65-Hour Fundraising Campaign to Benefit Seniors
June is Seniors Month and for the first time in history there are more Torontonians over the age of 65 than children aged 15 and under. Looking ahead, the number of people in Toronto 65 and over is expected to almost double by 2041. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Home Instead Senior Care Foundation is leading the charge in philanthropy for seniors with the first and only crowd-fundraising platform exclusively devoted to helping registered charities in Canada raise money online for programs and services that create hope for seniors.
Until now, seniors were often overlooked when it comes to philanthropy. And many meaningful charities are underfunded. With the GIVE65 Incentive Fund, Home Instead Senior Care Foundation of Canada, aims to kick start charitable giving in support of seniors and increase social awareness and the capacity of charitable organizations to care for the growing senior population.
Bruce Mahony, Executive Director of Home Instead Senior Care in central Toronto is also a founding director and trustee of the Home Instead Senior Care Foundation of Canada. “There are many not for profit organizations doing great work but with limited resources to serve our growing senior population,” says Mahony. “With our GIVE65 campaign, we hope to bring together Torontonians who care, and organizations who can have an impact on the health and well-being of seniors.”
Mahony has devoted most of his life to caring for seniors, first as a caregiver for his grandmother and more recently leading Home Instead for over 17 years. Home Instead is located at Davenport and Belmont Avenues and serves Yorkville and The Annex. Mahony also serves on the Board of Directors of Home Care Ontario, the organization that is the voice of home care in Ontario.
So here’s how Give 65 works.
- From July 9 – 11 for 65 hours, participating registered charities will encourage businesses, corporations, donor and supporters to make a donation at GIVE65.ca in support of seniors in Toronto.
- Before that, registered charities providing programs and services to seniors across Canada (such as Belmont House) are applying to participate in the program. All participating organizations are eligible for matching grants from the Home Instead Canada Foundation.
- Home Instead Senior Care Foundation of Canada is providing $50,000 in matching grants. Each charity is eligible for up to $5000 in matching grants.
- Funds will be advanced to the charities beginning on August 31 and donors will be issued tax deductible receipts.
- Participating charities provide a range of services to seniors including transportation, meals and nutrition, low-income housing, Alzheimer’s and dementia care and hospice care.
- All donations must be made on the GIVE65 site (www.GIVE65.ca).
Philanthropy for Seniors
This is not the first time Home Instead Senior Care has lead the charge in philanthropy for seniors. Home Instead Senior Care is active in fundraising drives for seniors around #Giving Tuesday, which is an annual end of year giving period globally when people give back in impactful ways. This year #GivingTuesday is on December 3, 2019.
Home Instead is also known for its hugely successful Be a Santa to a Senior Campaign which has provided tens of thousands of gifts to isolated and needy seniors across Canada for over 15 years.
“At Home Instead we believe that part of our corporate culture is to give back to the communities we live in,” adds Mahony. “GIVE65 is a way to shine the spotlight on the needs of seniors in Toronto to enable them to live full and meaningful lives independently at home or in residences.”
Mary Ann Freedman works with Home Instead Senior Care and has over 25 years experience working with organizations who serve 50+ adults.
