HOW WE GIVE
THE ACTS OF KINDNESS PROJECT STRATEGY
Stand Up Speak Up began with the desire to give back and support organizations that are doing good work, both on a community level and a national or global scale. We sought to create a giving model that would bring attention to issues we are passionate about and we feel could use more attention. We wanted a chance to explore ways of being better allies and to discover and promote inspiring people and organizations throughout Canada and beyond.
At Stand Up Speak Up, 100% of the donations go towards this mission. We have created the following strategy to put your giving to good use:
- Each giving season, we choose a cause focus and seek out organizations associated to that cause
- We choose a variety of organizations to partner with throughout each campaign. This allows us to highlight many groups doing good work, in the hope it will inspire others to donate on their own
- Donations are divided between cash and products, based on need
- We promote all organizations we donate to through social media
Stand Up Speak Up began with the desire to give back and support organizations that are doing good work, both on a community level and a national or global scale. We sought to create a giving model that would bring attention to issues we are passionate about and we feel could use more attention. We wanted a chance to explore ways of being better allies and to discover and promote inspiring people and organizations throughout Canada and beyond.
At Stand Up Speak Up, 100% of the donations go towards this mission. We have created the following strategy to put your giving to good use:
- Each giving season, we choose a cause focus and seek out organizations associated to that cause
- We choose a variety of organizations to partner with throughout each campaign. This allows us to highlight many groups doing good work, in the hope it will inspire others to donate on their own
- Donations are divided between cash and products, based on need
- We promote all organizations we donate to through social media
$10,000 in cash donations
300+ care packages to women, staff and volunteers
at 12+ assault recovery centres
As we continue to live through the current pandemic, we have chosen to split our focus for the first half of 2021 between two different areas. The first will focus on women’s assault recovery services and shelters. For this, we were inspired by the International Women’s Day Initiative #ChooseaChallenge, which encourages working towards gender equality by celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness about bias and taking action for equality. This is our challenge:
We challenge ourselves to recognize the efforts of staff and volunteers of Assault Recovery Centres, who are the backbone of helping thousands of women each year get the supplies and services that they need. Plan to do this through the donation of products and gifts for healing, relaxation and comfort.
We also want to encourage men to engage and learn more about consent and sexual violence by becoming allies. We need to all fully understand what consent looks like and put the responsibility on perpetrators rather than victims.
Our second focus will be on our own customers and community. We know that each and every person has their own stresses and struggles during this time and we could all use a little extra care. We want to help you feel appreciated, loved and special. We have always loved adding little extras into each of our mail outs but we have now put more effort into providing each person who shops with and believes in us with a little something more.
As we continue to love through the current pandemic, we have chosen to split our focus for the first half of 2021 between two different areas. The first will focus on women’s assault recovery services and shelters. For this, we were inspired by the International Women’s Day Initiative #ChooseaChallenge, which encourages working towards gender equality by celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness about bias and taking action for equality. This is our challenge:
We challenge ourselves to recognize the efforts of staff and volunteers of Assault Recovery Centres, who are the backbone of helping thousands of women each year get the supplies and services that they need. Plan to do this through the donation of products and gifts for healing, relaxation and comfort.
We also want to encourage men to engage and learn more about consent and sexual violence by becoming allies. We need to all fully understand what consent looks like and put the responsibility on perpetrators rather than victims.
Our second focus will be on our own customers and community. We know that each and every person has their own stresses and struggles during this time and we could all use a little extra care. We want to help you feel appreciated, loved and special. We have always loved adding little extras into each of our mail outs but we have now put more effort into providing each person who shops with and believes in us with a little something more.
Past Projects
Fall/Winter 2020
Total Donated: $8000+ in cash, 100+ Stand Up Speak Up products, 200+ additional products
In Karla’s 50th year, she wanted to continue the project started at her Circle of Strength event to focus donations on foster care reform by giving to Child Welfare Political Action Committee, for which she is now a board member. This organization advocates for the rights of kids currently in the foster care system and those who have aged out as they reach adulthood. CWPAC has fought for free post-secondary education for children coming out of the foster care system, has advocated for their privacy rights in terms of their private records within the system and continues to hold our provincial and national government accountable for protecting and providing for children in foster care.
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, we adjusted our project to include additional giving to homeless shelters, food banks, and hospitals and healthcare facilities. Our efforts included a combination between cash donations and donations of items, including face masks, sanitizer and items from our COVID Care Kits.
Follow Us
The Fresh Start Project’s holiday tote drive for Women’s Habitat. We donated 20+ household items including kettles, toasters, dish sets, glasses and towels.
Lately our Acts of Kindness have been focused on donating to Women’s Assault Recovery services and shelters across Ontario.
Our Acts of Kindness support women in need! Recently we donated kits full of wellness products, essentials and fun goodies to visitors and staff at SAVIS in Halton!
A recent Act of Kindness gift to the staff of Project iRise, whose mission is to educate and empower survivors of human trafficking.
A recent Act of Kindness donation to staff and visitors at Horizon Women’s Centre.
Without your generous love and support, we wouldn’t be able to give back. The least we can do is send a personal thank you and reminder of what we’ve accomplished together!
A roundup of some of our Acts of Kindness so far this fall, including Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer, Spirit of Children, Wellspring & more!
For 2021, we are focused on giving back to staff, volunteers and visitors at assault recovery centres with the goals of donating $10,000 total in cash, and 300+ kits to 12+ recovery centres.
Recently we donated care kits like these to visitors and staff of several women’s shelters across Ontario because everyone deserves relaxation and support.
Recently we participated in The Fresh Start Project‘s holiday tote drive for Women’s Habitat by donating over 20 household items.
A round-up of our most recent Acts of Kindness this fall. Including Ontario Parents Advocating for Children With Cancer, Spirit of Children, Wellspring & more!
Lately our Acts of Kindness have been focused on donating to Women’s Assault Recovery services and shelters across Ontario.
Our Acts of Kindness support women in need! Recently we donated kits full of wellness products, essentials and fun goodies to visitors and staff at SAVIS in Halton!
A recent Act of Kindness gift for staff at Project iRise, whose mission is to empower & educate survivors of Sex Trafficking.
A recent Act of Kindness donation to staff and visitors at Horizon Women’s Centre.
Recently we donated these kits to help women in need and staff at SAVIS, a sexual assault centre in Halton!
Recently we donated care kits like these to visitors and staff of several women’s shelters across Ontario because everyone deserves relaxation and support.
ALL DONATIONS
National & Global Organizations
- Child Welfare Political Action Committee – This organization, dedicated to foster care reform, is very close to Karla’s heart. She has been a volunteer since 2018
- Donated $7,500 in our 2020 campaign
- Karla’s 50th birthday party was dedicated to raising funds for CWPAC. In two months, she raised more than $25,000.
- Stand Up Speak Up has donated more than $15,000 to date
- 15 Tees Design Collaboration
- War Amps – $50
- Heart & Stroke Foundation – $25 monthly
- The Terry Fox Foundation – $200
- Wellspring Cancer Support – $350
- Jack Ride 2021 – $100
- Fred Victor – $200
- Spirit of Children – $100
- Movember – $150
Community Organizations
- Ryerson University Library – $100
- Acclaim Health – $500
- Sobriety Center – $30 monthly
- Scott’s Mission – $100 monthly
- Halton Healthcare – Wellness products, beauty masks, touchless door openers, donated during COVID-19
- SAVIS of Halton
- $250
- 50 wellness kits for staff and volunteers, 25 custom care packages for victims of human trafficking with undergarments, a satin pyjama set, silk face mask, jewelry pieces and other items.
- 10 silk masks, 5 Reminder Anklets, and a self-care surprise to volunteers and staff, during COVID-19
- 10 cleansing face masks, 10 Quick Calm Inhaler, 5 Lipsticks, 5 EDC Touch-less Tools
- Chadwic Home – Jewelry pieces, tea, candy canes and custom care packages for women, staff and kids
- Women’s Resources – 4 pouches for staff: including teabags, key chains, chap stick, sanitizer, notebooks, nail files; 8 pouches for women
- Esprit Place – 5 custom women’s care packages including undergarments and various other small items; 20 pieces of jewelry and teas for staff; 15 kids toys and bracelets
- Shifra Homes – 15 care packages, each including a set of silk pyjamas and undergarments
- Ernestines Women’s Shelter – Custom care packages: each including undergarments, pyjamas and small items; Gifts for staff; 15 kid’s Halloween costumes
- Women’s Habitat – 30 Halloween costumes
- Native Women’s Centre – 5 silk masks, 3 quick calm inhalers, 3 nausea relief inhalers, donated during COVID-19
- Halton Women’s Place Shelter – 10 silk masks, donated during COVID-19
- Syl Apps Youth Centre – Partnered with artist and jewelry designer Mai Lin and donated 11 of total donation of 21 of our limited release Reminder Anklets to youth workers, nurses, and cleaning staff
- Acclaim Health Home and Community Care Provider – $2000, $500 of which was given to purchase surgical masks during COVID-19
- Hamilton Food Share – $50 monthly, started in February 2020
- London Food Bank – $100 in honor of Shelley Desrochers, during COVID-19. To find out more about Shelley’s story, check out our podcast series.
- Waterloo Food Bank – $100, during COVID-19
- Scott Mission – $200, during COVID-19
- Oakville Trafalgar Hospital – Donated box of lipsticks and some cleansing face masks
- Dr. Bob Kemp Centre for Hospice Care – 10 silk masks and a self-care surprise to volunteers, during COVID-19
- Fred’s Virtual Walk – $100, supports Toronto’s homeless fundraising initiative.
- Juravinski Hospital – 8 Tim Hortons gift cards, ranging $10 to $50
- Wellspring Halton – $150 – This organization provides support to those living with cancer and their families.
- Regent Park Community Health Centre – 50 pairs of winter socks. This men’s shelter for the homeless is always in need of supplies.
- Thunder Bay Sexual Assault Centre – 18 donation kits for visitors, staff and volunteers.
- Mattawa Women’s Resource Centre – 18 packages of wellness kits, lanyards, jewelry pieces, DIY spa masks, mobile device screen cleaner and lip balm.
- Juravinski Cancer Centre – 25 mask and lanyard kits to chemotherapy patients
- Horizon Women’s Centre – 19 Kits for staff, women and children including masks, wellness products and jewelry.
- Fare Share Foodbank Oakville – $4,500 and 100 mask and lanyard kits
- Pavilion Women’s Centre – 25 kits for staff, women and children including masks, wellness products and jewelry
- Women’s Shelter, Saakaate House – 21 Kits kits for staff, women and children including masks, wellness products and jewelry
- Ellevive – 30 kits for staff, women and children including masks, wellness products and jewelry
- Wellspring Support Group – 14 Scarves for patients and organizers of the chronic Cancer support group
- Women & Children’s Shelter of Barrie – 50 kits for staff, women and children including masks, wellness products and jewelry
- Project iRise – 10 Ally Stud sets. This organization is survivor-run to educate and empower survivors of human trafficking.
- Wellspring Support Group – $1,500 – This organization offers free programming to cancer patients.
- Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer – $150 to gift card fund to help families pay for hospital parking, gas, groceries & other necessities. Plus 18 kids kits for childhood cancer patients, including a mask, lanyard, snap bracelets, activity book & more.
- Creek Way Village Long-Term Care Home – 40 lanyard kits for seniors and 15 care kits for staff.
- Allendale Long-Term Care Home – 25 mask & lanyard kits for seniors and 15 care kits for staff.
Community Drive Initiatives
In addition to our own giving efforts, we want to encourage and support others in their own Acts of Kindness. We have helped to facilitate and have added our own gifts and donations to a number of projects throughout our own community of the Greater Toronto Area.
- Frontline Workers at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital – Care packages with Suzy Rypkema. We contributed beauty masks as a fun surprise to care kit packages created during COVID-19.
- Frontline Workers at St. Michael’s Hospital – Care packages with our friend Marla. We contributed lipsticks as a fun surprise to care kit packages created during COVID-19.
- Workers at Ian Anderson House – Care packages with Carol Faull. We contributed beauty face masks as a fun surprise to care kit packages created during COVID-19.
- Women at Halton Women’s Place Shelter – Karla discovered a need for bedding sets to help women escaping violence and abuse at home to help them start their lives elsewhere. She, with the help of Zach and the rest of their family, encouraged others to donate and put together 50 bedding sets, with 20 donated by Stand Up Speak Up.
- Circle of Strength Event – Karla’s 50th birthday event brought together more than 170+ incredible women from around the world for a day of inspiring workshops and fun. The event raised more than $25,000 for CWPAC.
- Camaraderie of Hope Golf Tournament 2021 – Raised funds for ROCK (Reach Out Centre for Kids) in the Halton region. We donated 2 healing scarves for the prizes for those who purchased 50-50 tickets.
- Hamilton Project to Help 15 Refugee Families from Afghanistan – We donated care packages for 2 women and 3 kids, including wellness products, healing scarves, reusable cutlery, jewelry, and more.
Women’s Habitat Holiday Household Tote Program – Household care packages for the holidays. We contributed 30 household items including toasters, kettles, dishes and dish towels, as well as 6 care kits for volunteers. This initiative was organized by our friend Nancy Milton’s The Fresh Start Project.
- Fundraiser by Annie Macdonald: Black Violin – $100 to help Annie’s $600 goal to pursue her anti-war film script about a Syrian refugee violinist.
- Camaraderie of Hope’s Self-Care Holiday Gift Sets – Raised funds for Bridging The Gap Halton. We donated 75 of each of our essential oil inhalers (Nausea Relief and Quick Calm) for the holiday baskets.
