NORTHSHORE GIVING BACK
Deep Roots Grow a Legacy
2019
If you'd like to help support Ronald McDonald House Charities (Toronto) , click the image above to visit their website.
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CANADA
April 2019
After our son Maxwell was born 3 months early, Ronald McDonald House Toronto housed us while he was being cared for at Mount Sinai Hospital.
In those days, I remember breathing a sigh of relief and tears rolling down my face as we stepped into our room. It's strange how having a proper bed, a door that you can shut and know a nurse won't come through in a few minutes (no matter how incredibly wonderful they may be), and some food that isn't from a hospital or a take-out bag can have such an emotional impact on you after more than 5 weeks of hospital life. We could not understate just how much we appreciated RMHC, and in thanks for their care towards us and all those who stay there, they were the first charity Northshore supported.
May 2019
Starlight is extra special to our family because not only have they given Tyson and the rest of our children many happy memories, they also had the same impact on their dad when he was a kid.
For kids who are chronically ill like Johnny, Starlight provides a break from the stress or even the pain of everyday life, and for kids like Tyson who are limited in the way they get to interact with the world around them, they provide opportunities for them to experience things they never would have been able to otherwise.
The thought that the program directors put into each event really shows, and because we are so thankful for the way they have given to our family, we're happy to support them as they give to other families.
If you'd like to learn more or to help support Starlight Children's Foundation Canada, click the image above to visit their website.
If you'd like to learn more or to help support Envisage, click the image above to visit their website.
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June 2019
Envisage provides support to anyone facing unplanned pregnancy or pregnancy related difficulty. This is an invaluable resource to many women and families in our local area, and we are so happy they exist.
As many of you know, our son Tyson was adopted. With only the limited amount of information we have on his social history, it's quite clear that his birth mother and father had every excuse in the world to make a different choice, but they didn't. And because of that, we have our beautiful boy. There are so many reasons to be thankful that there's a safe place like this in our community for women to receive support and understanding, and children like Tyson are the biggest reasons of all.
HANDS AND FEET BARRIE
July 2019
Hands and Feet was supported by us because we live in the Northeast end of Barrie. We love our downtown, but we also can't pretend like there's not a lot of people who frequent it in need of some help. With that in mind, we chose to support Hands and Feet to help them meet the practical needs of those people.
Every five weeks on a Saturday, the DiCristo’s and helpers provide up to 180 meals at the Salvation Army kitchen in downtown Barrie.
6-8 times through the summer season, Nino and helpers provide a full BBQ meal for people in boarding homes around Barrie.
4-5 times in the winter season Nino and helpers provide over 100 fresh bag lunches to people they have come to know.
You too can be the Hands and Feet of God by assisting with your time, talent, and treasure the outreach of the DiCristo team.
If you'd like to learn more or to help support Hands & Feet, click the image above to visit their website.
If you'd like to learn more or to help support Alegre Sonido de Dios, click the image above to visit their website.
August 2019
The Blackburn family is dear to our hearts because we can so clearly remember their life-altering transition as we watched our fellow church-members leave everything they had - house, business, family, and friends - and move to Peru to follow God's will for their lives. Not only is that exciting to see, but extremely encouraging, as the work they are doing is such a wonderful thing to be a part of, even if only through prayer and finances.
They now live in Puerto Maldonado with project Alegre Sonido de Dios, a home for children of all ages who have suffered at the hands of their abusers, and have cared for over 25 children who have come from varying backgrounds including sexual abuse, violent abuse, abandonment, and orphans.
Scott and Tracy provide a caring, loving home where the children can heal, so they may interact and maintain a close relationship with their new family, assuring a smooth re-integration into society.
If you'd like to learn more or to help support the Barrie Food Bank, click the image above to visit their website.
With Thanksgiving so close and Christmas just around the corner, there was no real question as to what organization we would donate to this month.
This is a time of year where many of us look forward to special gatherings and meals with family and friends, and the Barrie Food Bank works tirelessly to make sure everyone can share a meal together, even if it is a modest one.
In addition to providing food for those in need, the Barrie Food Bank encourages self sufficiency, as well as personal and family well being. We've seen the paper bags at your doors on our door-hanger walks so please consider filling one and delivering it to your closest drop off location!
September 2019
October 2019
If you'd like to learn more or to help support Aubrey's Act, click the image above to visit their website.
When we discovered Aubrey's Act this past month during infant loss awareness month, it was an immediate response that we needed to sponsor them. Leading up to our son Maxwell's birth at 28 weeks gestation last year, we also spent 5 weeks in Mount Sinai's high risk obstetrics unit, and saw just how quickly parents can go from scared but hopeful, to completely devastated. We were comforted in knowing that parents there were given time with their little angels before having to say their final goodbyes, so we're so thankful that Aubrey's Act took on the task of raising the funds for a CuddleCot for RVH to allow parents from our community the same chance.
No parent should have to rush their last goodbye, especially when it's when they should be saying their first hello. No parent should have to worry about how they will pay for their baby's funeral. No parent should avoid grief counselling simply because they can't afford it.
For those reasons, and for the many heart broken parents left behind by their sweet babies born into heaven, we have decided to support Aubrey's Act this month.
Living in the northeast end of Barrie and frequenting the downtown core, we've come to love and appreciate all the Hope City does for the people who live there. This month, we chose to support one of their ministries, Higher Grounds Coffee House by purchasing $5 gift cards for some
November 2019
If you'd like to learn more or to help support Hope City, click the image above to visit their website.
gift bags to be hand delivered to some rooming houses downtown this Christmas. Higher Grounds is a volunteer-driven, non-profit, charitable, community-building social enterprise where coffee fuels compassion! Hope City is a growing community of people dedicated to bringing hope to our city and our world - one life at a time - by loving and caring for each other in their words and actions. Hope is a Community, a Centre, a Support System, a School...and also a Church! They believe that the source of our hope for all aspects of life and society is in following Jesus together, and do this in community with one another, offering counselling, mentoring, support groups, courses, and mentorships. They also offer a listening, compassionate ear as friends, and a place for everyone to come and belong.