By Nicole Howe
Smiling faces and laughter during mealtime at the Boys and Girls Club on Nepean Street are a testament to the success of the Ottawa Senators Foundation.
The foundation has donated more than $320,000 to local charities since its formation a year ago. The Boys and Girls Club received a gift of $5,000 plus ongoing support.
“We have more than exceeded our goals,” says Marie Olney, the executive director of the foundation which helps disadvantaged youth.
The Boys and Girls Club is one of over 20 charities that the foundation helps.
“It’s absolutely vital,” says Pat Shapiro, Boys and Girls Club major gift and donor relations officer, about the Senators’ donation.
The club offers an after-school program which gives up to 40 children, aged six to 18 and living in the Forward Street Shelter, the chance to socialize and play, plus a hot meal. The kids are picked up in a school bus and transported to the Boys and Girls Club to participate in a variety of activities and then driven back at the end of the program.
The program runs Tuesdays to Fridays from 3:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The Senators’ money is applied directly to the transportation budget.
“If we can’t move the kids, if we can’t put gas in the bus, we can’t run the program,” says Shapiro.
It’s a program that Cindy Gattas-Lister, a co-ordinator with the Boys and Girls Club, believes makes a difference in the lives of the children and the community.
“People from the area surrounding the shelter were complaining that the children were hanging out on the streets causing trouble,” she says explaining why the shelter and the club started working together a year ago.
Forward Street Shelter supervisor, Robert Currie, says the youth are always excited about going to the Boys and Girls Club.
“They are waiting for the bus a half an hour before it comes,” he says.
Currie says the shelter lacks a variety of recreational activities for kids. All they offer is a TV room.
The chance for the kids to travel to the club and be involved in constructive play in a supervised social environment is beneficial for the children staying at the shelter.
“They are in a difficult situation as it is,” says Currie.
The Ottawa Senators Foundation plans to help even more organizations next year.
“We expect to double our intake of funds,” says Olney.
The foundation raises money through various events like the upcoming Top Hats and Hockey Sticks gala on Oct. 19 at the Corel Centre. The gala includes a four course dinner and a fashion show. Corporate or group tables can be purchased for $1,600 for the black tie optional event.
All proceeds from the gala go directly to the Ottawa Senators Foundation.