The 8th Annual ODBF Shiver ’N Giver Fundraising Drive has raised $24,547.44 in support of Lotus Centre for Special Music Education, Ottawa Therapy Dogs and Tim Hortons Foundation Camps. The funds raised helped these local charities meet a variety of needs throughout the National Capital Region.
In spite of the cancellation of the 2024 BeaverTails Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival’s annual races on the Rideau Canal Skateway the foundation’s annual winter campaign, the ODBF Shiver ’N Giver Fundraising Drive, continued its efforts to raise funds for local charities. Traditionally, teams competing at the event also have the opportunity to raise funds for local charities through the campaign. The top seven fundraising teams in both the mixed and women’s divisions would ordinarily participate in the ODBF Shiver & Giver Fundraising Races competing at night on an LED lit race course before the official festival races the next day. Unfortunately, for a second year in a row that did not take place due to the poor ice conditions and warm temperatures of the season. What did take place, however, was the incredible resilience and generosity of the community. The 2024 ODBF Shiver ‘N Giver Fundraising Drive efforts were led by the top fundraising teams Chinatown Snowboat in 1st place, Lucky Iceholes in 2nd place and Boo’s Crew in 3rd place. These incredible teams and their supporters have been instrumental in this year’s campaign. Since the inaugural ODBF Shiver ‘N Giver Fundraising Drive in 2017, the foundation’s winter campaign has raised $160,376.44 in support of charities in the National Capital Region.
The 2024 fundraising drive supported three charities offering programs within the National Capital Region. Lotus Centre for Special Music Education adaptive summer music camp serves children with a wide range of physical and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy, and is for children developmentally aged 5-18; Ottawa Therapy Dogs provide animal-assisted interventions to vulnerable individuals across Ottawa; and Tim Hortons Foundation Camps are making it possible to create a brighter future for youth in the National Capital Region at Camp des Voyageurs in Quyon, Quebec.
Lotus Centre for Special Music Education adaptive summer music camp serves children with a wide range of physical and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy, and is for children developmentally aged 5-18. The camp runs weekly during the summer for 9 weeks and each camp week has two groups of 7 campers for a total of 126 camp spots during the summer. The camp centers on 2 daily music circles led by professional music educators trained in adapting instruction for students with disabilities. Lotus Centre for Special Music Education adaptive summer music camp provides an essential program to the special needs community, as few opportunities exist for children with disabilities to attend camp or make music, and even fewer opportunities exist for children with high needs. The camp has an open-door policy, meaning they accept children with a wide range of exceptionalities, regardless of type or severity of need. Given that most traditional music camps are not equipped to support children with high needs, many participants would not have the opportunity to attend music camp if not for the Lotus Centre. Last year, all nine weeks of summer camp filled within two hours of the opening of registration, and several of our camp weeks had waitlists of over 25 campers, indicating the high level of need for this type of program in the community. To meet the physical, emotional, and sensory needs of campers, Lotus Centre offers a 2:1 participant:staff ratio. Their low staff ratio ensures that they can meet the needs of all their participants, which in turn allows them to successfully engage. Their staff are trained to help participants engage in camp activities, assist with daily living needs (such as feeding and toileting), and provide emotional/behavioural support.
This year marked 20 years since Ottawa Therapy Dogs was established as a non-profit organization providing animal-assisted interventions to vulnerable individuals across Ottawa. Their volunteer handlers and their furry companions currently visit over 50 sites across the city, including The Royal Mental Health Centre and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, providing therapeutic comfort and support to individuals overcoming challenges in the areas of physical and/or mental health and literacy. As Ottawa Therapy Dogs continue to recover from the pandemic, there is an escalating need to provide support specifically to children and youth in our community coping with mental health challenges. A number of their partners that serve this demographic, including CHEO, have requested an increase to their volunteer teams and weekly visits, however the requests currently exceed their capacity based on the loss of volunteer teams during the pandemic and the number of teams qualified to specifically support children and youth. As part of Ottawa Therapy Dogs thorough recruitment process, all volunteer teams must successfully pass an intensive evaluation process which ensures that we mitigate risk by determining their suitability to work in various environments with adult patients/visitors. Following the successful completion of their evaluation by the Standards and Practices Committee, teams are provided with guided mentorship with a current volunteer team as part of the onboarding process. Given that this evaluation is designed to serve the adult demographic, funding will support enhanced training to provide visits to children and youth. This additional training and evaluation process will ensure that more handlers and dogs are qualified to work with younger populations.
ODBF will also be supporting Tim Hortons® Foundation Camps, Camp des Voyageurs Tim Horton in Quyon Quebec, who are helping to create brighter futures for youth in the National Capital Region. A leader in youth development programming, Tims Camps support youth from low-income homes between the ages of 12 to 16 – an important developmental time that helps shape who they will become as adults. Through a multi-year, camp-based program, youth learn skills like leadership, resilience and responsibility, which empower them to believe in their potential. Youth are supported to thrive when they return home, to excel in post-secondary education, to succeed at work and to contribute positively to their communities.
As the 2024 ODBF Shiver ‘N Giver Fundraising Drive comes to an end, ODBF extends a huge thank you to each and every one of its dedicated fundraisers, generous donors, and community partners. Donations are being accepted until February 29, 2024.
