Summer Enrichment Program
We are deeply grateful to United Way Golden Horseshoe (formerly Brant United Way) and the Brant Community Foundation for their continued partnership in supporting the Summer Enrichment Program.
Through their generous support, more than 350 children and youth connected to Child and Family Services of Grant Erie are able to access summer experiences such as camp, extracurricular activities, cultural enrichment, and skills development. These opportunities play a vital role in building confidence, connection, and a sense of belonging. For many families navigating financial barriers, access to these experiences would otherwise be out of reach.
These generous partnerships help ensure that more children and youth across Grand Erie can participate in the kinds of experiences that support healthy development and joyful childhoods. We are incredibly grateful for their commitment to meeting the growing need in our community.
Season of Sharing Gift Cards
Alford Family Financial Co., together with their business network, family, and friends, has supported the holiday needs of children and youth involved in child welfare for 20 consecutive years through what is now known as The Alford Family Holiday Drive.
As the needs of children and families have continually grown and changed, so too has the way the community gives. Originally focused on a traditional holiday toy drive, they expanded their commitment to include cash donations that allow for the purchase of gift cards. While toys continue to play an important role for younger children, this approach ensures that youth over the age of 12 are supported in ways that reflect their individual needs, interests, and identities. Through this approach, more than 150 children supported through the Season of Sharing program receive gift cards each holiday season, empowering them with dignity, choice, and flexibility.
This longstanding partnership reflects a deep and ongoing commitment to ensuring that children and youth across Grand Erie feel recognized, valued, and supported. We are sincerely grateful for the care and consistency behind this initiative, and for the role it plays in helping young people experience the warmth of their community during the holiday season.
Compassion Kits
We are grateful to the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, through the Ted and Loretta Rogers Foster Care Comfort Kit Program, for their partnership in supporting children and youth entering care.
At CFSGE, this initiative is known as the Compassion Kit Program. These kits provide high-quality backpacks filled with age-appropriate items and essentials for children and youth as they navigate one of the most difficult transitions of their lives. This support helps ensure that young people entering care are met with comfort, dignity, and a sense of being considered in a moment that can feel overwhelming and uncertain.
We are deeply appreciative of this partnership and the shared commitment to ensuring that children and youth are supported with care and compassion from the very beginning of their journey.
Youth Transition Kits
We are grateful to TK Liquidation & Auction for their meaningful partnership in supporting youth as they transition into independence.
Through this collaboration, youth are provided with essential household items, workwear, and a suitcase to support their move into independent living or employment. Each kit is thoughtfully assembled based on the individual needs identified by their Youth Services Worker. This support helps reduce barriers during a critical life transition, while promoting dignity, preparedness, and confidence as youth take their next steps.
We are so appreciative of the care, flexibility, and leadership demonstrated by the team at TK Liquidation & Auction. Their commitment is making a tangible difference during an important and often challenging time in a young person’s life.
Ongoing Needs Kits
We are grateful to Amazon YHM1 for their partnership in supporting the ongoing needs of children, youth, and families connected to Child and Family Services of Grand Erie.
Through the provision of hygiene items, food products, and essential goods, this partnership helps ensure that individuals and families have access to the necessities that support their day-to-day well-being. For many families navigating economic barriers, access to these items can significantly reduce stress and support a greater sense of stability and dignity.
We are especially appreciative of Amazon’s responsiveness and flexibility in helping us meet needs as they arise, ensuring that support is both timely and relevant to the realities families are facing.
Truth and Reconciliation
We are grateful to Comfort Bears for their partnership in providing soft and comforting support bears to kids connected to Child and Family Services of Grand Erie.
Through the donation of teddy bears, children experiencing fear, uncertainty, grief, or significant life transitions are provided with a source of comfort and reassurance during difficult moments. As this partnership has grown, the bears have also been meaningfully incorporated into the work of our Indigenous Services Teams through the teachings of Spirit Bear. Spirit Bear, created through the work of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, represents reconciliation, equity, and advocacy for First Nations children and families. By integrating these teachings into culturally grounded support for Indigenous children, this partnership helps foster connection, reflection, and care in ways that honour identity, belonging, and cultural understanding.
We are sincerely grateful to Comfort Bears for the compassion and intentionality behind this partnership, and for helping ensure that children and youth are met with comfort, dignity, and care when they need it most.
