Huron ACW Say Yes!

Diocese of Huron ACW pushes Say Yes! to Kids Campaign closer to $100,000 goal

The Anglican Foundation of Canada’s (AFC) Say Yes! to Kids campaign received a $5,000 donation from the Diocese of Huron ACW bringing the Huron Says Yes! local fundraising team into the home stretch of its $10,000 goal, and helping the national campaign push well past the $70,000 mark.

“Anglican Church Women are known worldwide for their generosity and for supporting young people,” says Barbara Jackson, President of the Huron ACW. Jackson, who has dual American and Canadian citizenship, says the pandemic has been tough. “Arduous border crossings, taking our members online for meetings, and watching the ACW fundraising efforts come to a screeching halt have been difficult.”

Despite the difficulties, “we are totally committed to investing in young people,” says Jackson. “Children are our future, and we need to keep them healthy and safe and do everything we can to just love them.”

“I am grateful to the Huron ACW,” says Diane Dance, AFC’s Diocesan Representative for Huron, “and amazed by the way this campaign has been embraced in our diocese and across the country. These are uncertain times, and those who can give are giving more generously than ever, and that is so encouraging.”

Huron ACW President, Barbara Jackson (centre right) with fellow ACW members, September 2018.

Dance, who is a retired schoolteacher, has a keen interest in promoting participation in Say Yes! to Kids. “Of course raising funds is crucial to the success of the campaign, but I am encouraging people to think about how these funds can be used in creative ways to help heal the emotional and spiritual harm that COVID-19 has inflicted on our children. My hope is that parishes will begin to imagine the kinds of projects they might undertake when the new funding stream becomes available in the fall.

“I spent 40 years in the classroom, and I know that not all children have the same opportunities. The church has a vital role to play in post-pandemic recovery and maximizing what we can offer children and families in our communities will be part of that. Where our energy is lacking, we can look to the AFC—and this campaign—for hope and renewed strength.”

“We are deeply moved by this support from the women of Huron at a time when their own fundraising efforts have been so negatively impacted,” says The Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Rois, Executive Director, AFC. Since 2011, and the launch of the Kids Helping Kids Fund, the AFC has championed children, youth, and young adults in Canada with investments totaling over $1,087,000. “From hospice care to homework clubs to breakfast programs and summer camps,” says Canon Rois, “We have seen how resources can be used through people and partnerships to make a lasting difference in the lives of children and youth.”

Rois says the AFC will rely on the strength of its granting program to quickly turn around campaign proceeds by funding a Request for Proposals (RFP) for youth-focused initiatives in September. “AFC will put the right investments in the right hands and help to fund a meaningful response to the needs of children and youth in a post-pandemic world.”

To join a Say Yes! to Kids fundraising team, or to make an individual donation to the campaign, visit www.anglicanfoundation.org/kids.

 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
The Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Rois, Executive Director

Anglican Foundation of Canada
Phone:  (416) 358-8094
Email:    [email protected]