Newsletter: July 2024
JULY 31, 2024 –
A Message from our President
Last month, we published our annual report and received many kind accolades in response: “nothing short of spectacular,” “fantastic work by the team” and “what wonderful people work for Small Change Fund,“ were just a few. Thank you!
That last comment rings particularly true. Our people are Small Change Fund. And there is one particular person I want to highlight today. Caedmon Ricker-Wilson started as a volunteer bookkeeper in the summer of 2019. He was finishing his accounting degree and in the first few months cleaned up the books for the year before setting up our new accounting system.
He eventually rose to the role of Chief Financial Officer, leading our financial team with integrity and passion. Caedmon is a rare breed of money guy: he uses numbers to tell stories, always looking for ways to make accounting come to life. That’s hard to do.
He supported our expansion and transformation – with all the unique challenges that entailed. And he did everything he touched so remarkably well and always with a smile on his face. Caedmon recently left us for a senior accounting role in a large firm. Thank you for everything, Caedmon!
– Burkhard
Public Transit: Moving Us Forward
We are pleased to reveal our youth transit mural in Edmonton, led by our very own Sophia Young who managed everything from fundraising to getting the paintwork done, including working around a heat wave! As Sophia so perfectly expressed, the mural “…amplifies youth voices and creative spirits around the beauty green transportation brings to our cities.”
Cree artist Jayda Delorme designed the mural and led the creative team. The images were arranged according to the teachings of the medicine wheel: homes for belonging, work for mastery, Saskatoon berry bushes for generosity and the bus as a symbol of independence. Jayda is an emerging artist from Saskatchewan and partnered with Sophia last year to create a mural in Regina.
Our mural is hosted at M.E. LaZerte High School, and over the past two weeks, more than 45 newcomer, refugee and art students participated in painting this mural. The students chose to highlight how transit allows them to access education, healthcare, job opportunities, places of worship and city attractions.
Sophia is a long-time youth transit advocate and helps with our Get on the Bus program to get free transit and training for high school students. Thank you Sophia for all the hard work!
Making Homes Affordable in Ontario
We all probably know someone who can’t find a home they can afford. But we also know that if governments make the right rules, invest in the right places and create the right policies, we can solve the housing crisis.
You can help make this happen. FiveWaysHome.ca is a new campaign by the Alliance for a Liveable Ontario, in partnership with Small Change Fund. The campaign identifies five actions governments can take to make homes affordable in Ontario.
Help us spread the word, and hope! Watch the short videos (written and produced by Small Change Fund Creative Director, Jim Diorio), share them through social media and then tell your friends, network and family.
Advocating for a Youth Climate Corps
We are working with the Climate Emergency Unit to advocate for a Youth Climate Corps, a government funded two-year placement and training program that will enable individuals 35 and under to find sustainable employment in fighting the climate crisis. Click here to learn how you can take action to make the Youth Climate Corps a reality!
Partner Post: Drops of Change
On June 21st, the Council of Canadians team celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Day by bringing messages from students across the country to the Prime Minister’s doorstep in a call to end drinking water advisories in First Nations communities once and for all. Activists delivered more than 700 ‘Water Drops’ – colouring sheets with messages from students, reminding Prime Minister Trudeau of his commitment to ending drinking water advisories in First Nations.
The water drop delivery was the culmination of our three-month long project with Small Change Fund to educate students about the human right to water in Canada. We are excited to continue our partnership together on the Blue Community Schools project, preparing students across Canada to become the next generation of leaders in protecting water.
– Robin Tress, Director of Campaigns & Organizing, Council of Canadians
Standing with the Ancients
The Fairy Creek Film covers the full period of Ada’itsx, or the Fairy Creek blockade, Canada’s largest civil disobedience demonstration in history. During this time, more than 1,100 people were arrested for standing in the way of old growth logging in the Fairy Creek Valley of British Columbia. We are working with the filmmakers to raise funds for post-production costs and an impact campaign to ensure this vital documentation is shared worldwide. You can watch and share the sizzle reel, as well as learn more and donate here.
Protecting Nova Scotia’s Coastlines
Earlier this month, we acted quickly to support the Ecology Action Centre’s fight to maintain Nova Scotia’s 2019 Coastal Protection Act. The provincial government scrapped the Act in February of this year, stating they would rely on municipalities and property owners to take voluntary measures to protect Nova Scotia’s fragile coastal ecosystems. With funding through our Public Voice Fund, the fight is on to retain this critical and widely popular legislation and the protection it represents.
Safeguarding Our Health and Great Lakes: Stopping Line 5 for Our Future
Throughout its history, the Line 5 pipeline has released more than 1.1 million gallons of toxic oil into the environment. This project is focused on amassing the needed public pressure to shut down this environmental and health disaster. You can learn more and donate towards these efforts through the campaign page.
Small News Bites
- Save the Date! Our next Gather event will take place September 29th from 12-5pm at Bela Farm in Hillsburgh, Ontario. Join us for live music, barn dancing, local food and family activities to raise funds for the further protection of the Ontario Greenbelt. Tickets will go on sale in early August.
- We are proud to partner with ReCover to accelerate deep retrofits of buildings in Atlantic Canada. Learn more about this project and recent funding here.
- Congratulations to our partners at Save Georgian Bay for winning an Ontario Nature award! Check out their Enchanted Evening fundraiser on August 10th and donate to help Save the Bay here!
- In response to recent extreme flooding, we reshared our award winning Unflood Ontario videos featuring natural solutions to combat flooding. Check out our Facebook, Instagram or X accounts to view these videos and please share them with your networks!
We hope everyone is staying safe amidst these extreme weather events and wish you a happy August long weekend.
Sincerely,
The Small Change Fund Team
P.S. Your donation directly to Small Change Fund allows us to keep improving services and supports to help more grassroots projects succeed nationwide. Thank you for helping make change!