2024 Year in Review

As we welcome the start of 2025, the Sifton Family Foundation is reflecting on and celebrating our most impactful activities from the past year. Our vision is to make a meaningful and positive difference by supporting charitable organizations in our local communities. We provided thirty new and continuing grants totaling $520,000.00 to registered charities. We also matched over $91,000 in employee donations throughout the year including the United Way Campaign, and we welcomed a new board member from the community.

Each of the following organizations received a new or continuing grant in 2024:

Learning and Literacy

1.       Sir John A. Macdonald Public School - $24,000 to refurbish the school library, including replacing the library shelving.

2.       The Learning Disabilities Association London Region – $15,000 (year 2 of 3) for the Enhanced Learning, Executive Function and Mental Wellness Project for school-aged children with learning disabilities.

3.       Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario - $24,008 (year 1 of 3) to support their HOBSCOTH (Home-Based Self-Management and Cognitive Training Changes Lives) program for seniors to improve their quality of life and aspects of attention and memory.

4.       Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region - $15,000 for the Empower and Allyship Program for high school-age youth of all genders. The program aims for youth to become leaders in ending gender-based violence through interactive learning activities and discussions on topics such as consent, healthy relationships, boundaries, allyship, and bystander intervention.

5.       Strong Start - $10,000/year for two years for the Letters, Sounds and Words program expansion into London and Elgin, Middlesex, and Oxford for children ages 5-7 who need a literacy boost.

6.       Humane Society of Kitchener-Waterloo and Stratford Perth - $5000 to support the Tales for Tails child literacy program. Children (JK to Grade 6) read aloud to dogs with volunteer educators at their side. Each session includes a snack, a safety review about how to greet a dog, an animal themed book for the children to read, and a lesson about humane choices and care.

7.       Learning Disabilities Association of Wellington County - $15,400 to support their Social Skills program which helps children 8-12 years with learning disabilities to improve their social skills, overcome social isolation and build self-confidence.

8.       Junior Achievement Southwestern Ontario - $25,000 (year 2 of 3) to deliver financial literary education to school-aged children in London and the region.

Play

9.       John Dearness Public School – $25,000 to help build a new kindergarten playground that will include accessibility features and can be utilized by the broader community.

10.   London Track 3 Ski School – Funding for a new furnace at the Boler Mountain school location ($12,712).

11.   Hopewell Support Services - $25,000 for the Children’s Respite and Enrichment Program for supportive and inclusive activities for children with physical and developmental disabilities. Activities include sports, arts, music, and nature exploration.

Mental Health and Wellness

12.   Mary J Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic, Western Education - $20,000 to improve accessibility to mental health counselling and develop an evidence-based program to support youth with climate change related mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression.

13.   Canadian Children’s Optimist Foundation - $25,000 in support of M.I. Understanding’s program to provide on-line parent led resources to bridge the gap to care and facilitate conversations with children about their mental health.

14.   Big Brothers Big Sisters London - $25,00 for the Big G Project which aims to intergenerational relationships between a mentor who is age 55+ and a mentee, between the ages of 7 to 16, with adverse childhood experiences (year 2 of 2)

15.   Kids Can Fly - $10,000 for the Parachute program to support mothers with post-partum depression. Next year they will receive $9000 as part of the two-year grant.

16.   Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grand, Erie, Halton, and Hamilton - $16,000 for their GLOW community mentoring program that supports youth in four Grand Erie District schools that are experiencing isolation or exclusion.

17.   Community Counselling Centre London - $25,000 grant (year 2 of 3) to provide subsidized mental health counselling for youth.

Food Security

18.   Child Hunger Brant -$25,000 to help support the Kids Lunch Club, a program that provides lunch and snacks to partner schools in Brantford.

19.   Nutrition for Learning – $25,000 to purchase food and equipment to serve approximately 23,000 high school students per day in the Waterloo Region.

20.   South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre - $15,000/ year for two years to deliver a multi-generational community kitchen program that will build capacity for individuals to plan and prepare healthy meals using affordable food resources.

Overall Community Benefit

21.   Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre- $22,000 to upgrade the elevator to improve accessibility and reliability.

22.   Michael House Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services - After-Care Program funding of $10,000 to provide community support to young vulnerable mothers and children. The program offers access to community resources and help with managing housing issues, finding employment, and continuing their education.

23.   Deaf Blind Ontario – $24,000 grant to install protective panels in their Waterloo supportive living facility that serves deaf blind individuals with wheelchairs.

24.   Marillac Place – Founded in 1987 as a shelter for women facing abusive relationships, this organization provides a safe environment and supports for pregnant and parenting women. They are receiving a grant of $21,000 to support their Residential Basket Program to ensure those arriving and/or departing have essential and practical supplies.

25.   Internet Sense First – This organization aims to protect children against internet child exploitation. A $10,000 grant will be used to provide parents and community groups with information on recognizing and preventing child exploitation.

In addition, the Sifton Family Foundation made a $50,000 donation (divided equally among five organizations) supporting those that are homeless or facing severe poverty, including Mission Services London, The Shoebox Project – London Chapter, Life*Spin, 519 Pursuit and the Brantford Community Resource Service.