The organizers behind the Tour de Thorncliffe were all smiles and high-fives at the grand celebration on July 13th. They had nearly tripled donations from the previous year, hosted five different community events and raffled off almost $3,000 in donated prizes to reward donors and fundraisers. Most importantly, the Thorncliffe Park Autism Support Network (TPASN) secured funding to proceed with offering a summer camp experience, at no cost, to families with children with special needs. The camps began on July 6th and will continue until August 16th.
“We are overjoyed by the support we have received this year – from businesses, from community organizations, from members of our community – it makes a tremendous difference knowing we have the means to continue these camps, so vital for the children and for their families, right through the summer,” said Dr. Shakhlo Sharipova, lead organizer and executive director of TPASN.
Najia Zewari, founder of the Women’s Cycling Network, which partners with TPASN on this event, noted, “This grassroots collaboration is in its fourth year and people are seeing that we are a going concern and force of good in our community, bringing people together to enjoy cycling and do something positive for others.”
Where does the money go?
Like all summer day camps, children attending require supervision, activities and nutritious meals and snacks. At this camp, more than half of children attending require one-on-one assistance. “We recruit and train volunteers from the community to assist these children with feeding, toileting, participation in activities and self-regulation. This is not an easy job but it is very rewarding. We couldn’t offer these camps without our volunteers and they each receive an honorarium in recognition of their work,” explained Dr. Sharipova.
Additionally, children receive breakfast and lunch as well as healthy snacks, mostly through a purchase from local caterers and the Park Cafe. Facilities, special needs educators, activities, programming and outings make up the rest of the budget.
How did the community step up?
Local businesses and organizations were invited to be a “community collaborator,” and summer students and organizers approached local retailers for raffle prizes. The organizers were looking for two streams of support – one from businesses and organizations to donate directly as an event collaborator, and one from people who fundraised or made a donation. Leaside Life was among the community collaborators and also donated raffle prizes. The raffle prizes were an incentive for fundraisers and donors as well as a reason to attend the grand celebration. Raffle winners could choose their prize from a wide array of donated goods, including bikes, helmets, housewares, beauty supplies, gift cards and Bike Share annual passes.
Seeing the benefits in the children
The Tour de Thorncliffe provides a reason for the community to get together and participate in cycling activities but the true value of the event is evident in the camps it funds. These camps are a lifeline for local families with children with special needs. As one parent explained, “We are newcomers, and discovering accessible summer camp for kids with disability was a big surprise for us, and we completely melted when we found out that it is a community effort which makes it also affordable.”
There’s still time to contribute to this great cause. Donations can be made up to August 15th at tourdethorncliffe.ca.