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The Learning Enrichment Foundation<br />

<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong>


The LEF family is<br />

made up of many faces.<br />

Rich expressions of determination, hope, reflecting<br />

deep relationships that enable change.<br />

Change found in …<br />

The thousands of individuals that<br />

look to us for support.<br />

Their faces deep with determination.<br />

Their children’s faces alight with laughter<br />

Full of hope and the future.<br />

The hundreds of employers<br />

Who support us financially, morally, and above all,<br />

commit to hiring locally<br />

The dozens of funders<br />

Whose trust we rely on to bridge the gaps found in<br />

community<br />

<strong>Community</strong> Neighbours<br />

Whose energy we leverage to make things richer<br />

and more vibrant<br />

The employees of LEF and their families<br />

Who remain determined to effect change<br />

Positive change, that builds on the strengths of<br />

Individuals<br />

Employers<br />

Funders<br />

And <strong>Community</strong><br />

This year’s<br />

annual report<br />

is a celebration<br />

of wealth.<br />

Wealth of spirit.<br />

Wealth of<br />

relationships.<br />

Wealth of family.<br />

Board of Directors<br />

2009-2010 EXECUTIVE:<br />

Ed Lamoureux – President<br />

Grace Nalbandian – Vice-President<br />

Rev. Louise Mahood – Vice-President<br />

Dr. Kathleen Macdonald – Secretary<br />

Fergy Brown – Past-President<br />

Members:<br />

Wendy Agnew<br />

Daniel Lang<br />

John Blair<br />

Bob Churchill<br />

Sam Cole<br />

Jennifer Venart-Sym<br />

Simon Jennings<br />

Devon MacDonald<br />

James McLeod<br />

Mike Wilder<br />

Ed Lamoureux<br />

Peter Frampton


The Learning Enrichment Foundation was<br />

founded more than 30 years ago to respond<br />

to the needs of the former city of York. Since<br />

its inception, LEF has developed a mix of<br />

programs and services, including; child care,<br />

youth programs, settlement services, language<br />

training, skills advancement programs and<br />

courses, employment services and community<br />

enterprises.<br />

Mission Statement<br />

The Learning Enrichment Foundation provides<br />

integrated and holistic community responsive<br />

initiatives that enable individuals and families<br />

to become valued contributors to their<br />

community’s social and economic development.<br />

Vision<br />

Our vision of the future is one of Healthy<br />

Communities that:<br />

• Enrich and empower all members<br />

• Celebrate diversity, are inclusive and<br />

• Provide a high quality of life<br />

To sustain our Healthy Communities, we<br />

envision, advocate, promote and work towards<br />

a vibrant and socially-responsible economy,<br />

providing:<br />

• Full and meaningful work<br />

• Accessible, high-quality child care<br />

• Lifelong learning opportunities and supports,<br />

and<br />

• Concerted efforts to eradicate poverty and<br />

engage its citizens<br />

Principles and Values<br />

We believe in:<br />

• The dignity, respect and value of individuals<br />

• Working to restore/enhance self-sufficiency<br />

and self-determination for clients<br />

• An inclusive community focus<br />

• Celebrating diversity<br />

• Justice and compassion<br />

• Integrity in programming and accountability to<br />

stakeholders<br />

• Promoting creativity and innovation<br />

• Collaboration, cooperation and sharing<br />

• Being proactive, flexible, multi-faceted and<br />

practical in our approach<br />

• Being responsive to community needs<br />

• Commitment, high professionalism and<br />

integrity of our staff<br />

Neighbourhood<br />

Strategy<br />

LEF provided a full range of supports for people<br />

who access our programs and services. In 2009:<br />

1,135 families accessed our child care services,<br />

enabling them to work without worry.<br />

632 youths were engaged in leadership and<br />

mentorship programs, with a total of 401<br />

recorded volunteer hours in those programs.<br />

624 first-time newcomer clients accessed<br />

settlement supports.<br />

LEF supported more than 500 newcomers with<br />

language training.<br />

328 people graduated from our training<br />

programs and over 70 per cent found<br />

employment within 16 short weeks of<br />

completing their courses.<br />

strategies for innovative supports. In 2009, we<br />

continued this work, while concentrating on<br />

providing increasingly mobile and integrated<br />

services. We are working to meet people where<br />

they are in the community.<br />

We also continued in 2009 to focus on our<br />

work around building relationships and<br />

breaking social isolation. The centerpiece of<br />

this is our new Town Square at the heart of<br />

our building. We acknowledged a lack of large<br />

community spaces in the Weston-Mount Dennis<br />

community, as well as functioning space at our<br />

116 Industry Street site. The Town Square is a<br />

15,000 square-foot space constructed with the<br />

help of community members, staff, clients and<br />

University of <strong>Toronto</strong> students, making this a<br />

space owned by more than LEF. Within a day<br />

of construction, this space became a vibrant<br />

meeting place, bustling with people. Even<br />

though construction has continued around this<br />

space, events, gatherings, lunches, meetings and<br />

graduations are regular happenings.<br />

Employee Retirements<br />

This year, LEF said goodbye to many<br />

talented and valued employees. We offer<br />

our sincerest thanks and best wishes to<br />

our friends:<br />

Retired Tenure at LEF Department<br />

Bill Russell October 2009 2 Years Youth HOST<br />

Velma Russell December 2009 14 Years Food Services<br />

Lucia Vargas January 2010 22 Years Child Care Services<br />

Abdirahman Kabiro April 2010 7.5 Years Maintenance<br />

Our employment services helped 415 people find<br />

employment. We continue to recruit for over 560<br />

companies.<br />

Individually, these supports are essential in our<br />

community. Together, they make a proverbial<br />

impact.<br />

In 2008, we explored ways of enhancing our<br />

services to break the cycles of poverty. We<br />

researched community needs, evaluated our<br />

services and moved forward with focused


Hidden:<br />

Newcomer experiences<br />

of homelessness at<br />

the Fred Victor <strong>Centre</strong><br />

and The Learning<br />

Enrichment Foundation<br />

In the fall of 2009, The Learning<br />

Enrichment Foundation and the Fred<br />

Victor <strong>Centre</strong> developed a short-term<br />

research project to better understand<br />

the experiences of homeless<br />

newcomers. The project, funded by<br />

Citizenship and Immigration Canada,<br />

was meant to discover how both<br />

organizations could more effectively<br />

address the housing and support needs<br />

of newcomers.<br />

39%<br />

Our Research<br />

1%<br />

The research provides a snapshot of the demographics,<br />

challenges and service pathways of<br />

homeless newcomers working with the Fred<br />

Victor <strong>Centre</strong> and The Learning Enrichment<br />

Foundation. It uncovers the professional development<br />

needs and service gaps within each<br />

organization.<br />

Statistical Findings<br />

13 %<br />

• 15 per cent of newcomers served through<br />

LEF’s newcomer services are homeless. The<br />

largest percentage of homeless newcomers<br />

was found in Newcomer Settlement Services,<br />

followed by Youth Services and Language<br />

Training.<br />

• 72 per cent of LEF’s homeless newcomers<br />

are women, speaking to the disproportionate<br />

number of immigrant women living in<br />

poverty.<br />

• 24 per cent of LEF’s homeless newcomers<br />

are under 24.<br />

25%<br />

9% 5% 6%<br />

Housed Shelter Fri/Fam Overcrowed Unsafe/Health Abuse Face Evicon<br />

• Most of LEF’s homeless newcomers, (57 per<br />

cent) speak Spanish as their first language.<br />

The other two most common languages<br />

spoken by LEF’s homeless newcomers are<br />

English and Somali. All three languages are<br />

reflective of LEF’s neighbourhood profile.<br />

• 87 per cent of our homeless newcomers are<br />

permanent residents or convention refugees.<br />

• The majority of LEF’s homeless newcomers<br />

have been in Canada for less than three years.<br />

Housing Conditions of LEF’s<br />

Homeless Newcomers<br />

• LEF newcomer clients who are currently<br />

housed are known to be on Ontario Works<br />

and paying market rent. This means that this<br />

group is spending more than 30 per cent of<br />

their income on housing, which makes them<br />

vulnerable to become homeless. Moreover,<br />

in the case of LEF, we see a considerable<br />

number of homeless newcomers are either<br />

staying with friends/families (13 per cent) or<br />

in overcrowded housing conditions. (25 per<br />

cent). We can conclude that this group continues<br />

to depend on their informal networks<br />

for housing survival and not on mainstream<br />

emergency housing services.<br />

• Of the 18 per cent of newcomers who stayed<br />

in shelters, nearly all stayed in refugee housing<br />

rather than mainstream shelters.<br />

• Seven per cent of newcomers reported abuse<br />

as the cause of their homelessness. These<br />

people were most often found in Language<br />

Training programs.<br />

Trends<br />

Affordability and lack of information emerged<br />

as the most prominent barriers to accessing or<br />

maintaining housing.<br />

The importance of informal networks also came<br />

out clearly as a dominant theme. Service users<br />

cited again and again that they get the majority<br />

of their information and housing support<br />

from family, friends, and faith or cultural<br />

communities.<br />

Recommendations<br />

• Develop partnerships between housing/homelessness<br />

and settlement services<br />

• Foster working relationships to share expertise,<br />

resources and referrals between housing/<br />

homelessness and settlement services<br />

• Assess feasibility to incorporate structured<br />

housing services in the new model of service<br />

delivery of LEF Newcomer Services<br />

• Strengthen collaboration of LEF Employment<br />

Services and Newcomer Services to address<br />

affordability barriers among other settlement<br />

issues<br />

• Modify LEF newcomer intake processes<br />

to identify newcomers housing needs and<br />

institutionalize and review record keeping<br />

systems to facilitate case management<br />

• Assess the effectiveness of past and existing<br />

housing initiatives and modify accordingly to<br />

meet newcomers’ various needs<br />

• Formalize participation in policy advocacy<br />

forums addressing the specific housing needs<br />

of newcomers<br />

• Increase awareness among LEF staff about<br />

appropriate resources and referrals for housing<br />

in the community<br />

• Provide basic housing training to strategic<br />

frontline workers<br />

• Develop relationships with housing agencies<br />

serving newcomers to share models of service<br />

delivery<br />

• Expand resources and information materials<br />

in languages other than English<br />

• Strengthen and review existing working relations<br />

with housing agencies, community legal<br />

clinics, landlord associations, newcomer reception<br />

centres, and other key players; create<br />

new relationships where appropriate<br />

• Increase awareness about the housing realities<br />

of newcomers throughout all LEF programs.<br />

• Conduct homeless awareness campaigns<br />

targeting all LEF programs modeling previous<br />

awareness campaigns such the Education<br />

Savings Incentive Program<br />

• Centralize LEF and the community’s housing<br />

resources and tools and make them<br />

available to all staff<br />

• Provide housing related training to staff<br />

working directly with newcomers<br />

• Tailor outreach and promotional activities to<br />

embrace informal networks including ethnospecific<br />

and religious communities in order to<br />

reach out to a greater number of newcomers<br />

within their first months (years) in the<br />

country.<br />

Moving forward, LEF will use this information<br />

to strengthen our work and partnerships to ensure<br />

the best possible experience for newcomers<br />

to Canada.


LEF<br />

Child Care:<br />

Innovation<br />

and Resilience<br />

with a Caring<br />

Heart<br />

History<br />

For over a quarter of a century, The Learning<br />

Enrichment Foundation has filled a community<br />

void by offering quality child care. Our service<br />

has evolved from simple preschool and schoolaged<br />

care into infant and toddler centres that are<br />

strategically connected to local high schools. This<br />

enables teen moms to continue their studies. Our<br />

newest Best Start centres are designed to build the<br />

perfect relationship between the schools and child<br />

care. At LEF, we recognize that each centre is a<br />

miniature community hub, a place for parents to<br />

connect with services that will help them realize<br />

their dreams and a place for children to get the<br />

head start they need to be successful in life.<br />

Vital Ideas<br />

The innovative work of The Learning Enrichment<br />

Foundation has been recognized by the <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

<strong>Community</strong> Foundation’s Vital Ideas program. In<br />

our plan, Curriculum Measurement for Vulnerable<br />

Communities, we are leveraging our work to<br />

understand more deeply the challenges of our<br />

neighbours. We’re building on LEF’s integrated,<br />

holistic curriculum that includes an enhanced<br />

literacy program. And we have partnered with<br />

Mothercraft to look very closely at the Early<br />

Development Index results of children in our<br />

centres. This information will be used in our<br />

curriculum to help boost the scores of the children<br />

we serve, ensuring that children in our care are<br />

better prepared for success within the school<br />

system.<br />

Child and Family Unit<br />

In response to the identified needs of families who<br />

use our child care centres, and to help us prepare<br />

for the impact of All-Day Learning on child<br />

care, LEF has created a Child and Family Unit<br />

that taps expertise from across the organization.<br />

We recognize that children will need more<br />

focused supports to prepare for an all-day school<br />

experience at age four. We know parents are in<br />

need of local resources that are easy to access<br />

during their busy lives. The Child and Family<br />

Unit will build that integrated response over the<br />

next few years, broadening LEF’s effect upon 33<br />

neighbourhoods across the old city of York and in<br />

North Etobicoke.<br />

As we look to the future, we are excited about the<br />

possibilities to be more effective. For example,<br />

the Family Grouping model of child care delivery<br />

will enable us to work intensively with families<br />

and their children from infants to preschool, in<br />

the same room with the same supportive staff.<br />

Our families would benefit from consistent parent<br />

education from the dedicated staff, right up until<br />

the moment children enter the school system.<br />

We are embracing change with an entrepreneurial<br />

spirit, a critical eye on local needs and a caring<br />

heart.


Moving Forward Strategy<br />

Highlights<br />

25 Good Ideas<br />

(Child Care Parent Engagement)<br />

The Neighbourhood Survey done in late 2008 revealed that only 34 per<br />

cent of parents spent five minutes or more in the child care centres. This<br />

indicates that parents are time stressed and therefore are not able to take<br />

the time to build relationships with other parents or staff at the child<br />

care centres. To encourage greater participation in centre events and<br />

activities, we provided each centre with a small budget to find unique<br />

ways to help parents build strong neighbourhood networks of friends.<br />

The ideas include; getting bouncers for school or site events, parent<br />

workshops or celebration nights, developing a book-lending library and<br />

building a Kindergarten readiness program in partnership with a school<br />

where a child care centre is located.<br />

These strategies bring parents together and help them begin the<br />

conversations that will lead to relationships. For those with many<br />

relationships in their lives, it is easy to forget how much support<br />

they provide in terms of sharing a meal, a ride or caring for children.<br />

Without these supports, families are increasingly stressed and socially<br />

isolated, leading to poorer mental and physical health. Creating greater<br />

connections to the community for parents and their children is the basic<br />

building block of a strong community.


Thank you<br />

to all Learning<br />

Enrichment<br />

Foundation<br />

employees<br />

At times, the strengths, dreams, skills and drive<br />

of those who come to us can be overwhelming.<br />

Yet, we do not get overwhelmed. We come<br />

together and support each other by pulling out<br />

all the stops, using all of our connections and<br />

intellect to lend a hand.<br />

At times, the reports, administrative minutiae,<br />

policies and procedures, criteria, rules and<br />

regulations can overwhelm us. Yet, we do not get<br />

overwhelmed. We band together, laugh through<br />

our shared experience and lend a helping hand.<br />

We get the job done.<br />

We have had the fortune to see rooms full-tobursting<br />

with laughter, camaraderie, love and<br />

respect. We have experienced so many moments<br />

when employees came together to achieve the<br />

impossible within impossible time frames.<br />

These are honours we all share. Thank you to our<br />

employees, who transform impossibility every<br />

day, and create the possible.<br />

Rubina ABBASI<br />

Shahira ABDEL-NOUR<br />

Priscilla ABOLOR<br />

Ikette ABOUSAWAN<br />

Halima ABUKAR<br />

Grace ADDAI<br />

Rita AGBASI<br />

Masooma AKBARI<br />

Najiba AKBARI<br />

Mansoureh ALASTI<br />

Amal ALI<br />

Saida ALI<br />

Waheeda ALI<br />

Peimaneh Serena ALIPOUR<br />

Margarida ALMEIDA<br />

Jamilah AMANZANI<br />

Augusta AMBOSTA<br />

Rose AMENHEN<br />

Shakara ANDEM<br />

Carmen ANDRADE<br />

Effie ANDRICOPOULOS<br />

Gloria ANUAT<br />

Melissa APPS<br />

Melanie ARAUJO<br />

Debbie ARCHER<br />

Asha ARORA<br />

Comfort ASANTEWAH<br />

Faustina ASARE<br />

Nana ASARE<br />

Ibyemi Christiana ASEBIODE<br />

Catherine ASPENLIEDER<br />

Arshia AZAM<br />

Zaiboon BACCHUS<br />

Darri BEAULIEU<br />

Olivia BEDAI-MANI<br />

Bidyutprava BEHERA<br />

Steliyana BELOVSKA<br />

Emirjeta BELSHI<br />

Andrew BENSKIN<br />

Omati BHAGALOO<br />

Suzana M. BIONDIC<br />

Rennai BLAIR<br />

Henrietta BOATENG<br />

Antonella BOSCO<br />

Jean-Marie BOUTOT<br />

Sandra P. BOYCE<br />

Beverley BRAHAM-SEWELL<br />

Darcea BRATHWAITE<br />

Benita BRUCE<br />

Michael BRYAN<br />

Liljana BUDINI<br />

Edith L. CABANAS<br />

Rosa Catalina CAMARGO<br />

Karen CAMPBELL<br />

R. Robin CAMPBELL<br />

Iva CELCIMA<br />

Carol CHARLES<br />

Kehkashan (Kacy) CHOHAN<br />

Varoodhini CHRYSOSTOM<br />

Joan CLARKE<br />

Andrea COCKRANE<br />

David COHEN<br />

Brima CONTEH<br />

Hyma CORBETTE<br />

Maria CORDEIRO<br />

Rose COULTON<br />

Colin COWIE<br />

Meghan Leigh CURRIE<br />

Lisa Yuen Man CRESSWELL-FUNG<br />

Marian CURTIN-BEDARD<br />

Grace DAMPSON<br />

Ethel DAUZ<br />

Leslie Ann DAVIS<br />

Angela DE BARTOLO<br />

Maria DE BELLIS<br />

Franca DE LUCA<br />

Joyce DEI<br />

Laura S. DELSOLE<br />

Louise DIKSCHEI<br />

Daniela DIPRIZIO<br />

Brenda DIXON<br />

Hilda B. D’JAN<br />

Juliana DONKOR<br />

Zamzam DUALE<br />

Sadia DUALEH<br />

Jerzy (Smokey) DYMNY<br />

Barbara A. EBERLEIN<br />

Augustina EDWARDS<br />

Fernander EDWARDS<br />

Osamudiamen EGHAREVBA<br />

Mirian ESPINOSA<br />

Carine EVANS<br />

Cheryl A. EVES<br />

Gladys EZO<br />

Stacey FACEY<br />

Julie FARQUHAR<br />

Naheed FATIMA<br />

Silvana FEMIA<br />

Rose FAMIYEH<br />

Natasha FERRARI<br />

Dainna L. FLETCHER<br />

Akosua FORIWA<br />

Peter A. FRAMPTON<br />

Anthone Akbar FUARD<br />

Hiranthi FUARD<br />

Maria Grazia GAGLIARDI<br />

Otensa GARDNER<br />

Neserita P. GASCON<br />

Lois GAYLE<br />

Jackie GEORGE<br />

Ruben GEORGE<br />

Tharshinee GERAD<br />

Sohaila GHAZHAVI<br />

Nermin GJERMENI<br />

Olesya GLEBA<br />

Alan GOLLOM<br />

Iryna GOLUBYEVA<br />

Maria GONZALEZ<br />

Mahiar GOORANI<br />

Lilieth GORDON<br />

Rita GORELENKO<br />

Ina GORISHTI<br />

Sally GRAYSON<br />

Marianne GREEN<br />

Wendell GRIFFITH<br />

Mira GUINCHO<br />

Ayaan GURE<br />

Dianangela GUTIERREZ<br />

Maylene HAMER<br />

Vincent HANEY<br />

Muhammad HANIF<br />

Rixie V. HARTMAN<br />

Abdi Abdullahi HASHISED<br />

Cajup HAXHIREXHA<br />

Colin A. HERCULES<br />

Robyn HOOGENDAM<br />

Andrew HOLETON<br />

Shawn HUGGINS<br />

Denise T. INCE<br />

Lilia ISAGUNDE-CROLLY<br />

Osman ISMAIL<br />

Telina JACKSON<br />

Mehri JALILVAND<br />

Janina JANCZURA<br />

Katri JANES<br />

Suranimalage JINADASA<br />

Natalee Antoinette JOHNSON<br />

Gorden JOYCE<br />

Rocio JURADO<br />

Nasrin KABIR<br />

Leili KAHEH<br />

Iwona KANAREK<br />

Ingrid KASSEE<br />

Balwinder KAUR<br />

Ji Hee KIM<br />

Claudia KING-MORGAN<br />

Teresa Renata KRUPA<br />

Comfort KYEI-BOATENG<br />

Hin-Wah (Ben) LAM<br />

Sherry L. LAWRENCE<br />

Jennifer LEE QUI<br />

Karen Pang LEE<br />

Thelma LEE<br />

Everit LEVY<br />

Yan Lydia LI<br />

Tania LINDO<br />

Suzanne LIOU-ROBINSON<br />

Judeen LONGMORE<br />

Eileen LONGSON<br />

Carminda LOPEZ<br />

Dorota MACZAK<br />

Deborah MACEDO<br />

Rehema MAINA<br />

Aimee MALANGYAON<br />

Josie MALFARA<br />

Navtej K. MAND<br />

Mitra MANI MOGHADDAM<br />

Bibi MARIAPEN<br />

Peter MARINELLI<br />

Helena MARSZALKOWSKI<br />

Maxine Madge MARTIN<br />

Elisa MARTINEZ<br />

Odelta MARTINEZ<br />

Sara MARTINS<br />

Cevoius MASSENAT<br />

Elizabeth MAVROIDIS<br />

Babur Mohammd MAWLADIN<br />

Shawn M. MC ARTHUR<br />

Janice T. K. MCGANN<br />

Coleen MCGRATH<br />

Patrick MCNAMARA<br />

Charlene MILLER<br />

Yota MINGO-ADAMS<br />

Carmen MIRANDA<br />

Sona MIRZOYAN<br />

Sabine MIZINGA<br />

Zahir MOHAMADHOSEN<br />

Rahma MOHAMED<br />

Carlene MONCRIEFFE<br />

Valentina MUKA<br />

Jeanette MURRAY-COCHRANE<br />

Naeema NABAVI<br />

Anna NADOLSKA<br />

Ida NDUNDA<br />

Jan NEUNDORF<br />

Michelle NICHOLLS<br />

Roda NOOR<br />

Blessing OKORODUDU<br />

Caitlin Linh ONG<br />

Joyce OSCAR-HARVE


Lori PACITTO-PECORA<br />

Sandra PARTIPILO<br />

Raymond PATTERSON<br />

Janet PAZ<br />

Adele E. PEDEN<br />

Carol T. PEMBERTON<br />

Lolita PERSAUD<br />

Svetlana PETROVIC<br />

Gail PIERRE<br />

Yanira POLANCO<br />

Densil PROSPER<br />

Thilagaranee PULENDRAN<br />

Nooria RAHIM<br />

Linette RAMPAUL<br />

Bebi Fazia RASUL<br />

Clevelett REID<br />

Tinesha REID<br />

Art REKHTIN<br />

Heather M. REPTON<br />

Pamela RICHARDSON<br />

Antonia Angela RIITANO<br />

Geraldine RILEY<br />

Fernando RIVAS<br />

Patrice ROBERTSON<br />

Mirtha RODRIGUEZ SANCHEZ<br />

Jenes V. ROSE<br />

Yamuna Davy ROSE<br />

Irene RUSSELL<br />

Anisa SALEH<br />

Marlene SALMON<br />

Gaile SALTMIRAS<br />

Cathy SAMA<br />

Susan SANTIAGO<br />

Yalda SHAMS<br />

Patricia SHEPHERD<br />

Sham SHIVPRASAD<br />

Olufunke SHOYEBO<br />

Carol SIDLE<br />

Shivanie SINGH<br />

Brenda F. SMALL<br />

Madeline SMITH<br />

Sylvia SMITH<br />

Trisha SMITH<br />

Catherine SONE<br />

Shanti SOOKNANAN<br />

Eda SPAHO<br />

Neli STAMENOVA<br />

Raybourne H. STEPHENS<br />

Stella STEPHENS<br />

Jadwiga STEPNIEWSKI<br />

Lydia STOUTEN<br />

Vicky STRANGES<br />

Daniella SUAREZ<br />

Shairoze SULTAN<br />

Sandra SUTTON<br />

Magdalena SZMYGIN<br />

Wazda TABASSUM<br />

Silvana TAFAJ-DIBRA<br />

Donna M. TAYLOR<br />

Terresa TAVENER<br />

Irina TAZETDINOVA<br />

Dianne C. TEMPLE<br />

Sunita THAKUR<br />

Delrose THOMAS<br />

Louisa THOMAS<br />

Maureen THOMPSON<br />

Sindy TORRES<br />

Loc Huu Trinh TRAN<br />

Enza TRAVISANO<br />

Claudette TRIM<br />

Marcia TYLER<br />

Katarina URBANSKI<br />

Gordana UROSEVIC<br />

Jovana UROSEVIC<br />

Maris USIFOH<br />

Silvana VALENTONE<br />

Linh Kiet VAN<br />

Alexandra VERGIS<br />

Louis VIENS<br />

Sunita WADHERA<br />

Jane WAIHENYA<br />

Fereene WALKER<br />

Marion E.L. WHARTON<br />

Paulette WHITTAKER<br />

Emetta WHYTE<br />

Tanya WILSON<br />

Cecilia WILLCOCKS<br />

Clohe V. WILLIAMS<br />

Gwendolyn WOOLERY<br />

Lin Lin WU<br />

Juanita D. YUNDT<br />

Etleva ZABZUNI<br />

Katherine ZAMBRANO<br />

Aghdas ZARIF NEGAHBAN<br />

Erin ZARZECZNY<br />

Sofia ZENGUELE<br />

Cooks Training<br />

VALERIE BRAITHWAITE<br />

has been cooking for 20 years. She likes<br />

to think of herself as a baker. Her pies have<br />

won blue ribbons at fall fairs. And oh, if<br />

only her butter tarts could sing.<br />

She came to The Learning Enrichment<br />

Foundation to learn to cook “properly.”<br />

“It was like learning to play piano by ear<br />

and then learning how to do it the classical<br />

way,” she said.<br />

Braithwaite graduated in April as the top<br />

student in her Cooks Training class.<br />

All the students call her Mama. She was<br />

the oldest one in the class, by a generation.<br />

And the nickname she earned seemed just<br />

right to her.<br />

“It was so rewarding,” she said. “Because<br />

they all felt like family.”<br />

The four-month Cooks Training program<br />

responds to the tremendous potential for<br />

employment in restaurants, hotels, health<br />

care institutions, schools and many others.<br />

Students are taught essential aspects of<br />

food handling and food preparation in<br />

small classes that allow for a great deal<br />

of individual attention and 385 hours of<br />

practical experience in the kitchen.<br />

Graduates receive certification as a cook’s<br />

assistant, in food handling, WHMIS<br />

training, first aid and propane handling.<br />

A partnership between LEF and Second<br />

Harvest allows the students in our cooks<br />

training program to prepare 500 meals<br />

every day for local homeless shelters.<br />

Donations from Second Harvest are also<br />

shared with our clients through food<br />

giveaways and are prepared for use at<br />

community events.<br />

Braithwaite said it was exciting to discover<br />

that she’s going to be a bit of a different<br />

cook now than the one she’s been all her<br />

life. She will add more specialty desserts to<br />

her menu.<br />

And on graduation day, she was one step<br />

away from having a job lined up, doing<br />

what she loves to do. Cooking.<br />

“I think they are a solid caliber of<br />

students,” said Nancy Hall, director of<br />

development for Second Harvest.<br />

Hall said it’s encouraging that the cooks<br />

training program enjoys an 85 per cent job<br />

placement among graduates.<br />

Chef Patrick McNamara – the students<br />

call him “Our Chef” – urged his class to<br />

continue their studies, to read every book<br />

on cooking that they find, and to learn from<br />

anyone they can in order to keep up to date<br />

with changes in the fast-paced industry.


LEFTek<br />

Solutions<br />

LEFTek Solutions provides IT support for LEF’s more<br />

than 300 employees and has managed 61 <strong>Community</strong><br />

Access Program (CAP) sites in partnership with seven<br />

community groups across <strong>Toronto</strong> and the surrounding<br />

areas. The CAP network is funded by Industry Canada<br />

and endeavours to narrow the ‘digital divide’ by<br />

providing Internet access in communities where the<br />

rates of unemployment are higher and access to the<br />

Internet is limited.<br />

CAP works because of the dedication of volunteers.<br />

Mr. Daryl Hobbs is one of those extraordinary<br />

individuals who, for over a decade, has made the<br />

Parliament St. CAP site a vibrant centre of learning,<br />

access and experimentation. For Daryl, sustainability<br />

has always meant not needing the service. And that<br />

has led him and his volunteers to experiment with the<br />

provision of wireless services in the Cabbagetown<br />

community. One building is not enough for the<br />

Parliament St. site. Today, they are building the plans<br />

and securing the partnerships to make broadband<br />

Internet services available to the whole community –<br />

especially to the most vulnerable.<br />

LEF would like to thank Daryl for the passion he has<br />

shown and his dedication to Internet provision.<br />

Research and<br />

<strong>Community</strong><br />

Development<br />

At The Learning Enrichment Foundation, we believe<br />

in research that is grounded in the needs of the<br />

community.<br />

To that end, LEF created a research department that<br />

works across the many other LEF departments and<br />

initiates outreach to the community to ensure an<br />

ongoing, thorough examination of community needs,<br />

program impacts and opportunities for innovation.<br />

We know that effective research must be grounded in<br />

practice, and must inform our practise and direction.<br />

While we all have a deep understanding of the<br />

poverties, we have identified the Poverty of Time<br />

as a key component of the isolation so many people<br />

feel.<br />

From that recognition has grown a dynamic array of<br />

community-led initiatives, reflected in a small way in<br />

this report.<br />

This work has been generously supported by the<br />

Metcalf Foundation.


Employment<br />

Services<br />

This was a pivotal year.<br />

For the City of <strong>Toronto</strong> alone, the<br />

unemployment rate skyrocketed to 9.9 per cent,<br />

the highest it has been in over 14 years. That<br />

means 1 out of every 10 <strong>Toronto</strong>nians were<br />

unemployed.<br />

The jobless dilemma took on new meaning<br />

for many of us. This unemployment statistic<br />

represented our friends, relatives, co-workers<br />

and neighbours – people who had never been<br />

unemployed before or were always successful<br />

in finding the next job. Most of these folks had<br />

years of Canadian experience, excellent English<br />

communication, advanced and transferrable<br />

skills and a comprehensive understanding of<br />

our business culture. These same people were<br />

having trouble finding work.<br />

Newcomers to Canada and others with<br />

significant employment challenges faced<br />

an almost insurmountable situation. LEF’s<br />

Employment Services had to meet this need:<br />

• Customized every workshop to provide solid<br />

help for job seekers<br />

• Targeted organizations aligned with our training<br />

programs<br />

• Cultivated sustainable relationships with employers<br />

for ongoing job opportunities<br />

Top Employers<br />

Adecco/Celestica<br />

G4S Security Solutions<br />

Akkryl Industries<br />

Gemma Communications<br />

Alpha Text Books<br />

Goldrich Printpak<br />

Appolo 8<br />

Home Depot<br />

Aramark<br />

Hudson Bay Company<br />

Bennington Heights Childcare<br />

Irving Tissue<br />

Braeburn Woods Childcare<br />

Ina Grafton Gage Home<br />

Buc Shelter<br />

Just Kids Childcare Center<br />

Canadian Standard Associates<br />

Katz Deli<br />

Canadian Technology College<br />

Lady Bud Daycare<br />

Chain Reaction Bicycles<br />

Leda Furniture<br />

Myron Smarter Business Gifts<br />

North American Tea & Coffee<br />

One Step at a Time Childcare<br />

Parents for better Beginnings<br />

Philips Lifeline<br />

ProMobility Wireless<br />

Rex Pak Ltd<br />

Royal Envelope/Alliance Envelope<br />

Spokes & Sports<br />

Thane Direct<br />

The Bargain Group<br />

• Initiated networking groups and events for<br />

connections and support<br />

Children are People Childcare<br />

CHORD Housing Co-Operative<br />

Leisure World<br />

Let’s Work Labour Force<br />

The Old Mill Inn & Spa<br />

UPS<br />

• Maintained coaching sessions for those with<br />

specialized needs<br />

To serve effectively, we must help people<br />

believe in themselves, believe in their strengths<br />

and believe in their value.<br />

The person who comes to us has the courage to<br />

ask for help. He learns how to write a resume.<br />

He lives in a rooming house next to a friend<br />

who also doesn’t have a job. And she needs help<br />

too. So the skills learned at LEF are passed on<br />

in the community. It builds hope.<br />

Clover Tool Manufacturing<br />

Delta Chelsea<br />

Forest Hill Place<br />

Form Glass<br />

Fred Victor<br />

Little Hearts Childcare<br />

Martin Luther Church Day Nursery<br />

Metro Canada Logistics<br />

Metro News<br />

Moreau Property Services<br />

VHA Home Healthcare<br />

Vitrans<br />

Voxdata Call <strong>Centre</strong> Inc.<br />

West Side Cycle<br />

World Network Business Club (WNBC)<br />

That’s how we measure real success.


Week of<br />

Service<br />

Two young women rest against a wall that once<br />

rippled to the unique sound of a classroom of people<br />

learning a new language. The concrete floor is<br />

carpeted in drywall dust and scarred with the shadow<br />

of what had been. To the left, a large pile of twisted<br />

steel lay in contemplation of 30 years.<br />

The students are admiring their work.<br />

Both women are studying architecture in their first<br />

year at the University of <strong>Toronto</strong>. One day, they will<br />

lead a project like this. Hours ago, they helped tear<br />

apart what stood here. And a moment ago, they added<br />

bright yellow paint to the opposite wall. It was one of<br />

the walls left standing during two days of demolition<br />

and rebuilding at The Learning Enrichment<br />

Foundation.<br />

The students linger long enough to reflect on having<br />

never experienced anything like this. Then they pick<br />

up their paintbrushes again. Another wall. This time,<br />

orange.<br />

They were among more than 200 university students<br />

who gave up three days of their reading week to<br />

volunteer on more than 60 community projects that<br />

support the goals of LEF. The Week of Service:<br />

Building <strong>Community</strong> is another project with the<br />

University of <strong>Toronto</strong>’s <strong>Centre</strong> for <strong>Community</strong><br />

Partnerships.<br />

Working with children. Working with plants.<br />

Participating in educational workshops, fitness,<br />

festivals and musical events. Learning to cook.<br />

Working in a women’s shelter. And ripping down<br />

walls to create a new indoor Town Square, the<br />

centrepiece of the renovation at LEF.<br />

These projects introduced students, who may have<br />

seldom left the U of T St. George campus area, to<br />

a priority community facing the many challenges<br />

of poverty. With energy, enthusiasm and laughter,<br />

students make their mark at the heart of our<br />

community.<br />

And everyone makes their<br />

marks on hardhats.<br />

To open the Week of Service, the students and LEF<br />

staff decorate hardhats with paint and glitter, pipe<br />

cleaners, feathers, colourful shapes, lettering and a<br />

lot of glue. It’s a whimsical kickoff to the event, a<br />

creative way to come together and begin to know<br />

each other well.<br />

It’s February 16. The students are bused from U of<br />

T in downtown <strong>Toronto</strong> to LEF, in the former city of<br />

York. It’s registration day. Welcomes and nametags<br />

and tours and schedules and two hours of bustling<br />

creativity. Called together, we’re wearing our hard<br />

hats. We’re grinning at each other. We’re a team.<br />

It’s going to be work. And students traditionally take<br />

some time away from their studies during this week.<br />

Maybe in Florida. Maybe in a beach bar somewhere.<br />

But the tan fades. And the hangover fades.<br />

“The experience and the opportunities and what<br />

you’re giving back will not fade,” Lucy Fromowitz,<br />

assistant vice-president for student life at U of T,<br />

tells the student gathering. “This is a very significant<br />

week. Working in a community is probably the most<br />

satisfying work you will ever do.”<br />

“What you will find is a community that is strong<br />

in its heart and strong in its sense of self,” LEF<br />

Executive Director Peter Frampton tells the students.<br />

Fergy Brown, former mayor of York and former<br />

president of LEF, offers the students a history<br />

lesson on the economic devastation of York, which<br />

contributed to how the community came to be the<br />

second poorest riding in Ontario.<br />

From here, and for the next two days, the students<br />

fan out across our neighbourhood to participate in<br />

the life of LEF. And in the lives of people they may<br />

never have otherwise known.<br />

We have already begun planning for Week of Service<br />

2011. While this will not centre around building the<br />

Town Square as it did this year, we will continue to<br />

have a focus on community building. We expect the<br />

2011 event will involve more students, more staff,<br />

more community partners and community members,<br />

all proposing and participating in projects.<br />

This program has been a fantastic opportunity to<br />

strengthen our relationship with the University of<br />

<strong>Toronto</strong>, in particular the <strong>Centre</strong> for <strong>Community</strong><br />

Partnerships. We wish to thank the centre for this<br />

opportunity, for all the support they provided and for<br />

the belief in LEF that this event could be the great<br />

success that it was.


Week of<br />

Service


Winter Celebration<br />

Events Management<br />

The paint on the accent walls wasn’t even dry<br />

when our friends began to arrive.<br />

On the evening of the last day of the Week of<br />

Service, the newly-created Town Square was<br />

the site of our Winter Celebration. The event<br />

marked the end of our 30th anniversary, the<br />

beginning of our new look and the coming<br />

together of new friends and those who have been<br />

with The Learning Enrichment Foundation for<br />

many years.<br />

It was also a thank you to the 200 University of<br />

<strong>Toronto</strong> students who joined us for the Week of<br />

Service and helped make so many things happen<br />

in our community.<br />

As the winter sun set, a DJ played music to the<br />

twirl of coloured lights. And we were treated<br />

with musical performances from our friends,<br />

including guitarist Vin Heney of Youth HOST<br />

and the guitar trio The Stormalongs, featuring<br />

Matthew Thompson of CCEDNet.<br />

A feast was prepared by our own kitchen staff.<br />

And many child care workers joined us with<br />

their own children to decorate hard hats and join<br />

in the celebration of our new creation at 116<br />

Industry St.<br />

While the LEF Town Square was far from<br />

complete, we were all able to see the potential of<br />

this space and the amazing work that had been<br />

done in only two days. We could see the dream<br />

to come.<br />

Our expert team of specialists at The Learning<br />

Enrichment Foundation provide the support<br />

necessary to ensure a successful and memorable<br />

event.<br />

They excel at collaboration and have broad<br />

expertise in successfully weaving together<br />

expectations and outcomes. This year’s events<br />

included:<br />

• LINC Childminding Conference with 300<br />

delegates<br />

• <strong>Annual</strong> dotcom Classic Golf Tournament with<br />

over 200 participants<br />

• Higher Level Language Training (HLLT)<br />

Conference with 200 delegates<br />

• The Week of Service<br />

• Internationally-Trained Doctors Forum<br />

• Dozens of community events


Immigrant Settlement Assistance Program<br />

Highlights<br />

Other ISAP Achievements:<br />

Sharing our Expertise:<br />

Canadian Financial Securities Course<br />

This volunteer-led initiative began as a<br />

pilot project during the spring of 2009. And<br />

because of the commitment and interest of the<br />

newcomer community, we decided to offer<br />

a new course in the fall. In total, 21 students<br />

graduated from this training program. At<br />

the end of each session, students seem more<br />

confident about their understanding about<br />

the Canadian financial system and are ready<br />

to write the Canadian Financial Securities<br />

Examination.<br />

From January to Dec 2009:<br />

• Provided one-on-one settlement-related<br />

information to a total of 624 newcomers: (286<br />

newcomers within their first year in Canada<br />

and to 338 newcomers after their first year in<br />

Canada.)<br />

• Facilitated 35 workshops/information<br />

sessions on various settlement matters such<br />

as immigration, early childhood development,<br />

the Canadian income tax system, Ontario’s<br />

Employment Standards Act and professional<br />

accreditation.<br />

• Conducted three series of training sessions<br />

for newcomers:<br />

• Two sets of Canadian Citizenship Classes<br />

(two from April to June 2009 and one from<br />

October to December 2009)<br />

• Two sets of computer classes (spring and fall)<br />

• Two Canadian Financial Securities Courses<br />

(one from April to June 2009 and one from<br />

October 2009 to February 2010)<br />

• From April to December 2009, we provided<br />

occasional child care services for families<br />

who participated in our computer, citizenship,<br />

African women’s groups and the Canadian<br />

Financial Securities Courses. In total, 90<br />

children attended OCC while their parents<br />

attend these groups and training activities.<br />

• One of our settlement counsellors<br />

facilitated a training session on settlement<br />

issues for childminders at the 2009<br />

National LINC Childminding Conference.<br />

• One of our settlement counsellors<br />

facilitated a training session for<br />

Mothercraft’s online professional<br />

development course for settlement<br />

workers.<br />

• Our settlement/entrepreneurship counsellor<br />

has spoken at four conferences, four other<br />

business events, appeared at two job fairs<br />

and one trade show reaching over 250<br />

individuals and promoting our programs<br />

at LEF more organically. Some of the<br />

events participated in include; Enterprise<br />

<strong>Toronto</strong>, Vaughan Small Business Expo,<br />

SISO Conference in Hamilton, the Career<br />

Foundation and COSTI’s Job Support<br />

Worker’s Conference.


Youth HOST<br />

“My Magic Hands” performances took place<br />

during the summer and winter of 2009 at Weston<br />

Road and continued with performances for the<br />

March Break child care camp and at the <strong>Annual</strong><br />

General Meeting in May 2009. Youth from the<br />

LINC Childminding Summer Camp for schoolaged<br />

children also brought their magical talents<br />

to LEF last summer. What courage it takes to<br />

perform such feats in public!<br />

The Youth HOST Soccer League took place<br />

during July and August 2009. Connections are<br />

made during friendly and competitive matches<br />

with teams from other Youth HOST agencies in<br />

the Greater <strong>Toronto</strong> Area.<br />

Winter Survival Night was a huge success. In<br />

December 2009, many newcomer families came<br />

to LEF’s 1267 Weston Road location to learn<br />

what a Canadian winter was all about – and<br />

how to dress for it. A holiday meal was served,<br />

warm clothing was given away and Youth<br />

HOST celebrated the launch of its community<br />

programs.<br />

Job support for youth was a priority. Preemployment<br />

workshops, individual resumewriting<br />

support, job search resources and an<br />

impressive Youth Job Fair, were held to help<br />

youth find work. At the job fair in March 2010,<br />

11 local employers took resumes and questions<br />

from more than 260 participants.<br />

BizCamp ran twice this year, with over 25<br />

students thinking through their business ideas<br />

very thoroughly.<br />

The youth also put together their own one-day<br />

sale, which helped them visualize and put into<br />

practice some of the business lessons taught and<br />

learned during the sessions, including;<br />

• Marketing strategies<br />

• Pricing<br />

• How to showcase a product<br />

• How to approach a potential buyer


International Doctors Network (IDN)<br />

The International Doctors Network is an initiative that<br />

arose from The Learning Enrichment Foundation’s selfstudy<br />

group of international medical graduates.<br />

Partner Profiles<br />

In 2008, seven doctors began meeting at LEF to improve<br />

their English-language skills and study for Canadian<br />

medical exams.<br />

Achievement Through Partnership<br />

The backbone of our success is the strength<br />

of the partnerships we’ve built with over 300<br />

organizations and 65 networks. Together, we’re<br />

creating meaningful opportunities for one of<br />

Ontario’s poorest communities. We want to take<br />

this opportunity to thank all of them for their<br />

contributions.<br />

Social Purpose Enterprise Network -<br />

<strong>Toronto</strong><br />

SPEN <strong>Toronto</strong> is a self-managed network of<br />

social purpose enterprise (SPE) managers<br />

and practioners in <strong>Toronto</strong>, funded through<br />

a combination of membership dues and the<br />

support of the <strong>Toronto</strong> Enterprise Fund/United<br />

Way of Greater <strong>Toronto</strong>. Founded in 2006 with<br />

a primary purpose of providing a voice and<br />

strategies for SPE managers, SPEN <strong>Toronto</strong>’s<br />

mission is to grow social purpose enterprise in<br />

the Greater <strong>Toronto</strong> Area.<br />

SPEN <strong>Toronto</strong> provides business networking and<br />

peer support opportunities for enterprise staff,<br />

including collaborative marketing opportunities<br />

and professional development events. Bringing<br />

a long history of experience and entrepreneurial<br />

spirit, LEF is proud to be a SPEN <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

member and is active on the SPEN <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

steering committee, as well as providing the<br />

network with support in financial administration.<br />

Change <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

Change <strong>Toronto</strong> is a network of representatives<br />

from social service sector, government and<br />

business as well as people with lived experience<br />

of homelessness. They work together to find<br />

innovative and collaborative approaches to<br />

addressing homelessness in <strong>Toronto</strong>. Change<br />

<strong>Toronto</strong> provides opportunities for discussion,<br />

idea sharing and action on the causes, impacts<br />

and solutions to homelessness in <strong>Toronto</strong>.<br />

Central to Change <strong>Toronto</strong> is the belief that<br />

in order to find new and effective solutions to<br />

homelessness, multiple stakeholders need to<br />

be involved. Most importantly, people who<br />

have first-hand experience with homelessness<br />

need to have an active role in developing and<br />

implementing these solutions.<br />

LEF has been a member of Change <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

since 2007 and has participated in many<br />

collaborations through this committee. We are<br />

proud to be a part of this innovative committee.<br />

The network was created in response to the need to<br />

formalize the work of this study group and to provide more<br />

specialized support to its members.<br />

Since its creation, the group has grown from 18 to 45<br />

registered members. The IDN serves as a social and<br />

professional network that provides internationally-trained<br />

doctors access to professional supports in their field. It<br />

also connects them to the various dimensions of Canadian<br />

society. The doctors hope the networking and shared<br />

experience will assist them to break into medical jobs in<br />

Canada.<br />

Members participate in many events, such as<br />

conversational circles, mentorship opportunities,<br />

information exchanges, social networking and leadership<br />

projects.<br />

On March 25, the first IDN forum was held at the LEF<br />

Town Square with the attendance of over 60 participants.<br />

This full-day conference of guest speakers and discussion<br />

groups was the first step in structuring this professional<br />

network. Developed by Dr. Kennedy Palmares and Dr.<br />

Fernando Rivas, the forum is expected to be held annually.<br />

Thank you SPEN <strong>Toronto</strong>!<br />

Thank you Change <strong>Toronto</strong>!<br />

LEF will continue to work with this group in order to<br />

advance the professional needs of internationally-trained<br />

doctors.


Networking at<br />

the Foundation/<br />

Entrepreneurship<br />

family album By Meghan Currie<br />

In early 2009, we launched our<br />

entrepreneurship program at The<br />

Learning Enrichment Foundation.<br />

The aim of the entrepreneurship<br />

training program is twofold:<br />

• To establish LEF as a centre of<br />

excellence for small business<br />

training and development.<br />

• To make available a variety of<br />

training and development programs<br />

that makes sense to our community.<br />

Our networking events offer<br />

topical guest speakers and valuable<br />

opportunities for networking. An<br />

average of 300 people attended<br />

during the most recent 10 sessions<br />

in 2009-2010. The goal of our<br />

networking events is to build<br />

community and capacity among<br />

local entrepreneurs, particularly<br />

newcomers.<br />

Our guest speakers included <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

Argonaut Willie Pile, inspirational<br />

speaker Jennifer Hough, business<br />

development specialist Curt Skene<br />

and authors Sonia Ricotti, Ross<br />

Reck and Murray Smith. Topics have<br />

covered sales, success, motivation,<br />

human resources, team building,<br />

marketing and the law of attraction.<br />

We are also the only small business<br />

program in the Greater <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

Area to focus on those new to<br />

Canada. Programs include our Start<br />

Smart sessions, which provide an<br />

understanding about what it takes<br />

to start a business. Our Start Smart<br />

series of seminars have served over<br />

150 people.<br />

Since May 2009, three sessions of<br />

our 13-week small business training<br />

program supported over 40 new<br />

business start-ups. About 16 of those<br />

are run by newcomers to Canada.<br />

Participants in our programs learn<br />

about selling, marketing, financing,<br />

business planning, banking and more.<br />

Participants also develop a business<br />

plan, receive coaching, mentorship<br />

and peer-to-peer learning.<br />

In my first few weeks at LEF, I often heard<br />

the name of Eunice Grayson, our founder and<br />

executive director for 27 years. Her name was<br />

always spoken with boundless affection and<br />

respect. Sometimes, with tears.<br />

I never knew Eunice. I so wish I had. But I<br />

have come to feel as though I know her work.<br />

Our work.<br />

One day, I found myself in the development<br />

room, snooping through the family albums.<br />

I’m told that Eunice wouldn’t have had much<br />

use for pictures of our work. To her, it was<br />

the day-to-day work itself that was important.<br />

But I was new here. And history is a<br />

journalist’s work. I needed a few memories.<br />

I scanned through the albums. Yellowed<br />

photographs on sticky yellowed backgrounds<br />

and pressed in cellophane. Pictures of former<br />

students. Celebrations of the old LEF Wood<br />

Works program. Album after album. Most of<br />

them meant to mark the 25th anniversary of<br />

LEF.<br />

There’s a little dust on the shelf and I can’t<br />

help but smile. Dust knows a good story when<br />

it sees one.<br />

In one of the albums, only one, there’s a<br />

story pasted to one of those sticky pages.<br />

It was written by a woman named Natasha.<br />

She talks about coming from Russia at age<br />

13 and living on the streets in Canada for<br />

years, unable to find work, living in parks and<br />

sleeping on hot air vents. She dreamed simple<br />

dreams: Waking up in the morning in a warm<br />

bed, with clean blankets and pillows. Going<br />

to her own kitchen to make herself a nice<br />

breakfast.<br />

“I was tired of being dirty and hungry and<br />

cold all the time,” Natasha wrote. “I had<br />

no friends . . . and I didn’t fit in anywhere<br />

because nobody understood me and I didn’t<br />

understand anybody. I thought a lot about<br />

going back.”<br />

Eventually, Natasha came to LEF to learn<br />

a trade. She learned how to drive a forklift.<br />

And she hoped to learn about welding and<br />

electricity. She had always wanted to learn to<br />

work with her hands and break into the kinds<br />

of jobs only boys were allowed to do. She<br />

wanted to be a carpenter. Or an electrician.<br />

Her story rang in my ears as I listened to<br />

something Donald C. MacDonald said<br />

on a video presentation about LEF that I<br />

found later that day on another shelf in<br />

the development room. He talked about<br />

accessibility being the hallmark of The<br />

Learning Enrichment Foundation.<br />

Natasha had the courage to ask for help. She<br />

found us. She found what she was looking for<br />

at LEF. I don’t know anything else about her<br />

either. I hope she’s well.<br />

I think Eunice was right. It’s the work that’s<br />

important. And there are plenty of memories<br />

to come.<br />

For now, let’s take a look back at the faces of<br />

that work. Please enjoy these memories, from<br />

the Family Album.


family album


Language Training<br />

LEF Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC)<br />

program provides targeted, holistic and responsive services<br />

to clients who come to LEF for English language training.<br />

We recognize that language acquisition is only the first<br />

step in the settlement experience and ensure programming<br />

is consistent with client needs by working closely with<br />

LEF’s newcomer settlement program to assist newcomers to<br />

become fully engaged and active participants in Canadian<br />

society.<br />

LINC serves over 185 newcomer adults and 40 children<br />

daily.<br />

LINC offers eight levels (Literacy to Level Seven) of<br />

free English language classes to landed immigrants and<br />

convention refugees.<br />

LINC is a vibrant part of the LEF family, with students<br />

participating in all areas of LEF life and contributing greatly<br />

to the spirit of LEF.<br />

Field Trips This year, we had new and creative field trips for<br />

LINC clients that emphasized the understanding of Canadian<br />

culture. Many <strong>Toronto</strong> citizens have not experienced all<br />

the city has to offer. Through these trips we provide an<br />

opportunity to understand their city and integrate into<br />

the local culture. Field Trips have included outings to the<br />

<strong>Toronto</strong> Zoo, the CN Tower, <strong>Toronto</strong> Archives, Casa Loma,<br />

Niagara Falls, <strong>Centre</strong> Island, Black Creek Pioneer Village,<br />

the Royal Ontario Museum, Police Museum, Bruce’s Mill<br />

Sugarbush and the Ontario Science <strong>Centre</strong>.<br />

Workshops and Activities Our LINC program had an<br />

increased number of activities and workshops this year. We<br />

hosted workshops, events and speakers on environmental<br />

issues and had bake sales and garage sales to raise<br />

emergency funds for food, clothing and transportation for<br />

LINC and LEF clients. We also strengthened our partnership<br />

with Service Canada by having service kiosks available on<br />

site at LEF to address newcomer issues. We had cultural<br />

sharing by joining all clients together for an EID celebration.<br />

All of these activities built skills, strengthened relationships<br />

and helped introduce LINC clients to Canadian culture.<br />

Summer School-Age Program This year, we once again<br />

saw our summer camp program succeed, with more demand<br />

than spots were available for children. New activities in<br />

the last year included the Magic Hands program which is<br />

magic training for children, teddy bear creation, a reptile<br />

demonstration, arts and crafts, theme days, movies, cooking<br />

classes, field trips and more. All these activities served<br />

to integrate children into the <strong>Toronto</strong> community, while<br />

teaching them fun activities and skills.<br />

<strong>Community</strong> Impact:<br />

Language training is an essential service within our<br />

community because six per cent of the population has no<br />

knowledge of English or French.<br />

LEF’s LINC program promotes greater civic engagement<br />

and social inclusion of newcomers by providing<br />

opportunities and supports for full economic and social<br />

participation in the community. We provide access to<br />

training and employment supports and encourage the<br />

strengthening of social networks through building family<br />

cohesiveness, peer bonding and neighbourhood connectivity.


Fundraising<br />

When you donate to The Learning<br />

Enrichment Foundation, you become part<br />

of an organization that is responsible to the<br />

community it serves. You also become a part<br />

of a network of friends helping to improve<br />

the quality of life in the Weston–Mount<br />

Dennis area.<br />

As a donor, you share in the successes of our<br />

participants and feel the pride we feel every<br />

time someone makes a change for the better<br />

in their lives.<br />

Person by person, our community becomes<br />

stronger and healthier.<br />

You contribute to that achievement by<br />

becoming a donor.<br />

LEF is grateful to our donors and sponsors<br />

who see the promise and the vision that<br />

began with our founders in 1978.<br />

Our sincere thanks to all those who have<br />

generously supported The Learning<br />

Enrichment Foundation this year:<br />

1. Priscilla Abolor<br />

2. Grace Addai<br />

3. Adefila Emmanuel<br />

Adewale<br />

4. Margarida Almeida<br />

5. Cathy Aspeliender<br />

6. Garry Bakiuniec<br />

7. Darri Beaulieu<br />

8. Joan Birkett<br />

9. John Blair<br />

10. Colleen Boer<br />

11. Ed Boer<br />

12. Antonella Bosco<br />

13. Fergy Brown<br />

14. Bob Churchill<br />

15. Sam Cole<br />

16. Brima Conteh<br />

17. Willa J. Corse<br />

18. Christopher Cowperthwait<br />

19. Lisa Cresswell-Fung<br />

20. Nancy Cunningham<br />

21. Louise Dikschei<br />

22. Brenda Dixon<br />

23. Abbe Edelson<br />

24. Peter Frampton<br />

25. Neserita P. Gascon<br />

26. Jackie George<br />

27. Olesya Gleba<br />

28. Larry Gutstein<br />

29. Robert Heath<br />

30. Denise Ince<br />

31. Osman Ismail<br />

32. Maggie Knap<br />

33. Comfort Kyei-Boateng<br />

34. Ed Lamoureux<br />

35. Elizabeth Lanfermann<br />

36. D. Lang<br />

37. Eileen Longson<br />

38. Kathleen Macdonald<br />

39. Rev. Louise Mahood<br />

40. Rankin McSween<br />

41. Peter Marinelli<br />

42. Helen Marzsalkowski<br />

43. Elizabeth McBain<br />

44. Mr Dairy &Food<br />

Distribution Ltd<br />

45. Grace Nalbandian<br />

46. Donna Nichol<br />

47. Nusso Textiles Ltd<br />

48. Amy O’Neil<br />

49. Lax O’Sullivan Scott LLP<br />

50. Louise Kool & Galt<br />

51. Yanneth Paz<br />

52. Adele Peden<br />

53. Pam Richardson<br />

54. Velma Russell<br />

55. Gaile Saltmiras<br />

56. Sylvia Smith<br />

57. Supreme Learning<br />

58. Jennifer Venart-Sym<br />

59. John Voorpostal<br />

60. Jane Waihenya<br />

61. Sam Waskies<br />

62. Mike Wilder<br />

63. John Wilkinson<br />

Sponsors, Donors and Funders<br />

1. 24/7 Real Media Inc.<br />

2. AIRMILES/Airmilesshops.ca<br />

3. Alterna Savings<br />

4. Anonymous<br />

5. AOL Advertising<br />

6. Brady Financial Group<br />

7. BV Media<br />

8. Caplan’s Appliances<br />

9. Casale Media<br />

10. Diego Casco/Casco Design<br />

Communications Inc.<br />

11. Chapman’s Ice Cream<br />

12. Citizenship and Immigration Canada/<br />

Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada<br />

13. City of <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

14. Club Link<br />

15. Robert Conway<br />

16. CTV Digital Media<br />

17. Electrolux Canada<br />

18. Employment Ontario<br />

19. Ernst & Young<br />

20. Gorilla Nation Canada<br />

21. Greenshield Canada<br />

22. Human Resources and Skills<br />

Development Canada/Ressources<br />

Humaines et Développement des<br />

competences Canada<br />

23. Industry Canada/Industrie Canada<br />

24. Kevin Murdoch/Investors Group<br />

25. Irving Tissue<br />

26. Louise, Kool and Galt<br />

27. McGraw Hill Ryerson<br />

28. Metcalf Foundation<br />

29. Microsoft Advertising<br />

30. Mr. Dairy and Food Distributing Ltd.<br />

31. Nunu Educational Products Inc.<br />

32. Olive Canada Network<br />

33. Ontario Government<br />

34. Ontario Ministry of Training,<br />

Colleges and Universities<br />

35. Outdoor Gear Canada (OGC)<br />

36. Palmer Group<br />

37. PricewaterhouseCoopers<br />

38. ProMobility Wireless Inc.<br />

39. Redux Media Inc.<br />

40. Royale Tissue<br />

41. Scotia Bank, Weston/Mount Dennis<br />

42. Shum Vourkoutiotis Fund TCF<br />

43. Sinclair Cockburn Financial Group<br />

44. Social and Enterprise Development<br />

Innovations (SEDI)<br />

45. Standard Life Canada<br />

46. Steam Whistle Brewing<br />

47. Sunlife Financial, Richmond Hill, ON<br />

48. Supreme Learning<br />

49. Sympatico.msn.ca<br />

50. Tatengelo’s Wholesale Fruit<br />

51. Tex-Euro Industrial Sales<br />

52. Tim Hortons<br />

53. The Globe and Mail<br />

54. The <strong>Toronto</strong> Star<br />

55. The Weather Network<br />

56. <strong>Toronto</strong> <strong>Community</strong> Foundation<br />

57. <strong>Toronto</strong> <strong>Community</strong> News<br />

58. Tremor Media<br />

59. Video Egg<br />

60. John Voorpostel, Accountants<br />

61. Wilder and Associates Internet<br />

Services<br />

62. Yahoo! Canada<br />

63. York Lions Club<br />

Strategic Partners<br />

1. Akler, Browning, Frimet and<br />

Landzberg<br />

2. A-Way Express Courier Service<br />

3. Association of Early Childhood<br />

Educators<br />

4. Bicycle Trade Association of Canada<br />

5. Boyle Commercial Real Estate<br />

6. Brady Financial Group<br />

7. Canadian <strong>Community</strong> Economic<br />

Development Network (CCEDNet)<br />

8. Canadian Mothercraft<br />

9. CCEDNet Ontario<br />

10. CCLCS (LINC Childminding)<br />

11. <strong>Centre</strong> for Social Innovation<br />

12. Change <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

13. Childminding Monitoring Advisory<br />

Support<br />

14. Citizens-Police Liaison Committee<br />

12 Division<br />

15. College of Early Childhood Educators<br />

16. <strong>Community</strong> Consultative Committee<br />

17. <strong>Community</strong> Employment Action<br />

Team<br />

18. <strong>Community</strong> Social Planning Council<br />

of <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

19. Construction Safety Association<br />

20. Corrections Canada<br />

21. DOPE Girls and Boys<br />

22. Downtown East <strong>Community</strong><br />

Development Collective<br />

23. Ernst and Young<br />

24. Etobicoke Brighter Futures<br />

25. Evergreen<br />

26. Every Child Belongs<br />

27. For Youth Initiative<br />

28. Fred Victor <strong>Centre</strong><br />

29. George Harvey Collegiate Institute<br />

30. Hanen Language<br />

31. Haween Enterprises<br />

32. Hincks Dellcrest<br />

33. IdX <strong>Toronto</strong> Corporation<br />

34. Irving Tissue<br />

35. Information Technology Association<br />

of Canada<br />

36. Jane Alliance Neighbourhood<br />

Services<br />

37. Katz’s Deli<br />

38. Macaulay Child Development <strong>Centre</strong><br />

39. Metcalf Foundation<br />

40. Metroland<br />

41. Microskills<br />

42. Ministry of Children and Youth<br />

Services Ministry of <strong>Community</strong><br />

Services<br />

43. Ministry of Training, Colleges and<br />

Universities<br />

44. Miziwe Biik<br />

45. Middle Years <strong>Community</strong> Group<br />

46. Mount Dennis <strong>Community</strong><br />

Association<br />

47. Mount Dennis United Church<br />

48. Mount Dennis/Weston Network<br />

49. Quality Early Learning Network<br />

50. North York Chamber of Commerce<br />

51. Nunu Educational Products<br />

52. One Step<br />

53. Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare<br />

54. Ontario Coalition of Agencies<br />

Serving Immigrants<br />

55. Operation Springboard<br />

56. Parkdale Activity–Recreation <strong>Centre</strong><br />

57. Reboot Canada<br />

58. Rites of Passage<br />

59. Second Harvest<br />

60. Social and Enterprise Development<br />

Innovations<br />

61. Social Purpose Enterprise Network -<br />

<strong>Toronto</strong><br />

62. Somali Immigrant Women’s<br />

Association<br />

63. Squibb’s Stationers<br />

64. St. John Ambulance<br />

65. Supreme Learning<br />

66. TechSoup.ca<br />

67. Telecommunications Canada<br />

68. <strong>Toronto</strong> Bail Program<br />

69. <strong>Toronto</strong> Board of Trade<br />

70. <strong>Toronto</strong> Catholic District School<br />

Board<br />

71. <strong>Toronto</strong> <strong>Centre</strong> Employment Services<br />

Network<br />

72. <strong>Toronto</strong> Children’s Aid<br />

73. <strong>Toronto</strong> Children Services<br />

74. <strong>Toronto</strong> Coalition for Better<br />

Childcare<br />

75. <strong>Toronto</strong> <strong>Community</strong> Housing<br />

Corporation<br />

76. <strong>Toronto</strong> <strong>Community</strong> Foundation<br />

77. <strong>Toronto</strong> <strong>Community</strong> News<br />

78. <strong>Toronto</strong> District School Board<br />

79. <strong>Toronto</strong> Economic Development<br />

80. <strong>Toronto</strong> Enterprise Fund – United<br />

Way<br />

81. <strong>Toronto</strong> Parks and Recreation<br />

82. Trethewey Club<br />

83. University of <strong>Toronto</strong><br />

84. WeirFoulds LLP<br />

85. West Coalition on Housing and<br />

Homelessness<br />

86. Wilcox Early Learning <strong>Centre</strong><br />

87. Wilder and Associates Internet<br />

Services<br />

88. Windfall Clothing Services<br />

89. YMCA Fit for Life<br />

90. York University<br />

91. York West Seniors<br />

92. Yorktown Child and Family <strong>Centre</strong><br />

93. Youth Challenge Fund – United Way<br />

94. YMCA Assessment <strong>Centre</strong>s<br />

95. YWCA – Beatrice House, LEAP


116 Industry Street<br />

<strong>Toronto</strong>, Ontario M6M 4L8<br />

Phone: 416.769.0830<br />

Fax: 416.769.9912<br />

www.lefca.org

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