NS&PEI ACW Lead 2023 Say Yes! to Kids Fundraising Effort
For the third consecutive year, the Anglican Church Women (ACW) Diocesan Board in the Diocese of Nova Scotia & PEI is leading the Anglican Foundation of Canada’s (AFC) Say Yes! to Kids (SYTK) movement with a leadership gift of $1,000 to the 2023 campaign.
In 2021, the ACW group—which is currently transitioning to a more inclusive brand of “Anglicans Powering Potential”—supported SYTK in the first days of the campaign, when the movement was in its infancy. In 2022 they championed a team to sponsor Indigenous youth delegates to attend the 2023 Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth gathering and raised more than $12,500 from both their SYTK 2022 effort and other fundraising.
This year, the women are Brigadoon Bound, with campaign proceeds going in support of Nova Scotia’s Brigadoon Village, the largest pediatric medical camp facility in Canada. “We were drawn to supporting Brigadoon Village because we know how meaningful, even transformative, the camping experience can be for children with a significant medical challenge that often sets them apart from their peers,” says Cynthia Pilichos, Co-ordinator.
At Brigadoon Village, children with the same illness or life challenge attend a camp specifically designed for those with their needs. With support from donors, Brigadoon can offer families a pay-what-you-can structure. However, due to the specialized nature of the camps and the cost-per-week of approximately $1,700, administrators say nearly 85% of campers require some financial support to attend.
“The Brigadoon Bound campaign is hugely symbolic for those of us at AFC who remember the origins of the Kids Helping Kids (KHK) Fund, which was the forerunner for the SYTK movement,” says Dr. Scott Brubacher, Executive Director, AFC. “Providing medical care for children with life-limiting illnesses was among the primary impact zones for that fund. Indeed, the first three grants from KHK, awarded a decade ago in 2013, all went to medical care projects.”
Cynthia Pilichos and her fellow team members will spend the spring months encouraging Anglicans across Nova Scotia to give generously to the ACW SYTK team to help meet or exceed their $5,000 goal. “By joining in this year’s Brigadoon Bound campaign, you can help to ensure that no child in Atlantic Canada will be turned away due to their financial situation. Together we can offer extraordinary children a chance to be ordinary!”
Pilichos says the ACW Board and supporters are driven by compassion and faith in all of their philanthropic endeavours which includes Kingston Memorial Fund Bursaries to qualifying Atlantic School of Theology students and an Anniversary Bursary to women pursuing continuing education in a recognized program . “We want to have an impact in the wider community to demonstrate in a visible and very real way the love of Jesus that calls us to ministry—as the ACW hymn, The Love of Jesus Calls Us, makes clear.”
AFC launched the 3rd annual SYTK campaign this week, and teams will be onboarded through to the end of April. The campaign will run until June 30. Any Canadian Anglican who would like to champion a SYTK effort in their parish or diocese is encouraged to reach out to Michelle Hauser, AFC’s Development & Communications Officer, who is coordinating this year’s team effort. Teams can also register online through to the end of April.
