radix MEDIA STUDIES • UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH-HUMBER OCT. 20, 2013 RADIXONLINE.CA This Halloween, glam up and give back Doll up as Honey Boo Boo or your favourite Game of Thrones character at Value Village, and know you’re treating your community BY REBECCA ALBERICO Whether this Halloween will see you donning duck-hunting garb or suiting up for a Game of Thrones-inspired look, check Find out how to get this year’s trendiest Halloween costumes and décor ideas, shockingly cheap, at radixonline.ca. Making a difference out Value Village at High- way 27 and Finch – Rexdale’s costume capital. Not only will you give stage queen Honey Boo Boo a run for her moonn- neeey, you’ll help support charities like the Canadian Diabetes Association. Complete outfits range anywhere from $5.99 to $59.99. “We gain a lot of new custom- ers who don’t know we have so much in stock for such reasona- ble prices,” an associate said. This location benefits from charitable donations of cloth- ing that start when school shopping begins in Septem- ber, and offers an even bigger selection of Halloween cloth- ing, makeup and accessories. “I feel we’re helping those with no means to spend extra money on Halloween, to find a costume without breaking the bank or missing out – they don’t have to feel limited,” said Jasmine Cummings, Value Village’s Rexdale store supervisor. The company’s long-stand- ing success relies on its commitment to its partner charities. Value Village is asso- ciated with over 140 non-profit organizations across North America and Australia. Rexdale in particular deals with the Canadian Diabetes Association and its donation program called Clothesline. Value Village purchases used clothing donated to Clothes- line, then sells it to the public. Clothesline raises $10 million (net) annually, with 100 per cent of this amount directly supporting diabetes research, education, and awareness. Value Village in Rexdale notes a 30 to 40 per cent increase in sales during the Halloween season, making this one of their busiest times of the year. Students from the nearby Humber College and University of Guelph-Humber campuses make up about 50 per cent of sales during this period. “Donate, donate, donate,” said Cummings. Charities benefit and members of the community can look spook-tac- ular for less. Everyone wins. Small acts, big differences From food banks to volunteering, HSF helps – and so can you BY MEGAN KIMMERER As its motto proudly states, the Humber Students’ Federation helps give Humber life. A Volunteer Crew and confidential Food Bank are just two of the many ways the HSF helps give back to students at Humber College and the University of Guelph-Hum- ber. “It’s the smallest and most insignificant things that matter the most,” said Kay Tracey, vice president of student affairs for the HSF. “The HSF Food Bank is here to give students who are in need the opportunity to not worry about whether they will be able to eat or not.” The Food Bank, which runs on a financial need basis, provides students with a balanced plan that gives them a few days’ worth of groceries to last until they can afford to buy their own. “The only thing you need to do is go online and fill out an application. I will send you an Spread the spirit of Halloween with GH Gives’ “Trick or Eat” food drive; for details see radixonline.ca. appointment date, you come in, we talk and it’s easy as one, two, three,” said Tracey. Though the HSF purchases their stock, students who want to donate non-perisha- ble items to the Food Bank will not be turned away. The Volunteer Crew is another outlet for those students itching to help out. Members regularly embark on different charity initi- atives through organizations like Youth Without Shelter, Token for Change and the Humber River clean-up is a f lowing concern Rick Crawford calls third annual river clean-up a success BY MARIA MONICA HENAO Eighteen-year Toronto firefighter veteran Rick Crawford may no longer be fighting fires, but he is fighting to remove the junk in the Humber River. Crawford, 42, is the president of a full service junk removal company called RID-OF-IT, which serves both residential and commercial areas. As the owner of the company since 2007, Crawford commits not only to his customers but also to the community. Most people are aware of the environmen- tal issues, which have derived from infrastruc- ture and contamination problems, in the Don River. However, many don’t know about the large amount of garbage in the Humber River. As spring begins, more junk and debris become visible in the Humber River area. On Sept. 11, 2013, Crawford gathered 10 employees and 20 volunteers for the third annual Humber River clean-up. They collected a shock- ing 20 cubic yards of junk which included the typi- cally massive number of plastic bottles, as well as the less-typical: shopping carts, flat-screen TVs, a portable toilet and car seats. Most unusual of all was a Polish message in a bottle, that has yet to be translated. “We got a lot of exposure, it heightened aware- ness, which is a good thing,” Crawford said. Being a paddler and an outdoors type for a long time, Crawford has always been in touch with the environment. He tries to take his children on the same path by showing them that doing small things can help the environment in a big way. “When I’m out with my kids, hiking or what- ever we are doing, we go canoeing at the cottage, we always come back with a boat full of stuff, just pick up as we go,” Crawford said. Simple things like disposing of garbage in the proper place, or just picking up garbage on the ground, could go a long way – especially if everything did them, he added. Crawford calls upon anyone who wants to get involved to visit his website, www.ridofittoronto.com or call 1-800-RID-OF-IT. He is planning on tackling the Don River this spring, and is also planning next year’s Humber River clean-up. PHOTO, KAITLIN THERIAULT PHOTO, HANNAH SATHERSTROM Toronto Public Library. “The Volunteer Crew is all about giving back to the community,” said Tracey. “We do something nice and that can end up changing someone’s entire day.” Full-time students interested in making a difference through the Volunteer Crew can fill out a short appli- cation stating why they want to volun- teer. For forms and more information, visit humberlife. com. PHOTO, BRITTANY MCCAUGHEY
Transcript
radix MEDIA STUDIES • UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH-HUMBER
OCT. 20, 2013
RADIXONLINE.CA
This Halloween, glam up and give backDoll up as Honey Boo Boo or your favourite Game of Thrones character at Value Village, and know you’re treating your community BY REBECCA ALBERICO
Whether this Halloween will see you donning duck-hunting garb or suiting up for a Game of Thrones-inspired look, check
Find out how to get this year’s trendiest
Halloween costumes and décor ideas, shockingly
cheap, at radixonline.ca.
Making adifference
out Value Village at High-way 27 and Finch – Rexdale’s costume capital. Not only will you give stage queen Honey Boo Boo a run for her moonn-neeey, you’ll help support
charities like the Canadian Diabetes Association.
Complete outfits range anywhere from $5.99 to $59.99. “We gain a lot of new custom-ers who don’t know we have so much in stock for such reasona-ble prices,” an associate said.
This location benefits from charitable donations of cloth-ing that start when school shopping begins in Septem-ber, and offers an even bigger selection of Halloween cloth-ing, makeup and accessories. “I feel we’re helping those with no means to spend extra money on Halloween, to find a costume without breaking the bank or missing out – they don’t have to feel limited,” said Jasmine Cummings, Value Village’s Rexdale store supervisor.
The company’s long-stand-ing success relies on its commitment to its partner charities. Value Village is asso-ciated with over 140 non-profit organizations across North America and Australia.
Rexdale in particular deals
with the Canadian Diabetes Association and its donation program called Clothesline. Value Village purchases used clothing donated to Clothes-line, then sells it to the public. Clothesline raises $10 million (net) annually, with 100 per cent of this amount directly supporting diabetes research, education, and awareness.
Value Village in Rexdale notes a 30 to 40 per cent increase in sales during the Halloween season, making this one of their busiest times of the year. Students from the nearby Humber College and University of Guelph-Humber campuses make up about 50 per cent of sales during this period.
“Donate, donate, donate,” said Cummings. Charities benefit and members of the community can look spook-tac-ular for less. Everyone wins.
Small acts, big differencesFrom food banks to volunteering, HSF helps – and so can you BY MEGAN KIMMERER
As its motto proudly states, the Humber Students’ Federation helps give Humber life.
A Volunteer Crew and confidential Food Bank are just two of the many ways the HSF helps give back to students at Humber College and the University of Guelph-Hum-ber. “It’s the smallest and most insignificant things that matter the most,” said Kay Tracey, vice president of student affairs for the HSF.
“The HSF Food Bank is here to give students who are in need the opportunity to not worry about whether they will be able to eat or not.”
The Food Bank, which runs on a financial need basis, provides students with a balanced plan that gives them a few days’ worth of groceries to last until they can afford to buy their own.
“The only thing you need to do is go online and fill out an application. I will send you an
Spread the spirit of Halloween with GH Gives’ “Trick
or Eat” food drive; for details see
radixonline.ca.
appointment date, you come in, we talk and it’s easy as one, two, three,” said Tracey.
Though the HSF purchases their stock, students who want to donate non-perisha-ble items to the Food Bank will not be turned away.
The Volunteer Crew is another outlet for those students itching to help out. Members regularly embark on different charity initi-atives through organizations like Youth Without Shelter, Token for Change and the
Humber River clean-up is a f lowing concernRick Crawford calls third annual river clean-up a success
BY MARIA MONICA HENAO
Eighteen-year Toronto firefighter veteran Rick Crawford may no longer be fighting fires, but he is fighting to remove the junk in the Humber River.
Crawford, 42, is the president of a full service junk removal company called RID-OF-IT, which serves both residential and commercial areas. As the owner of the company since 2007, Crawford commits not only to his customers but also to the community.
Most people are aware of the environmen-tal issues, which have derived from infrastruc-ture and contamination problems, in the Don River. However, many don’t know about the large amount of garbage in the Humber River. As spring begins, more junk and debris become visible in the Humber River area.
On Sept. 11, 2013, Crawford gathered 10 employees and 20 volunteers for the third annual Humber River clean-up. They collected a shock-ing 20 cubic yards of junk which included the typi-cally massive number of plastic bottles, as well as the less-typical: shopping carts, flat-screen TVs, a portable toilet and car seats. Most unusual of all was a Polish message in a bottle, that has yet to be translated.
“We got a lot of exposure, it heightened aware-ness, which is a good thing,” Crawford said.
Being a paddler and an outdoors type for a long time, Crawford has always been in touch with the environment. He tries to take his children on the same path by showing them that doing small things can help the environment in a big way.
“When I’m out with my kids, hiking or what-ever we are doing, we go canoeing at the cottage, we always come back with a boat full of stuff, just pick up as we go,” Crawford said.
Simple things like disposing of garbage in the proper place, or just picking up garbage on the ground, could go a long way – especially if everything did them, he added.
Crawford calls upon anyone who wants to get involved to visit his website, www.ridofittoronto.com or call 1-800-RID-OF-IT. He is planning on tackling the Don River this spring, and is also planning next year’s Humber River clean-up.
PHOTO, KAITLIN THERIAULT
PHOTO, HANNAH SATHERSTROM
Toronto Public Library.“The Volunteer Crew is all about giving
back to the community,” said Tracey. “We do something nice and that can end up changing someone’s entire day.”
Full-time students interested in making a difference through the Volunteer Crew can fill out a short appli-cation stating why they want to volun-teer. For forms and more information, visit humberlife.com.
PHOTO, BRITTANY MCCAUGHEY
RADIX • UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH-HUMBER OCT. 20, 2013
In downtown Toronto’s St. James Town, creativity and passion for the arts radiate from one place. UforChange, a non-profit organiza-tion, lets youth and adults between the ages of 16 and 29 delve into their artistic passions for a six-month cycle; many transition into post-sec-ondary institutions, internships or even career opportunities.
Programs include beat production, web design, fashion design, film and video production and photography.
Such a program for youth “would be great in the Rexdale commu-nity; it would [also] benefit our students here at the University,” said Paul Sherman, Program Head for Human Services at the University of Guelph-Humber.
How passion changes livesRexdale can learn from St. James Town organization BY PIA UNLAYAO
Sherman experienced running a non-profit social enterprise similar to UforChange, where youth created batik-style artwork and sold it. “Just getting together in a group with other youth, they bonded, overcame fears, and some overcame their cases of depression. It was remarkable.” Sherman said, “It’s not therapy in the technical sense but it certainly helped a lot of these kids. There’s the money in their pockets, doing something active, producing things of beauty and getting their pieces appreciated.”
Such programs contribute to community growth and social change.
Recent University of Toronto graduate and volunteer Jackie Boulos said, “UforChange has helped me out because I’ve learned that soci-ety really needs more programs like this to help people. There’re more people than you’d think that are struggling, that need an artistic outlet and somewhere to come and be safe.” Jackie’s goal is to start her own non-profit organization. “I’ve learned now there’s more than meets the eye. Sometimes you’ll see people and think, ‘Oh they’re not in need,’ but there’s different needs, it’s not just about what somebody looks like.”
The program’s cycle-end project, Vivacity, is an art showcase that cele-brates Toronto’s youth. Youth debut
original works of art that they have been working on for six months. “You’re meeting all these kids that are super shy and introverted and at the end they are a lot more outgoing, have goals and are more sociable,” said Julia Girmenia, Social Media and Marketing Lead at UforChange.
With the large population of students attending Guelph-Hum-ber and the Humber North campus, students could help youth programs of any sort f lourish by using their talents and skills. Sherman said, “Usually people volunteer because something pulls at their heart-strings and the compassionate part of human nature comes out. They want to do something for someone else. Whether it’s in a program like this or at a food bank or even doing outreach on the streets, they’re going to learn what it takes to survive and they’re going to learn about how to help somebody.”
“Being able to connect with people every day and learning about their lives, and being able to see how we could help them get to the next level has been amazing,” said Sarah El Raheb, Education Lead at Uforchange.
50 ways to do better –and be better – in your communityBY JAKE BEAUMONT
If you are looking for ways to better the Etobicoke and Humber commu-nity, whether it be volunteering your time or donating money, but you don’t know where or how to start, don’t fret.
The Etobicoke Guardian has posted a benevolent article, which you can access at http://goo.gl/VTHlwz, where it lists 50 ways you can better this community and even yours.
If you have a few hours to spare, consider volunteering at the Trillium Health Partners’ Etobicoke hospital or the Etobicoke General Hospital.
For the cost of a few hours out of your week, you have the opportunity to better the lives of those less fortunate then you.
If hospitals are not for you, consider volunteering at the Etobicoke Humane Society, where you can offer your services to the hundreds of rescued animals who come to the shelter each year.
Being a student, you might not have time to volunteer or money to give away, however there are still ways you can help.
You can contribute your part in ending hunger by donating non-perishable foods to the Daily Bread Food Bank.
You can save and donate household items to the Agnes Potts’ annual garage sale in support of Youth Without Shelter.
Support adult literacy at your local library where you can tutor in basic read-ing, writing and math.
Assisting students with their home-work at local libraries is a great way to give back to the community as it helps ensure the workers of our future are liter-ate and competent.
Consider visiting an elderly home for an hour or two and you can brighten the lives of many seniors who rarely receive any visitors.
Remember that by just supporting your local stores or cleaning off trash on the streets, you are creating a prece-dent for other citizens to give back to the community.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
Learn how 1,000 women built six homes as part of
Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build project
in Rexdale, at radixonline.ca.
The University of Guelph-Humber’s Student Life and Alumni Services are making it easy to give back with a new program called GH Gives.
“The program is about our students, staff, faculty and alumni coming together to give within our own commu-nity,” Liana Acri, Student Life Coor-dinator, said. “GH Gives is a program that encompasses numerous events and campaigns from volunteering to fundraising.”
This year, GH Gives is collaborat-ing with Free the Children and fundrais-ing to help build a school in Sierra Leone, West Africa. It is now roughly $2,000
Cool to be Kind
BY MEGHAN MURPHY
With the spirit of Thanksgiving still among us, make a difference with GH Gives
away from its goal of $8,500. This year’s projects have been selected
because they are activities that run annu-ally like Random Acts of Kindness.
Random Acts of Kindness is an event that happens in February, though you can spot random acts throughout the entire year because GH Gives is about “inspiring people in the Guelph-Hum-ber community to pass it on to others,” said Acri.
An example of a random act of kind-ness that takes place throughout the year,
and not just around Thanksgiving, is a food drive. Students who tweet their random acts of kindness will be rewarded by a retweet from Student Life.
Spinning off the random acts of kind-ness, Student Life held a Random Cup of Kindness event, giving out Tim Hortons gift cards to spread the word. Let’s hope they do that again this year.
Some other examples include the Human Services Program’s “giving tree.” Random acts of kindness by students or staff go on the “giving tree” showing the initiative.
For Veterans’ Week, Nov. 5-11, Student Life offers Postcards for Peace, on which staff and students can write messages of appreciation to be mailed to war veterans.
To participate, please see the GH Gives activities on the Guelph-Hum-ber website under the event calendar. And keep checking your email because Student Life sends biweekly emails with all the things you need to know .
For Halloween, for example, GH Gives is staging an event called Trick-or-Eat; for more information visit www.radixonline.ca.
