I have been excited to tell you about this blog post for months!
Today, as a part of Giving Tuesday, we’re launching a new campaign and contest with my amazing friends at the Calgary Foundation. The Calgary Foundation has this fantastic website called the Community Knowledge Centre that showcases charitable organizations working on innovative solutions to our city’s most-pressing issues.
So maybe you’re hoping to give back this holiday season to a charity, but you don’t know where to start. OR maybe you want to volunteer but you want to find a non-profit that lines up with your goals and values. Or maybe you just want to be inspired by the thousands of Calgarians who are doing truly inspiring work across the city. The CKC site is for you. I like to think of it sort of an airbnb for non-profits and their supporters.
The CKC is a tool for connecting people to the vibrant charitable sector, and its profiles include specific information on programs, financial statements, annual reports and links to social media, making it a one stop shop for insights into the charitable sector. Not sure if there’s a non-profit for you? You can actually filter by interest area so it is a great resource for learning about volunteer opportunities available.
Earlier this year, I spent sometime exploring CKC and found some non-profits that were interesting to me. I was thinking lucky enough to spend some time with them and learn more about what they do, and how they contribute to making Calgary a pretty great place to live. I’ll be sharing these videos throughout the week.
Our first stop was to Linkages. Linkages connects seniors and youth ages 12-24 through school-based and community programs that foster mutually beneficial friendships, promote learning and sharing of history, challenge ageist attitudes and strengthen community engagement. I’m so excited to introduce you to Stephen, and his friends Spencer and Jacob.
Contest:
Our second stop was to meet with my friends at the Calgary Sexual Health Centre and their president Pam Krause. I’ve long been a support of the CSHC and their amazing programs, like Wise Guyz.
Our third and final stop was to spend the afternoon with the always amazing Two Wheel View, and their goal is to change kids’ lives from the seat of a bike.
On top of that, the Calgary Foundation and I are excited to announce a really fun contest, unlike anything I’ve ever gone before. We are going to be giving away $3,000 to local charities, but I want you to decide where the money goes. On Friday, I’ll be choosing three entries and those winners will each get to allocate $1,000 to a CKC charity of their choice How amazing is that? I got chills typing it.
So how can you enter?
I invite you to explore the CKC website and find a charitable organization that you’d like to support. Then, head to the comments section and tell me why you’d like to donate $1,000 to this charity. The contest closes at 2pm on Friday, December 1st.
And cause, it’s the holidays, can you do me a favour? Head to your social media of choice and share this contest. I want as many people as possible to learn about the great work that the Calgary Foundation is doing, and as also learn about the CKC website, so we can all help our local non-profits throughout the year.
Here’s a tweet you can use:
“I’m entered to win $1,000 that I can donate to an amazing local charity I found using the @calgfoundation’s Community Knowledge Centre. Enter before Friday for your chance to win! https://goo.gl/LPTAz4  #CKCYYC”
Best of luck to the all those who enter, and thank you to the Calgary Foundation for this incredible opportunity!
Discovery house
Hi Mike,
This is an awesome opportunity – thanks so much!
I’d love to give the $1000 to carya. Every year, carya serves 400000+ Calgarians of all ages in over 40 programs. Last year their youngest client was one month old and their oldest was 98 – it’s truly a multigenerational agency! carya works on the preventative side of things – making sure people get the support they need to find mental health and wellbeing before a crisis occurs.
They help parents build the skills they need to bond with their children and make sure they feel safe and cared for. They have programs in junior high schools that create space for girls who haven’t found a place to fit in. They help seniors connect with the services and resources that they need to stay in the homes and communities that they love for as long as possible. carya does all of these things and more, and I’d love to help them continue to provide these supports to Calgarians.