Kids’ artwork making a world of difference

As posted by the Lethbridge Herald, October 29, 2014.

By Nick Kuhl
Lethbridge Herald

Grade 2 and 3 students at Westminster Elementary School are already learning about the importance of helping others.

As part of a project launched by the new non-profit organization Kids’ Art for a Cause, the children have created a series of paintings with starry skies symbolizing that everyone sleeps under the same sky and everyone deserves a good sleep.

They have then been selling the works online to raise money for the charity Sleeping Children Around the World, which provides bedkits to children in developing countries.

“It’s curriculum driven; in social studies, we’re learning about quality of life and so I wanted to choose something tangible that kids understand,” said Grant Bertamini, a Grade 2/3 teacher at Westminster Elementary School and the founder and president of Kids’ Art for a Cause.

“We looked at some pictures of kids’ sleeping conditions in different parts of the world. For some kids, where they sleep is downright unsafe. What it all comes back to for us, is we’re trying to improve somebody’s quality of life.”

“We started painting because some people don’t have beds,” said student Kadence Boyle, 8.

The paintings have been up for sale on the website http://www.kidsartforacause.ca, with 14 having been sold as of Monday afternoon and seven still available.

Bertamini said the idea behind starting Kids’ Art for a Cause was to employ a streamlined process for donating money to charity. He incorporated the organization, earned the non-profit status and got a sponsor to cover all of the overhead costs, ensuring that all donations go directly to the charity.

Kids’ Art for a Cause is also planning to develop other fundraising projects with groups of kids in other schools, as well as youth groups, beginning next year.

“One of the points of this is that we raise money for charity. But that’s almost secondary,” Bertamini said.

“The bigger thing for me is that we’re showing kids that if there’s something about the world that you don’t like, you can change it. If they grow up feeling like they can drive positive change, then they’ll grow up to be difference makers.”

Roxborough Retirement Residence helps kids

As posted on Newmarket Era, October 9, 2014.

By Chris Simon

Many children across the world can sleep a little safer, thanks to residents at a Newmarket retirement complex.

The Roxborough Retirement Residence collected about $900 for Sleeping Children Around the World, a Canadian charity that provides bed kits to kids living in 33 countries, during a fundraiser that included a presentation by Sandra Riches, whose parent lives in the facility.

Riches, who volunteered to hand out kits for the charity in India last year, said Sleeping Children makes a difference in the lives of families in developing countries.

“In some parts of the world, children do not have what they need to have a good night’s sleep,” she said during her presentation at the residence. “The goal is to build a world where children benefit from the comfort of a good sleep.”

Seeing the effects of the initiative firsthand prompted Riches to relay the importance of the charity’s work.

“Some of the family stories are just heart wrenching, but the children are happy,” Riches said of her visit to India. “They’re coming from great distances to a central spot to get the kits. Some of them travelled four hours by foot. There’s never enough to go around.”

Each bed kit consists of a mat or mattress, pillow, sheet, blanket, mosquito net (if applicable), clothes and school supplies. Kits cost $35 each.

Since its founding by Murray and Margaret Dryden in 1970, Sleeping Children has raised more than $23 million, according to the charity’s website.

The organization has helped more than a million kids.

Waterloo group’s menstruation kits help keep Kenyan girls in school

As posted on the Metroland website, September 3, 2014.

WATERLOO — In February, Brenda Porter was preparing to leave Kenya after a volunteer stint with the charitable organization Sleeping Children Around the World.

This had been her fourth trip with the organization but an unexpected encounter sent the Waterloo woman in a new direction.

“On my last night, I met these women from Australia,” she said. “They had these (menstruation) kits with them. I knew nothing about this.”

The women were volunteers with the U.S.-based charity Days for Girls, a worldwide organization that provides young women with kits containing eight washable pads with polyurethane shields, a plastic bag for washing soiled pads, underwear, soap and a pad holder with snaps, all packed in a drawstring bag.

The kits are simple and cost just $5 to produce but make a tremendous difference.

Porter said she had never thought about how women in Third World countries coped with menstrual flow, particularly those who could not afford sanitary napkins.

For many school-aged girls, the problem is so troublesome they simply stay indoors for the duration of their period, which affects their education.

“It’s a huge problem,” Porter said. “Girls are missing five days of school a month and it’s not being talked about.”

In 2009, the Forum of African Women Educationalists conducted a study in Uganda and reported that more than half the girls from 11and 13 drop out of school due to lack of sanitary pads, water for washing or separate bathroom facilities. They face teasing from boys when they leak through to their clothes.

The report also found that girls sometimes perform sexual favours to earn enough money to buy sanitary pads.

Girls will use leaves, mattress stuffing, newspaper, corn husks, rocks, anything they can find when on their period.

Returning to Canada, Porter immediately recruited friends to start making kits and together they joined Days for Girls as a team. The organization has nine chapters in Canada plus 11teams, a designation that could lead to a full-fledged chapter.

“I have 10 helpers and friends of friends,” said Porter, whose dining room table is piled high with fabric, some of it donated, some purchased. When she found a serger, used for trimming and sealing seams, advertised on Kijiji, the seller was happy to donate the machine for the cause.

“It’s an industrial serger from the 1920s,” Porter said. “He was trying to sell it for $500. It’s a little bit of a monstrosity, but I met a woman who could work that serger.”

That woman was 71-year-old Pat Jarvis, of St. Jacobs.

“It took me back to when I started sewing in England,” said Jarvis, who, after immigrating to Canada, worked at Forsyth Shirts in Kitchener and New Balance. She was very familiar with the old serger.

“I had my doubts it would run, but it did,” she said. The machine, with its heavy, cast-iron base, sits in her living room, a testament both to the past and a brighter future for Kenyan girls.

“When you think about it, it’s something we all have to deal with as women, but how when the resources are very slim,” she said. “It was a real eye-opener.”

Several nights a week, team members sit at craft tables cutting material and sewing, sewing, sewing. The first shipment of 25 kits was delivered to Kenya by a friend. The real adventure starts Sept. 14, when Porter’s 23-year-old daughter, Claire Lockhart, travels to Kenya for three months where she will work at a vocational school teaching girls to make their own kits with supplies from Canada. As well, Lockhart will distribute 50 kits made by the Waterloo Region volunteers.

Lockhart, a recent graduate of McMaster University, is starting the nursing program at Conestoga College in January and with a few months of inactivity looming this fall, she volunteered.

“I am really excited about this,” she said. “I’ve travelled but never in a Third World country.”

Lockhart discovered volunteerism though her mother who, in turn, had learned from her own mother.

Porter works as an efficiency expert in the insurance industry and uses her vacation time for overseas volunteer work.

“My mom did a lot of volunteering when I was growing up — it was always being modelled,” she said.

Seaforth Couple travels to the Philippines to help Sleeping Children

As published in the Huron County Focus, May 30, 2014.

Click graphic to see a larger version.

SCAW Travelling Volunteer in Globe and Mail

As published in the Globe and Mail, May 29, 2014.

.........

Arrogance astounds

.........

Having recently returned from Togo, Africa, may I suggest that the next summit on maternal, newborn and child health take place in a small rural village like Ledikope, Agrippa, Goudeve or Agoekondji in the areas northwest of Lome, Togo – not in a posh Toronto hotel.

Delegates could sit on a dirt floor in a hut with temperatures hovering around 38 C and have limited access to clean drinking water – but they could actually listen to the mothers, teachers and principals who know what they need for the survival and good health of children in the villages.

They would get a first-hand view of the daily struggles for women as they rise at dawn to get water, find food and take their children to school. The women know what they need, but in the West we still like to tell them what we will do to solve these issues.

Our arrogance astounds me. The Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health says, “We also engage stakeholders – charities, universities, businesses and governments.”

What about the women and children? Aren’t they the stakeholders who must be consulted first?

M.L. (Peggy) Morrison, Oakville, Ont.

.........

CHSS Redwalk 2014

As posted by the Clinton News Record, May 28, 2014

Each year, a committee of teachers and students at CHSS participate in a fundraiser known as the “Walk-A-Thon” in support of their school and other organizations.
This year, students walked almost 16 kilometres on May 22, in the name of Bike 7650/Jumpstart and Sleeping Children Around the World, as well as fundraising for a new mascot costume for the school.

According to the school’s website, the committee selected Bike 7650 to support current CHSS student, Claire Fleming, and former CHSS student, Will Fleming, who are biking across Canada to raise money for Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program, which allows children to participate in sports and recreational activities.

The team also Sleeping Children Around the World in order to recognize the importance of helping children who are less fortunate in other countries. Sleeping Children Around the World provides bedkits to children in underdeveloped countries. Each bedkit contains mat or mattress, pillow, sheet, blanket, mosquito net, clothes and school supplies.

Little Current United Church Women host presbytery spring rally

As posted by the Manitoulin Expositor, May 21, 2014

Attendees of the Sudbury Presbyterial UCW spring rally sing ‘It’s a Small World’ during the event which was hosted by Little Current United Church women last week.

BY ROBIN BURRIDGE
LITTLE CURRENT—Last week the Little Current United Church (LCUC) hosted the Sudbury District Presbyterial United Church Women annual spring rally, bringing together UCW members from across Sudbury and the North Shore to network, exchange ideas and sing.

“We had over 50 women, representing eight different areas across the district, attend our spring rally last Wednesday,” explained LCUC UCW co-president Helen Gordon. “It was a great day socializing, singing and everyone really enjoyed our guest speaker Leslie Fields. It was our year to host and we were really thrilled with how the day went, though it’s always a good day—a chance for everyone to recharge their batteries.”

After morning registration, the UCW held a book review discussion, followed by lunch at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church across the road, prepared by the Anglican Church Women (ACW).

In the afternoon, guest speaker Leslie Fields discussed the Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) organization, drawing on her own experiences as a volunteer with the organization.

“I have been very involved with this organization (SCAW), and still am as a travelling volunteer,” said Ms. Fields during her discussion with the UCW. “The innocence of a child is something we all hold dear, because all children deserve to feel loved, safe and protected, but not all are.”

Ms. Fields explained that the organization was founded by Murray Dryden who grew up during the depression and that as a travelling salesman he learned what it was like to be deprived of a safe, dry sleep.

Through a hobby later in his life of taking photos of sleeping children around the world, Mr. Dryden became passionate about ensuring that all children should be entitled to a comfortable bed and pajamas, leading him to start SCAW in 1970 with the distribution of 50 ‘bed kits’ in Pune, India.

Ms. Fields described the bed kits cost $35 each, and that they contain sleeping items needed for the children in the intended country such as a mattress or hammock, sheet or blanket, pajamas and anything else that fits the budget that the SCAW ground organizers in the area think would be beneficial.

Since the organization was founded, over 688,600 bed kits have been distributed to children in over 10 countries.

The UCW members commented following the presentation on what a great program it was.

The topic of SCAW was carried over during LCUC Pastor Jane Blannin-Bruleigh’s closing worship

Seaforth couple travels to the Philippines to help Sleeping Children

As posted by the Seaforth Huron Expositor, May 14, 2014
By Whitney South, Seaforth Huron Expositor

Chris and Gail Hills have always had a passion for helping children and nothing could be closer to their hearts than the needs of Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW).

Recently, the couple traveled to the Philippines as part of a group of volunteers to help hand out bed kits, a much needed service provided by SCAW in developing nations.

“The reality of living in third world countries is grim,” says Chris, explaining how just one bed kit can make the difference for an entire family. “They’ve got nothing and when you’re there helping, the experience is just overwhelming, they’re just so grateful.”

Donors for over 20 years, Chris says the couple never thought about actually traveling.

“I didn’t think I could handle it emotionally,” explained Chris. “A friend of mine I didn’t know was involved, encouraged me and I was hooked, once you’ve experienced something like this you just can’t get enough of it.”

An organization which provides bed kits to kids across the globe, SCAW is a group dedicated to making a difference in a child’s life, regardless of race or religion, who are in need and are typically located in underdeveloped and developing countries. On this trip, the group was able to distribute 6,000 kits, an annual goal they have been able to reach the past couple years.

Murray and Margaret Dryden of Etobicoke founded the charity in 1970, with the hope every child in the world could benefit from the comfort of a good night's sleep.

"It all started when Murray tripped over a child sleeping on pavement in India. He thought if that child could get a better night's sleep, he would be able to do better at school," said Chris. "I actually met a young man who still had his blanket and bed mat from a bed kit he got in 1998, he'd even taken it to university. He said it changed everything for him."

Since the organization began, SCAW has raised over $23 million in order to provide bed kits for children in 33 countries worldwide, reaching their millionth child in 2009.

According to the organization's website, not one penny of the $35 bed kit donation is spent on administration, 100 per cent goes to a needy child.

The couple had previously gotten the chance to travel to Sri Lanka together two years ago, while Chris has traveled several times over the past four years.

For Gail, the ability to interact with the children and their families was something she’ll never forget.

“There was one child who was so small, very very tiny. Because he was so small, I got down on my knees to him and I was giving him a bed kit when he spontaneously ran into my arms and I swung him around, it was a wonderful moment,” she said, smiling. “These moments really hit you, you’re in tears often.”

The bed kits provided contain much more than just items needed for a good night's sleep.

Besides a mat or mattress, pillow, sheet, blanket and mosquito net, children selected for the program also receive other necessities including a towel, flip flops and even school supplies. Contents vary from country to country depending on local needs, and products selected to be part of the kit are made and purchased from the countries where they’re distributed, in order to support the local economy.

After each kit is handed out, every child is photographed with the donor’s name and country, or special occasion message, on a label. Each photograph is then mailed to the donor as a way to help them remember the child who so greatly benefited from their gift.

In the Philippines, children and their families usually live in 10-foot by 8-foot tin shack with dirt floors and no running water and many only earn enough to spend $1 a day on food.

“The whole thing won’t work without donors, so it’s up to generous people out there to help give children a chance to improve their way of life,” Chris explained. “Spreading the word and getting people interested is so important, absolutely everything is volunteer based.”

For more information on how to donate to Sleeping Children Worldwide, visit www.scaw.org.

Chris Hills can be contacted at either kithills@hotmail.com, or by calling 519-522-1913.

Tolnai-Manning Hungarian Goulash

The Fourth Annual

Manning & Tolnai
Hungarian
Goulash Cookout

Homemade Pies, Cakes, Cookies,
Salads, Bread, and
Hungarian Goulash

Hastings, ON

Saturday August 23, 2014

$15 per person

(Children under 12 free)
100% of money will be donated to
Sleeping Children Around the World

Click graphic to see a larger version
and directions.

Volunteers work to help the impoverished

As published in the Stratford Beacon Herald, April 7, 2014.

by Donal O'Connor

City residents Doug MacDougald and Sue Orr will be heading off to Togo in West Africa on April 12 to distribute bedkits to impoverished families through the Canadian charity, Sleeping Children Around the World.

They will be part of a team of six volunteers delivering 5,000 bedkits to 5,000 very poor children, said MacDougald, who took part in a similar trip to Togo a year ago.

The country of about 6.6 million is bordered by Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso.

The team will deliver bedkits in 10 towns and villages, said McDougald, and he is very much looking forward to it. The Stratford veterinarian and business leader has been on several other trips as a volunteer with Sleeping Children.

A bedkit donation costs $ 35. Each kit delivers a mosquito net, bedding and ground sheet/ mattress, clothing and school supplies, all purchased in the country where the kits are handed out.

Volunteers with Sleeping Children pay their own way. Administrative costs not covered through donations are paid from a legacy fund established by the founders.

Since the charity began its bedkit distributions in India in 1970, more than 1.3- million kits have been handed out in 33 countries.

The charity works only with trusted volunteers, for example Rotary Clubs, in each country of distribution, and volunteers personally deliver the bedkits to children in need.

Each donor who contributes $ 35 receives a photo of the child who receives the bedkit, a newsletter from the travelling volunteers and a tax receipt.

For more information the Sleeping Children website is www.scaw.org.

Musicfest for Sleeping Children

As submitted by Stephanie Brander, St. John's York Mills Anglican Church

St. John's York Mills Anglican Church

once more presents MusicFest.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Performance at 2 p.m.

An amazing mix of Handbells, Chimes, Vocals, Band and Organ
combining to make a fun-filled concert for all.

Part of the proceeds go to Sleeping Children.

For tickets call 416-225-6611,
e-mail or visit on the Web.
Location: St. John's York Mills Anglican Church,
19 Don Ridge Drive, Close to Yonge/York Mills Subway in Toronto

Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
Free Parking – Wheelchair Accessible

Click poster to see a larger version

Leaside HS supports SCAW

Submitted by SCAW volunteer Marg Garrett, January 26, 2014.

Leaside High School

Thursday, February 27

7 pm to 9 pm

This year, Leaside High School is proud to support Sleeping Children Around the World in their annual fashion show.

The fashion show is a charitable fundraiser that raises school spirit and brings the Leaside community together for a spectacular night of fashion. The theme of this year’s show is Cinema where five different movie genres come to life!

They are Black & White, Comedy, Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi and Romance.

The show takes place on Thursday February 27th at Leaside High School (200 Hanna Rd) and goes from 7-9 pm.

A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door for $10 and all proceeds go towards Sleeping Children Around the World. Please come and join us for this fun filled night!

Palgrave students raise money for Sleeping Children Around the World

As published by the Caledon Enterprise, January 25, 2014.

By Matthew Strader

Palgrave Public School students are carrying on a school tradition in seeing that children around the world have a comfortable spot to rest their heads at night.

Dave Dryden and the Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) charity was back at the local school recently to show the results of the work the kids did last year. They raised enough money for 76 bed kits that will go to needy children in various locations about the globe.

Dryden showed a video from a recent trip to Africa, in which SCAW members were participating in local celebrations and gifting bed kits to the local children.

“When we start handing stuff out, you can see how excited they are,” he said. “That’s because of you.”

Every year, Palgrave Public School engages in a campaign to raise money for the bed kits – which contain clothing, school supplies, a mosquito net (if applicable) and bedding for needy children – in partnership with the Palgrave Rotary.

A thirty-five dollar donation provides for one bed kit.

In their 2013 campaign, the students raised enough money, along with their matching donation from Palgrave Rotary, for 62 bed kits.

Dreams of Harmony - SCAW Fundraiser

Submitted January 10, 2013 by SCAW Volunteer Clarence Deyoung.

Click graphic at right to see larger version.

Dreams of Harmony

Sunday, January 26, 2014
3 pm

St. Luke's United Church,
St. Margaret's Bay Rd.
Upper Tantallon

Freewill Donation
100% Net Proceeds donated to
Sleeping Children Around the World

With the You Gotta Sing! Chorus
Directed by Vanessa Lindsay Botten

Browne family helps give good night’s sleep to Third World children

As posted on Mississauga.com on December 13, 2013.

By Joseph Chin

MISSISSAUGA — Thirty-three years removed from his goaltending days in the National Hockey League, Dave Dryden still cuts an athletic figure, albeit with greyer hair.

Last night, reminiscent of the old days, he was caught in a scrum — only this time he wasn't mobbed by sports writers jostling for a post-game quote. This time he was surrounded by ordinary folks who care deeply for children half a world away.

Dryden was lending a bit of star power to Jim Browne’s fundraiser, held at Walkers Fish Market in Erin Mills, for Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW), an organization that donates bed kits to children in underdeveloped and developing countries. Each kit contains a mat, pillow, sheet, blanket, clothing, towel, school supplies and a mosquito net, if needed.

“A good night’s sleep really prepares these kids for school next day,” said Dryden. “It’s amazing what a world of difference a donation of $35 — the cost of a kit — can make in a kid’s life.”

Dryden notes that SCAW, unlike most charities, doesn’t incur any fundraising expense. Instead, it relies solely on word of mouth for donations, and fundraisers such as the Browne family’s Holiday Cheer.

What started out 11 years ago as a holiday get-together with neighbours and friends (hence the name Holiday Cheer) for the Sherwood Forrest family has developed in the past seven years into a fundraising juggernaut for SCAW.

“So far, I believe we’ve raised enough funds to equip 650 kits,” said Browne.

Last year, the kits were donated to Togo, a country in western Africa.

“If children in impoverished countries like Togo don’t have the money for a school uniform, they can’t go to school — it’s as simple as that,” Browne said.

The kits, he says, go a long way because they can benefit the entire family and a lot of the stuff can be handed down to younger children.

Since SCAW’s founding by Dryden’s parents, Murray and Margaret, in 1970, it has provided bed kits, at last count, for 1.3 million children in 33 countries.

“My father understood how vital a few hours of comfort and sleep are to help a child forget extreme temperatures, sickness, and pangs of hunger,” said Dryden. ”Every day SCAW works towards fulfilling his dream of a world in which every child benefits from the comfort of a good night's sleep.”

Officially, Dryden is SCAW’s chairman of the board since his dad’s death in 2004, “but mainly, I’m a volunteer,” he said.

Under his leadership over the last 12 years, SCAW has grown to distribute some 70,000 bed kits annually.

It’s this dedication of volunteers like himself that makes the organization successful. SCAW now operates out of the modest Dryden home in Etobicoke. It's staffed by women who have volunteered for decades, and any administrative expenses and the pay of the lone salaried employee is covered by an investment fund Murray Dryden left the charity. Every cent of each donation goes to the cause, says the younger Dryden.

“We want this charity to go on forever,” he said.

Local woman helps children get safe, comfortable sleep

As posted by the Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge Record, December 12, 2013.

Volunteers are leading social change right before our eyes. While we worry about Christmas shopping, the newest fashion trends and what our weekend plans are, there are 40,000 residents of Cambridge and North Dumfries thinking about how to help someone through their volunteer work this coming year.

Local resident Helen Scutt is a volunteer member of the United Way’s Community Impact Council.

She is also a “travelling volunteer” with a Toronto-based charity, Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW).

Her first trip with SCAW was to Kenya in 2010. She and her husband, Jim Howley, travelled with a team to India this year to distribute bedkits to 7,000 children identified in the greatest need.

The bedkits include a mosquito net to prevent malaria, sleeping mattress, blankets, school supplies and new clothes for the children.

The organization works with overseas partners, such as Rotary Clubs, who purchase the bedkit materials locally, identify bedkit recipients, and arrange volunteers for the distribution days.

Why does Helen volunteer?

“I volunteer with this organization because I see firsthand the positive impact it has, not just for the child who receives it, but the whole family. The smile on each child’s face as they receive their gift is such a joy!”

Helen set a personal goal to raise $50,000 for SCAW – that would be 1,429 bedkits, and in three years, she’s almost reached her goal with the support of family and friends.

“Each of us can make a difference – one child, one person at a time.”

United Way’s Volunteer Centre is here to help you connect to causes that matter to you.

Search our online volunteer opportunities database by visiting www.uwcambridge.on.ca and clicking on the Volunteer Centre tab. Or call 519-621-1030 ext. 253.

Jennifer Annett works for the United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries. This column shares stories of volunteers who are inspiring positive change in our community.

Dave Dryden receives Lifetime Achievement Award

As posted on The Etobicoke Guardian, December 10, 2013.

The Rotary Club of Toronto West Hosts the 15th Annual Rotary
Youth Impact Awards Dinner Friday, January 31st, 2014 at the Old Mill Inn

Dave Dryden to be honoured

The Rotary Club of Toronto West is proud to present its 15th annual Rotary Youth Impact Awards dinner and we need your support to make this a rousing success.

At this event, we recognize the efforts of individuals who, and organizations which, make a positive impact on youth.

The highlight of the evening is the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award, and this year’s recipient is sportsman and humanitarian Dave Dryden. For more than 20 years, Dave has committed himself to Sleeping Children Around the World a remarkable charitable organization which has distributed over 1.2 million bedkits to needy students in many parts of the world. These bedkits contribute to the children’s well being and gives them a better start in their education.

Five other awards are also presented during the evening, including two designated specifically to individuals under the age of 25 who have already displayed significant leadership and passion by serving others in their respective communities.

This event is a fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Toronto West and over the years we have used the net proceeds raised to fulfill our commitment to help youth achieve their potential in our local community and worldwide. We have, among other things, funded recreation programmes for physically and mentally disabled children at the YMCA, and skill training and counseling programmes for juvenile offenders. As well we have funded literacy programmes in Northern Ontario, distributed free dictionaries in our local elementary schools and purchased paediatric chairs for the Etobicoke General Hospital.

We want to continue serving our community in ways that give our most vulnerable children a better opportunity to enjoy their lives and a better opportunity to make a positive contribution to our society.

With your attendance at our event, we will be able to fulfill our goals. In fact a significant amount of the net proceeds raised from this year’s event will be used to purchase and distribute a large number of bedkits through Sleeping Children Around the World.

We look forward to your attendance at our event. For $150 per person you can enjoy a dinner and silent auction and have a lively and entertaining evening at the Old Mill Inn.

Please contact me for tickets and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,


Willis Rudy
The Rotary Club of Toronto West ● Tel: 416-233-3123 ● email: willis.rudy@sympatico.ca

Helen Scutt -- Focus on Volunteering

Submitted by the United Way Volunteer Centre, Cambridge and North Dumfries

As posted by the Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge Record, December 3, 2013.

Focus on Volunteering

December 2013: International Volunteer Day – celebrating grassroots change

International Volunteer Day is a global celebration of volunteers. Founded in 1985 by the United Nations, it takes place annually on December 5 to recognize volunteer efforts in our community, in our provinces and territories and across the world. Volunteers are leading social change right before our eyes. While we worry about Christmas shopping, the newest fashion trends, and what our weekend plans are, there are 40,000 residents of Cambridge and North Dumfries thinking about how to help someone through their volunteer work this coming year.

Helen Scutt is a volunteer member of the United Way’s Community Impact Council. She is also a ‘Travelling Volunteer’ with a Toronto-based charity, Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW). Her first trip with SCAW was to Kenya in 2010. She and her husband Jim Howley travelled with a team to India this year to distribute bedkits to 7,000 children identified in the greatest need. The bedkits include a mosquito net to prevent malaria, sleeping mattress, blankets, school supplies and new clothes for the children. The organization works with Overseas Partners, such as Rotary Clubs, who purchase the bedkit materials locally, identify bedkit recipients, and arrange volunteers for the distribution days.

Why does Helen volunteer? “I volunteer with this organization because I see firsthand the positive impact it has, not just for the child who receives it, but the whole family. The smile on each child’s face as they receive their gift is such a joy!” Helen set a personal goal to raise $50,000 for SCAW – that would be 1429 bedkits, and in three years, she’s almost reached her goal with the support of family and friends. “Each of us can ‘make a difference’- one child, one person at a time.”

Peterborough this Week -- What's On

As posted on My Kawartha, November 20, 2013.

By Paul Rellinger

• STUART McLEAN: Author, journalist, humourist and CBC Radio Vinyl Cafe host presents his unique take on life and current events, Showplace Performance Centre, 7 p.m., tickets at the box office or order at www.showplace.org

• INTERNATIONAL NIGHT OF MUSIC AND DANCE: 3rd annual show in support of Habitat For Humanity and Sleeping Children Around The World featuring B Flat Jazz Ensemble, Accademia Musica Violin Ensemble, Mercy Steelwood, Alan Godfrey, Water’s Edge, Dub Trinity and the Kenner Dance Team, Kenner Collegiate, 633 Monaghan Rd., 6 p.m., tickets $20 ($10 students) at Kenner

• CATFISH WILLIE & THE BUCKLE BUSTERS: At the Black Horse, 450 George St. N., 7:30 p.m.

...

A sound sleep and a little hope

As posted by Halifax Herald News, the September 23, 2013.

By Kelly Shiers, Staff Reporter

Charity provides sleeping kits, clothes to desperately poor children around the world

Clarence Deyoung understands what $35 can buy for a needy kid in a country like Sri Lanka.

The list goes something like this: A ground mat, sheet, towel, pillow and pillowcase. One pair of new shoes. Two skirts for the girls. Two pairs of shorts for the boys. Two T-shirts. Seven school books. A mosquito net to ward off malaria-carrying insects.

And hope.

“The smile that $35 brings to these kids’ faces is unbelievable. It’s like Christmas over and over again,” said Deyoung, who just returned from his 26th trip as a volunteer with the Canada-based charity Sleeping Children Around the World.

“In many cases, this will be the only thing these kids will get new in their lives.”

Deyoung, a retired businessman from Pomquet, first heard of Sleeping Children Around the World (www.scaw.org) from his daughter, who had learned about the organization at school.

The idea appealed to him, he said. A $35-donation provides one bed kit with bedding, clothes and school supplies for a child in a developing country. Volunteers who distribute the bed kits pay their own travel expenses and no part of the donation money is used to cover administration costs, he said.

In 1989, after meeting the charity’s founders, Deyoung went on his first trip.

Now 26 trips later, Deyoung has to stop to think when asked what countries he’s visited.

“India, Bangladesh, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador, the Philippines, Togo and Sri Lanka,” he says.

There have been five trips to India. This was his fourth trip to Sri Lanka.

He was two weeks in that country, with the other volunteers. It took 26 hours to get to Sri Lanka from Toronto, and then there was a nine-hour bus drive from its capital to the rural areas where 4,000 kids waited for their kits.

The kit items were purchased locally by Rotary club volunteers there, after consulting with parents to see what the children needed. The Rotary, using the charity’s criteria, also picked the recipients.

Sleeping Children Around the World volunteers were on hand to make sure the kits were distributed properly. They also take pictures of each child with the donated kit, which is sent back to the kit’s donor.

“We go over there as travelling volunteers to be the eyes and ears of our donors. We want to see that it’s a good bed kit. We want to see that it’s a needy child. We want to see that the items in the bed kit are of good quality,” he said.

This trip, the children’s feet were measured for shoes. Deyoung says he watched as many of the children, wearing the only clothes they owned, picked out the first pair of shoes they’ve ever worn.

Deyoung is already thinking about his next trip with the charity — likely back to Sri Lanka. In the meantime, there are plenty of local projects that he also is involved with.

“I have a belief that whether you are in Canada or in a developing country, there are people in need. I believe that all of us who are able to do so, should do whatever we can to help the less fortunate, whether it’s in our backyard or across the world.”

And that comes with its own reward, he said, recalling the looks on the children’s faces in Sri Lanka.

“It just gives these people such a boost and a little bit of hope that there is someone out there who cares about them,” he said.