to improve children's lives. The report did, however, note that Canada is leading the fight to make children's issues a priority. This praise was met by contrasting views from many poverty activists across the country. Most critics noted that we have failed to eliminate child poverty, despite a unanimous resolution by parliament in 1989 to do so by the year 2000.The UN report called attention to the number of deaths in children under five in developing countries, rates of HIV and AIDS, rates children not in school and continuing violence and conflicts that have engulfed hundreds of thousands of the world's children. For a full copy of the latest report, visit the UNICEF web site.
December 20, 1999
The federal Copyright Board announced a new 23.3-cent levy on blank audio cassettes last week that could drive costs up for some organizations that use bulk blank tapes. The board also announced new levies on MiniDiscs and recordable compact disks. All new levies come into effect immediately and are expected to generate about $9 million next year to compensate artists for homemade recordings of commercial music. Manufacturers and importers of blank audio recording media will pay the levy to the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) when these media are sold.Under the Copyright Act, nonprofits representing people with perceptual disabilities are exempt from the levy, but other groups, such as religious organizations and school groups, will still have to pay the new tax. The CPCC hopes to reduce the impact on religious and educational groups by introducing a zero-rating scheme and negotiating bulk-buying agreements with media manufacturers. For more information about the zero-rating plan, call the CPCC at (416) 486-6832 or fax: (416) 485-4373. For a full copy of the new tariff decision, visit the Copyright Board web site at: www.cb-cda.gc.ca.
December 20, 1999
A year to the day after a corruption scandal rocked the International Olympic Committee (IOC), organizers announced a series of reforms that they hope will restore the credibility of the 105-year-old organization. Among the 50 reforms to be implemented: a ban on visits to bid-cities by IOC members; renewable eight-year terms for IOC members, lowering the age limit for members from 80 to 70; appointment of 15 active athletes, elected by their peers; and a new 12-year term limit for IOC presidents.
December 20, 1999
Does your organization run a telephone fundraising program in Canada? If so, the organizers of a new benchmarking project want to hear from you. The Joint Venture Calling Centre that services the London Health Sciences Foundation and the St Joseph's Health Centre Foundation of London, Ontario wants to develop a standard or benchmark for Canadian Call Centres and smaller calling programs. Right now, they want to hear from organizations in the health, social services, alumni and arts fields. The first survey will commence shortly and three page survey covers a range of information, including how you determine staffing and your cost per dollar raised. The results will be available to all participants. For more information, contact Dominic Langley at dominic.langley@lhsc.on.ca or call 519 685 8500 x 57464.
December 20, 1999
A new national repatriation research project is underway to support the return and protection of cultural property objects to Canada's aboriginal population. Cultural property objects are those which have sacred, ceremonial, historical, traditional or cultural importance to First Nations groups. The project was initiated by the Uumista Cultural Society, the First Peoples Cultural Foundation and the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres, with financial assistance from the Department of Canadian Heritage, Museums Assistance Program, the Province of British Columbia and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.An experienced consulting team began work in November, 1999 and they expect to wrap up their work in June, 2001. Researchers hope to develop policies to prevent the inappropriate removal of significant materials and objects, and to provide support for their return to First Nations communities. For more information about the project, contact Sonja Tanner-Kaplash at (250) 658-1002 or e-mail: skaplash@uvic.ca.
December 20, 1999
The Manitoba government is drafting new laws that it hopes will reduce abuse of seniors in care facilities. Under Bill 7, the government is proposing fines of up to $2,000 and jail terms of six months for nursing home staff who fail to report incidents of abuse. The new legislation also proposes hefty fines for people who retaliate against whistle blowers, with fines of as much as $25,000.
December 20, 1999
Three major recognition programs coordinated by Sport Newfoundland and Labrador (SNL) were cancelled last week. Since 1971, the umbrella recreation organization has coordinated annual awards for athletes, coaches, executives and teams, as well as volunteer of the year awards and Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame appointments. The sport agency's provincial funding has been cut to $30,000 a year from $89,000 in 1994. Organizers still plan to continue basic programming for coaches, athletes and officials.
December 20, 1999
Orchestra London is the latest arts group to be billed a whopping sum in back taxes by the Ontario government. The Finance Ministry audited the group in November and recently issued a bill for $128,281 to cover unpaid health taxes from 1996 to 1999. The ministry asserts that an employer-employee relationship exists between the organization and its musicians. Previously, the orchestra had avoided paying health payroll taxes to the province by treating musicians as self-employed contractors to the organization. Such self-employed status is common practice among players with various arts groups. Earlier this year, the government levied similarly hefty bills against orchestras in Windsor and Thunder Bay for the same reason.
December 20, 1999
Last week, Status of Women Canada announced a grant of $180,000 to the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters for a new three-year program to help combat violence against women. The Strategies for Change program will help accredit shelters in the province, certify crisis workers, and support the advocacy and policy work of the council.
December 20, 1999
In conjunction with the opening of a new outlet at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto last week, Burger King Restaurants of Canada announced a $2 million donation to the hospital's Help Make Sick Kids Better campaign. The donation will fund a new chair in critical care medicine at the hospital.
December 20, 1999
A new how-to manual from Health Canada's Division of Aging and Seniors looks at the most effective ways for organizations and communities to communicate with seniors. "Communicating with Seniors: Advice, Techniques and Tips" includes information about the effects of the aging process on message reception, and provides advice and techniques to help you reach this segment of our population more effectively. Download a free copy of the publication in Adobe pdf, or WordPerfect format from the Health Canada web site, or order computer diskettes, large print, audio-cassette, or Braille copies by calling 613-952-7606 or via e-mail at seniors@hc-sc.gc.ca.
December 20, 1999
A new pilot project in Newfoundland hopes to bring together both gay and straight people to highlight heterosexism in rural parts of the province. Modeled after a tabloid newspaper, the Heterosexist Enquirer web site hopes to combat the common assumption that everyone is heterosexual by offering an Internet forum where rural people can share their experiences. Funded by the Maritime Centre for Excellence in Women's Health, the pilot project is set to end in April. Tune in to the forum at: www.mun.ca/the.
December 20, 1999
The Rockefeller Foundation, one of the oldest foundations in the United States, announced a new global mission last week that will focus on helping people around the world who have been excluded from the benefits of globalization. Concentrating on the daily lives of poor people, the foundation has identified four thematic lines of work: food security; health equity; creativity and culture; and working communities. The foundation plans to continue forging partnerships with a wide range of government and nonprofit organizations, as well as with the many new foundations that have that have been created in the past few years.According to foundation President Gordon Conway, "The problems faced by the poor and excluded are too big for any single organization...We need global partnerships, alliances and collaboration to affect positive change in the daily lives of poor people throughout the globe. So we're joining forces with governments, industry, other foundations, and non-government organizations to ensure that poor people are included in decisions that affect their lives." For more information about the foundation's new global mission, visit their web site at: www.rockfound.org.
December 13, 1999
Beginning their work more than a year ago, the Youth Granting for Youth (YGY) initiative of the Muttart Foundation and the Saskatoon Foundation has announced the first recipients of its granting program. Under the youth-driven program, charities in the Saskatoon area were eligible for grants of up to $5,000 for programs and services aimed at 12 to 18-year-olds. An eight-member panel, composed of local teens, established criteria, set the review process and weeded through more than 60 grant applications before deciding to fund 18 charities with grants totalling nearly $70,000.The five-year YGY initiative was designed to give young people some influence over issues affecting them. It's expected to distribute $500,000 from the Muttart Foundation to charities in the Saskatoon area, with the Saskatoon Foundation offering administrative support to the young decision-makers. Youth panelists are appointed for one or two year terms and take part in every aspect of the granting program.
December 13, 1999
The federal government has launched its Canadian Health Network (CHN) service, a new web resource that hopes to connect Canadians to timely, credible, and readily accessible health promotion and disease prevention information. In conjunction with more than 400 health organizations across the country, the site offers a searchable collection of links to a wide range of subjects, including active living, alternative health, mental health, workplace health, and others. CHN is still looking for additional partners. For more information, visit the web site at: www.canadian-health-network.ca.
December 13, 1999
Just in time for the annual performances of Handel's Messiah players with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) have ended their long-running strike. The musicians voted to accept a four-year contract that will see their minimum annual salary rise by nearly 30%, making them the most well-paid orchestra in the country. Next on the agenda for the TSO is figuring out how to compensate ticket-holders for the 40 concerts that were cancelled since the strike began in late September.
December 13, 1999
Doctors Without Borders, the medical aid charity that won this year's Nobel Peace Prize will use its million dollar prize to start a Neglected Disease Fund. The fund will help provide essential medicines in Third World countries to treat diseases such as tuberculosis. The prize, announced earlier this fall, was presented to charity representatives in Oslo, Norway last week.
December 13, 1999
Organizers renewed a plan last week to raise $1.2 million for a Children's Safety Village in London. Having raised only $200,000 for the project since 1997, supporters landed two big gifts last week that are likely to spark new momentum for the campaign. Investors Group announced a gift of $100,000 on behalf of its local reps and Diamond Aircraft donated a two-seater airplane, valued at US$100,000, to be raffled off for the cause.Safety Village organizers hope build a miniature village where 15,000 school kids can learn about safety issues each year. The land has been donated, and now it's up to supporters to fund construction of the pint-sized buildings, train crossings and power stations. For information about the project or sponsorship call Ken Abell at (519) 661-5606.
December 13, 1999
To mark International Human Rights Day on December 10, the Ontario Human Rights Commission launched its annual publication, Human Rights Policy in Ontario, a compendium of the commission's human rights policy papers and guidelines. The annual publication was made public shortly after the commission published its Guide to the Human Rights Code and Hiring? A Human Rights Guide, two plain-language publications that bring attention to changes in human rights issues and policies. For copies call: 1-800-387-9080; Toronto: (416) 326-9511; TTY toll-free: 1-800-308-5561; TTY Local: (416) 314-6526; or visit the web site at www.ohrc.on.ca.
December 13, 1999
The University of Calgary received a welcomed gift from the Royal Bank last week -- $1.3 million. The cash donation will fund a new management professorship, better information resources for undergraduate students, and a new annual program to bring together learning scholars to research better methods of instruction. The latest gift is the largest ever given to the school by the bank.
December 13, 1999
The holiday season is proving a popular time for innovative online giving start-ups. The latest program to kick off is Charitygift, an American service to give your friends the gift of giving. Users visit the web site, choose a donation amount, input their billing information and the name of the person in whose name the gift is being made. The user then creates a customized greeting card that is send by e-mail or post. When the recipient receives the card, they visit the web site (or call a special phone number if they don't have web access) and choose the charity where the donation should be made. The site includes a list of all 680,000 nonprofits registered with the IRS, so there is no lack of choice in causes to support. For more information, visit the site at: www.charitygift.com.
December 13, 1999
The federal government cancelled $600,000 in debt owed to Canada by Bangladesh. The cancellation is part of a program announced last march that will see the government cancel all foreign debts owed to Canada by the world's poorest countries. In total, about $50 million in debt will be forgiven by Canada and is part of a larger plan to forgive US$8 billion in debts owed to G8 countries by the poorest nations in the world.
December 13, 1999
Calgary Police Service's Victim Assistance Unit and TELUS Mobility have announced a new partnership to provide cellular telephones with dedicated 9-1-1 access to Calgarians at high risk of domestic violence. Last year, more than half of the city's homicides were directly related to domestic violence. In 1998, the Domestic Conflict Unit was involved in 900 high-risk cases and will have been involved in more than 1,000 high-risk domestic conflict cases by year-end 1999. Under the new partnership, a six-month pilot program, TELUS Mobility will loan programmed phones and include free airtime. The Victim Assistance Unit will distribute information to participants, including guidelines for calling 9-1-1, general phone use and battery care.
December 13, 1999
A local elk hunting ranch owner and a representative from the Canadian Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA) donated 1,000 pounds of packaged elk meat to food banks in Saskatchewan and Regina last week. Valued at $10,000, the donation will make its way into the food hampers and Christmas meals of the Regina Food Bank and Saskatoon Food Bank. COHA is a national hunting, fishing and trapping advocacy alliance.
December 13, 1999
Lit with 5,000 Christmas lights, Canadian Pacific Railway is sending a special train on a nine-day voyage from Montreal to Vancouver, beginning December 15. The Holiday Train will stop for events in 11 cities en route to Vancouver and, at each stop, CPR employees and food bank representatives will encourage donations from local communities. In addition to the donations of food and cash collected during the trip, organizers have collected $100,000, through Canadian Pacific Charitable Foundation, for Canadian Association of Food Banks members. Canadian Tire and its Foundation for Families are donating more than $60,000 in toys, cash, lights, and fireworks, The Bay/Zellers are giving $25,000 and Consolidated Fastfrate is kicking in $10,000 in cash.
December 13, 1999
A B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled last week that two Vancouver Island charities can seek certification for a class-action lawsuit against the provincial government. The Nanaimo Immigrant Settlement Society and the Sooke Marine Rescue Society are launching the suit to reclaim licensing fees and interest that the government has collected from charity bingo events since 1987. Last year, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled that the revenue split between charities and the province was illegal. Representatives of the Nanaimo Community Bingo Association estimate that the government has collected $110 million from various charities since 1987.
December 13, 1999
As of January 1, 2000 In Kind Canada (IKC) is being re-designated as a Public Foundation by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. The five-year-old organization matches the material surpluses of business to the needs of charities. According the IKC Executive Director John Page, "This will have no impact on our program or daily operation but clearly establishes In Kind's position within the voluntary sector, alongside community foundations and United Way agencies across Canada."
December 13, 1999
Calgary Transit is giving 30,000 transit tickets to local homeless shelters to help residents make their way to job interviews, medical appointments, and other essential meetings. Following a trial program last year, the transit company plans to continue the free ticket service as a regular budget item.
December 13, 1999
Thirteen community groups in Waterloo, Ontario will be operating rent-free for at least the next two years, thanks to the new Clarica Community Resource Centre. Announced last spring, the company planned to lease at least eight of 10 houses it owns in the city's Park Street and Mount Hope area rent-free to local charities. From 33 initial applications, the following organizations will soon be moving their operations to the new houses: Big Sisters, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Family and Children's Services of Waterloo Region, Grand River Hospital Family Hostel, Head Injury Association Waterloo Wellington, Hospice of Waterloo Region Training and Program Centre, K-W Parents Without Partners Chapter, Notre Dame of St. Agatha, Nutrition For Learning, Send 'em off Smiling, Victorian Order of Nurses Waterloo-Wellington-Dufferin, YWCA Youth Employment Skills (YES) program, and World-Wide Opportunities for Women.
December 13, 1999
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency and the ministere du Revenu du Quebec are looking for people who want to volunteer their time to the Volunteer Income Tax Program in the Montreal area. The program offers help to people with low incomes, seniors, students, and recent arrivals to Canada, who do not know how to complete their income tax returns and who cannot afford to pay a professional to do it for them. To lend a hand, call Montreal Island (514) 496-1274; Monteregie (450) 928-5956 ; Laval, Lanaudiere, Laurentides and West Island (514) 956-7062 or toll free 1 800 318-7220.
December 6, 1999
Charities might soon be required by law to receive donor consent before sharing fundraising lists. The federal government recently gave approval in principle to Bill C-6, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. Among the activities covered in the legislation is "the selling, bartering or leasing of donor, membership or other fundraising lists," making all charities that rent or trade donors contact information subject to the legislation.Among the principles set out in the proposed model principles for the protection of personal information:
- Designating an individual who is accountable for the organization's privacy policies.
- Ensuring that information transferred to a third party for processing, such as a mailing house or outside consultant, maintains a comparable level of protection.
- Implementing procedures to protect personal information and developing information to explain the organization's policies and procedures, both to staff and the public.
- Identifying the purposes for which personal information is collected and collecting only that information necessary for the purposes that have been previously identified.
- Ensuring that individuals have timely access to the information that is collected about them and that they have an opportunity to challenge the accuracy of the information.
- According to the legislation, "the knowledge and consent of the individual are required for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information." Importantly for charities, the bill recognizes that "seeking consent may be impractical for a charity or a direct-marketing firm that wishes to acquire a mailing list from another organization." However, the requirement for consent is not dismissed entirely. The bill concludes that "[i]n such cases, the organization providing the list would be expected to obtain consent before disclosing personal information."
- Given that consent is necessary on some level, the bill provides that "a checkoff box may be used to allow individuals to request that their names and addresses not be given to other organizations. Individuals who do not check the box are assumed to consent to the transfer of this information to third parties." Consent may also be given over the telephone or in a written application form.
The Senate Committee on Social Affairs begins is consideration of the bill on December 6. For a full copy of the bill, visit the House of Commons web site.
December 6, 1999
Timed to coincide with International Volunteer Day on December 5, Volunteer Canada has published its Religion, Volunteering, and Charitable Giving Report. The report explores data gathered from the 1997 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating (NSGVP) as well as information from follow-up interviews with representatives of Canada's faith communities. Though representing only 14% of the population over the age of 15, religiously active volunteers make up 43% of volunteers in Canada and account for 50% of all hours volunteered. As well, the 32% of Canadians who are religiously active contribute 65% of direct charitable donations across the country. These statistics prompted Volunteer Canada to take a closer look at the resources that religious organizations bring to the country's charitable community.In addition to highlighting the community role that church leaders often play, the new report contradicts common assumptions that most religiously active people volunteer only for their religious organizations and finds that nearly 80% volunteer outside of their religious realm in a wide range of activities. It also notes that places of worship offer "a vast physical plant of sanctuaries, halls, kitchens, and meeting rooms that faith communities...make available to voluntary and service organizations in every community and region in Canada."
The report promotes the need for more communication between local clergy and community groups, as well as better coordination of volunteer-driven services among religious groups. It also calls attention to the persistent decline in weekly faith service attendance and cautions that the trend away from church-going may affect volunteer rates in many nonprofit organizations.
Find an executive summary of the report on the Volunteer Canada web site.
December 6, 1999
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is launching a new prize to recognize and document outstanding examples of how the Internet is being used to make a real difference. The $7500 US prize is open to non-profit organizations, community-based groups, coalitions, working groups or social movements anywhere in the world that have successfully used information and communication technologies as an essential ingredient in their development work.The prize is named in honour of Herbet de Souza (Betinho), a Brazilian social activist who founded the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analysis (IBASE) and died in 1997. The deadline for nominations is January 31, 2000. Nominations are not limited to web sites, but may also include e-mail, mailing lists or databases. For more information, visit the web site at: www.apc.org/english/betinho/.
December 6, 1999
Writing in the latest issue of the American Journal of Public Health, Canadian researcher Jennifer O'Loughlin concludes that poor people are "more concerned with...day-to-day social and economic living challenges than they [are] about the possibility of developing a chronic disease in the distant future." As a result of these immediate challenges, prevention-oriented public health campaigns are often ineffective in poorer regions. In studying a low-income neighbourhood in Montreal over a five-year period, O'Loughlin and fellow researchers found that participation rates for a Healthy Heart program came in at only two percent and concluded that "benefits [of the program] at the community level were minimal." Researchers also noted that the prevention program may have suffered because of high rates of illiteracy in the area and overtaxed community groups that could not deliver program elements over time.
December 6, 1999
Youth shelter and training provider Covenant House is the latest organization to offer an affinity credit card program to its supporters. Hooked up with the Royal Bank line of Visa cards, a portion of each credit card purchase will go to Covenant House programs. In announcing the card launch, organizers also offered highlights from on a new study on affinity card programs. The Royal Bank study -- conducted by Thompson Lightstone -- found that affinity cards are very or somewhat appealing to 18-to-29-year-old consumers (40 per cent), students (39 per cent) and professionals or executives (31 per cent). More than 20% per cent of Canadians surveyed said that they are very or somewhat likely to consider carrying affinity cards, with 60 per cent in that group indicating the affinity card would become their main card.
December 6, 1999
To recognize the dedication of volunteer firefighters and rescue searchers, the Nova Scotia government is waiving the $114 fee for their two-year vehicle permits and introducing new licence plates to identify them as emergency workers. The province will forgo about $600,000 in fees each year from the 10,000 volunteers who make up search-and-rescue and volunteer firefighting teams across the province. Volunteers who have been active for more than a year will be eligible for the new plates when their current permits expire.
December 6, 1999
If you're a runner looking for a unique way to ring in the new year, you might want to join Toronto's Millennium Relay. Organizers need 2,000 runners of all ages and abilities to run one mile each in a continuous day-and-night relay at York University's indoor track. Running from December 17 to New Year's Eve, the event is being coordinated by Athletics Canada, the Ontario Track and Field Association and local clubs to raise money for Canadian amateur athletes and their coaches. The $100 entry fee is a charitable donation, but you'll need to book your spot by December 15. For more information, contact Harvey Mitro at (416) 321-0510 or e-mail: hmitro@interlog.com.
December 6, 1999
The Children's Aid Foundation of Greater Toronto, toronto.com and the Hudson's Bay Company have joined together to help disadvantaged kids during the 1999 holiday season. Until December 20, online shoppers can buy one of a dozen gifts with price tags all under $20. Once you've ordered and paid for the gift online, toronto.com will purchase it from the Bay on your behalf, and the Children's Aid Foundation will distribute the toys to local children. For more information, visit the Help Make a Child Happy for the Holidays web site at: www.children.toronto.com.
December 6, 1999
Nortel Networks need more high tech workers, so it's contributing $20 million to six Ontario universities and two Ontario colleges to create approximately 7,000 scholarships over 10 years for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in high tech programs. Scholarships valued from $500 to $5,000 will be created at Carleton University, University of Ottawa, McMaster University, University of Waterloo, University of Western Ontario, Queen's University, Sir Sandford Fleming and Humber College.
December 6, 1999
A fossil-filled part in the Gaspé Peninsula has been named Canada's 13th World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The park of Miguasha, located in the Baie-des-Chaleurs region, west of Carleton, has been attracting palaeontologists for over one hundred years and contains a living environment that dates back 370 million years.
December 6, 1999
Computer science classrooms and labs at Toronto's York University will soon be outfitted with the latest technology, thanks to a $3 million in-kind gift from IBM Canada. The donation will be matched by the provincial government's Access to Opportunities Program (ATOP) and is a centrepiece of the university's plans to double by 2001 the number of computer science students, and to introduce new undergraduate programs in information technology for liberal arts, humanities and social science students.
December 6, 1999
Hospital fundraisers in the London, Ontario region are already half way to their goal of raising $150 million by 2004 for facilities restructuring and equipment upgrades. So far, the coordinated efforts of local hospitals have brought in $75 million, mostly from foundations, corporations, and wealthy individuals. Next up on the prospect list for most groups are hospital staff, followed by a broad-based community campaign, expected to come into full swing late next year.
December 6, 1999
The Princeton & District Museum received a $30,300 grant from the New Ontario Trillium Foundation to produce a 30 minute broadcast quality docudrama about the sensational 1890 Reginald Birchall trial, conviction and hanging for the murder of Frederick Benwell. The crime made headlines around the world and attracted hundreds of spectators to Woodstock Town Hall where the trial was held. The docudrama premieres in February 2000 at the new Audio-Visual Gallery in the Princeton Museum (located 25 Main St. S. Princeton, ON N0J 1V0). If you have information, artifacts or personal stories about this intriguing part of Oxford County's past, please phone the museum at 519 458 8392 or email princetonmuseum@ocl.net.
December 6, 1999
Late last month, about 200 people in the small Queensland town of Weipa, Australia, stripped to their running shoes in the middle of the night and ran naked through the town, in one of the region's most interesting fundraisers. They were running to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, a nonprofit that delivers medical help to people in the Australian Outback. In the eight years that the run has been held, supporters have raised about $12,600, taking in $1,900 in this year's "running of the bulls."
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