Today is Random Act of Kindness Day: Do something nice for someone

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kitchener (November 4, 2011) –The message of the day is simple; do something nice for someone and ask nothing in return except that they do something nice for someone else.

Since 2008, Random Act of Kindness Day® has brought our community closer together by engaging citizens in small acts of kindness and generosity.

On this special day our residents, schools, community groups, service clubs, businesses, healthcare institutions, and churches have joined hearts and hands – helping to build a stronger, more compassionate community.

“We all get caught up in our own busy lives – this day is about slowing down for a bit and thinking about others, “sharesRosemary Smith, CEO of The KWCF, the home of Random Act of Kindness Day®. “Today is about the small things – raking your neighbour’s leaves, telling someone you appreciate them, holding a door – the small acts of kindness that bring us closer together as a community.”

There are 150,000 Random Act of Kindness Day® circulating around K-W and the townships of Woolwich, Wilmot, and Wellesley. The cards encourage the holder to ‘pay forward’ an act of kindness to someone – a friend, colleague, neighbour, or even a stranger.

This morning 200+ supporters got up bright and early to attend an official Random Act of Kindness Day® Kick Off event in the food court at Conestoga Mall. People from all walks of life joined in the festivities and almost 90 teams of volunteers left the event full of vim and vigour to spread the gift of kindness.  Some performed their own individual acts of kindness and others handed out Random Act of Kindness Day® cards along with copies of the Waterloo Region Record compliments of The KWCF.

And it doesn’t stop there. In addition to K-W and area, Random Act of Kindness Day® is also being celebrated today in over 25 Canadian communities including Cambridge, Ayr, Guelph, Windsor, Essex, Brantford, Oakville, Listowel, Collingwood, Brockville, Niagara, St. Catherines, Grimsby, Milton, Kenora, Woodstock, the Yonge-Lawrence Village in Toronto, and Banff Alberta – lead by community foundations and/or community organizations in those cities.

And while having Random Act of Kindness Day® spread across the country is a dream starting to be realized by The KWCF, The Foundation is quick to remember that it all began here in K-W with a vision from one of The Foundation’s volunteers.

“It is absolutely amazing to see how quickly Random Act of Kindness Day® has extended beyond the borders of K-W,” shares Debb Ritchie, Chair of the Friends of the Foundation Committee – the group that helps The KWCF spearhead Random Act of Kindness Day® in K-W and area.

Debb is also The KWCF volunteer who came up with the idea of Random Act of Kindness Day® and worked with The Foundation to make it happen.

Adds Smith: “We are blessed to live in such a remarkable community where so much caring and generosity happens every day. Our hope is that people will take a moment today and find an opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone else. We can’t wait to see what kindness flows out of our community again this year!”

What did you do to celebrate Random Act of Kindness Day®? We want to hear your stories – visit www.kwcf.ca and click on Random Act of Kindness Day®.

Join in on the fun when tweeting about Random Act of Kindness Day® with the hashtag #rakday or visit them on Facebook atfacebook.com/rakday.

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The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation improves the quality of life in Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding area, now and for generations to come, by building and investing community assets, and providing leadership on key community issues.

 

A lasting legacy, guided by Vital Signs

Brian Fisher feels strongly about putting his charitable dollars into initiatives that will have the greatest impact in his community.

He and his wife, Nancy, recently established The Brian Fisher Family Fund with The Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation, and they intend to build the fund over time.

“We want to make a difference in the areas of greatest need – Waterloo Region’s Vital Signs will help us do just that, now and in the future,” says Fisher.

Brian Fisher and his wife recently established a family fund with Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation

It’s not a new concept for him. When he and Nancy decided they wanted to increase their annual contributions to charity, they looked at the 2010 report, and saw a need in the areas of Learning and Housing. In consultation with Foundation staff, they donated to projects led by Junior Achievement (the Success Skills program) and to Anselma House, which offers women’s crisis services.

As far back as 2004, Fisher – a retired partner and Business and Estate Planning Consultant with KPMG – turned to KWCF to honour the memory of his first wife, Christine, an avid golfer and supporter of the Golf Association of Ontario.

“I was thinking about an endowment fund, and that got me thinking about The KWCF and the work they do in our community,” says Fisher.

He met with Foundation representatives and set up the Christine Fisher Memorial Student Award Fund, which provides yearly awards to qualified female golfing students. This fund has been rolled into The Brian Fisher Family Fund.

 

CFC is in the game, thanks to True Sport Foundation

By Skana Gee

Community Foundations of Canada has partnered with True Sport Foundation and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) on a one-year pilot project helmed by four local Community Foundations, in Kitchener-Waterloo, Burlington, Winnipeg and Abbotsford.

“Our goal is to explore how sport can be used to strengthen local communities,” says Cindy Lindsay, CFC’s Director of Member Services.

TSF, which is committed to ensuring that sport makes a positive contribution to Canadian society – particularly its youth – has been working with the local Community Foundations since last August on an array of granting programs.

“We’re looking for the best projects, which will have the most impact and will mobilize the community,” notes Christina Parsons, Projects Manager with True Sport Foundation. “It’s asset-based community development, and each site has a strong element of community collaboration.”

Discussion topics have ranged from soccer and sailing for disabled people, to bullying, and after-school opportunities, with input from parents, youth, police, educators, municipal representatives and many more stakeholders.

While individually tailored, each site is seeking proposals from individuals, networks and organizations. Parsons expects grants from each site to be handed out in time to get projects and programs running this summer.

With help from the McConnell Foundation, True Sport is making $160,000 total available to the four pilot sites, for granting to community-based projects.

Parsons and colleague Karri Dawson will share thoughts and experiences from the TSF-CFC partnership at CFC 2011 Conference, during a concurrent session titled Ready, Set, Go: True Sport Pilot Project.

“It’s intended as a short-term spark. Initially we want to spread smaller grants to a lot of projects – hopefully they will gain momentum,” says Parsons. “It’s challenging all of us to think creatively.”

Skana Gee is Communications Coordinator for Community Foundations of Canada

REEP House builds community in Kitchener

By Cheryl Evans

REEP House for Sustainable Living has transformed a drafty, 105-year-old energy pig into to a state-of-the art showroom for energy and water efficient upgrades.

Located at 20 Mill Street in downtown Kitchener, REEP House provides free, hands-on tours and do-it-yourself green renovation workshops for the entire community. The website and Green Retrofit Workbook, funded in part by the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation, provide a virtual connection to all things green.

With information in hand, and a growing community of supporters, REEP House demonstrates that in the long term, green renos not only save water and energy, they are also an excellent financial investment.

The Green Retrofit Workbook (GRW) is an innovative piece of software that puts all of the green retrofit decision-making information required into the hands of people on the front lines of green building. Homeowners and contractors input existing data about a home into the GRW to generate a model of its present energy and water consumption rates and associated costs.
It then allows clients to enter their renovation wish list and generates a report that calculates the cost, payback, and resource savings generated by undertaking each item on the list.

By analysing the long-term resource and cost benefits of green renovation, the software aims to inspire renovators across Canada to reduce their energy and water consumption rates by up to 90 per cent and to put thousands of dollars into people’s pockets!

REEP House was built by the community. More than 11,000 hours of labour, 85 contractors, an 11-member design committee, 13 major funders and 28 donors made the transformation possible.

REEP House now builds community. Since we opened our doors only a few short months ago, we have welcomed more than 1,000 visitors. Onsite and on the web these people connect with each other. They are inspired at REEP House and move forward to undertake exciting retrofit projects with the help of local contractors and lenders. Those people then pass on their knowledge
and spread the word about REEP House, and so the REEP House community grows.

Please feel free to book a visit with us at REEP House to use the house as it was intended, as a hands-on learning centre and community meeting place. We are now open for regular tours, workshops and also have meeting rooms available. Or drop by for a virtual visit any time!

For rates and availability please contact Cheryl Evans at info@reephouse.ca or 519-603-0323.

Cheryl Evans is REEP House Outreach Officer