The Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto awarded a Vital Ideas grant

TORONTO, May 2, 2013 /CNW/ - The Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious Vital Ideas grant from the Toronto Community Foundation. The program provides community organizations with up to $30,000 over one year to increase their capacity in order to expand their reach, share their experience, and better sustain their impact.

NWRCT will use the Vital Ideas grant to further develop Debwein Kwe Sharing Circles, a social enterprise that promotes dialogue between the urban Aboriginal community in Toronto and non-Aboriginal service agencies through speaking engagements. NWRCT staff members, in partnership with volunteers or clients with lived experience of a particular issue, deliver a wide range of presentations to educate, inform and challenge assumptions about urban Aboriginal women and their children.

"We are extremely pleased to be recognized by the Toronto Community Foundation and awarded this prestigious grant," says NWRCT President, Laure Fournier. "The award will let us share knowledge of the lived experiences of Toronto's Aboriginal women, and our Aboriginal history and culture, which we hope will foster greater understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities."

Vital Ideas is one of three Toronto Community Foundation grant programs made possible through its Vital Toronto Fund, a strategic community endowment identifies and assists high-impact organizations that work for social change by addressing the root causes of the trends identified in the Toronto's Vital Signs® Report.

"Our support of NWRCT is the first step in a very important journey to wider community impact," says Toronto Community Foundation's President & CEO Rahul K. Bhardwaj. "We are pleased to support their effectiveness so they can continue to thrive, build on their great work to date and build a stronger Toronto."

Background

About the Native Women's Resource Centre

The Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT) supports Aboriginal women and their children in the Greater Toronto Area. The centre offers life- enhancing resources, cultural ceremonies and teachings, skill development, and programs to build capacity and celebrate Aboriginal cultures.

The work and direction at the Centre is guided by the Seven Grandfather teachings: Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth. The teachings, traditions, and cultures are incorporated in all of its activities.

NWRCT is the recipient of the 2012 City of Toronto's Aboriginal Affairs Award, Toronto Community Foundation's Vital Peoples Grant, Metcalf Foundation's Opportunities Fund Grant and Atkinson Foundation's Poverty Relief Grant.

Visit us at: nwrct.ca

Toronto Community Foundation

With more than 340 endowment funds and assets under administration of more than $250 million, the Toronto Community Foundation is one of Canada's largest public charitable foundations. Our mission is to connect philanthropy to community needs and opportunities, all with a vision to make Toronto the best place to live, work, learn and grow, through the power of giving.

SOURCE: Native Women's Resource Centre Of Toronto

For further information:

Contacts:

Crystal Melin,
Executive Director
[e-mail]
416-963-9663

Simone Dalton
Manager, Media Relations & Communications
Toronto Community Foundation [e-mail]
416-921-2035 ext. 218