Community Achievement Award


David Crombie, Karen Stintz, Christopher Hume, Bill Hines (President of The Kiwanis Club of Toronto Foundation) and John Tory

David Crombie, Karen Stintz, Christopher Hume, Lisa Kostakis, Bill Hines, Michael Currie, John Tory, Philip Smith (back), Neil Chesworth and Joe Elkerton.

 

THE KIWANIS CLUB OF TORONTO FOUNDATION SELECTS BOUNDLESS ADVENTURES ASSOCIATION AS THE WINNER OF THE FIRST ANNUAL $75,000 COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Toronto, ON – June 1st, 2011 –Today, the Kiwanis Club of Toronto Foundation announced the winner of the first annual $75,000 Community Achievement Award.  From 52 applications in total and 10 finalists, the adjudicators – who include David Crombie, Karen Stintz, John Tory, Christopher Hume, and members of the Foundation – chose Boundless Adventures Association, an educational adventure association dedicated to improving the lives of marginalized youth, adults, and children at risk through a unique combination of counseling, social rehabilitation, alternative education and outdoor adventure.

At Boundless, an Independent School since 2004 and the only organization of its kind in Canada, over 18,000 at-risk youth gain the opportunity to complete their high school credits, and develop life skills for societal re-integration and employment success.   Boundless was chosen to receive this prestigious award because of its extraordinary mandate in helping youth who are often in trouble at school and with the law.  The organization intends to expand its programs, working directly with the Ministry of Education, Aboriginal groups, Youth Justice, Toronto Police services, local district school boards, and children’s mental health agencies.

Vulnerable children and youth that can make substantial gains from unique schooling strategies within the City of Toronto will be able to benefit from this alternative educational approach, establishing autonomy, life direction and self-confidence, while experiencing a personal adventure in the wilderness.  Steven Gottlieb, Executive Director and Founder of Boundless Adventures said “Our hearts are still a-flutter. This award is a very big deal for our small charity. We will leverage every penny to build our school for vulnerable youth. We are so grateful to the Toronto Kiwanis Club Foundation for selecting us.”

The newly created Community Achievement Award is designed to make a lasting impact as a one time grant to an organization based in downtown Toronto in one of the communities which the Toronto Kiwanis Club serves.  The Kiwanis Club of Toronto Foundation created the award to recognize past achievements and to reward proposed new or expanded ideas involving extraordinary service to underprivileged children and youth in Toronto.

Toronto Kiwanis Club Foundation President Bill Hines, extremely pleased with the final decision, said “Boundless Adventures’ work with high risk youth in our catchment area makes it a particularly appropriate recipient of our first Community Achievement Award.  We admire the efforts that Boundless makes with at-risk youth to help them attain their high school diplomas and to become leaders in their local Toronto communities.”

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