You can work wonders!

Last year, the family of ShareLife-funded agencies provided over 381,000 services to over 114,000 people locally and assisted countless more in developing countries around the world. They fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless, protected the meek and cared for the sick. In 42 municipalities, in 225 parishes, and in more than 20 languages, those in need received professional, faith-informed and compassionate care as a result of our generosity.

John had spent far too many years of his young life in terror about what would happen to his mom, himself and his siblings, because of the violence in his home. He felt alone, and he felt responsible. He was the oldest, and at 12, he thought he should be keeping everyone safe from his raging father.
It was John who called 911, which led to his mom leaving the abusive situation. That incident led his family to the Safer Families Program of Catholic Family Services in Durham Region. Through their domestic violence programming, john learned that he was not the only child who had this happening in his home… and most importantly, he learned that it was not his fault. He was able to get his feelings out, and learn new ways of coping… different from what he had witnessed in his home. He now has a chance to live a different kind of life than that which he had been exposed to in his first 12 years.

Catholic Family Services of Durham provided individual, family, couple and group counselling to nearly 2,000 people last year. Over half of those clients are victims of domestic violence.

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“I was a rebel” Claimed Tyler (now 22), adding he often broke the rules at the Silent Voice Sign Language Summer Camp by speaking rather than signing. “Looking back, it was disrespectful.” Later in life he realize that what he had learned when he attended Silent Voice day camp for deaf children was a priceless gift. He began to understand his language skill was in high demand and that becoming an interpreter was a career he wanted to pursue. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the American Sign Language program at Toronto’s George Brown College. Determined to right the wrongs of his youth, he also signed up to be a counsellor at the camp. “It made me appreciate the good intentions of people who helped me grow up,” he said. Now he is passing it forward.

ShareLife-funded agencies in our region assisted more than 28,000 people with special needs last year, affirming their value to our society and making us all stronger as a result.

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Though difficult to imagine, it was only last summer that Mike was released from Jail after serving time for drug offences. He was 19, and although he did not know where life would take him, he was determined to get back on the right track. He says that the skills, teamwork, and discipline he learned in Covenant House’s Cooking for Life program went a long way in helping prepare him for his career. “I knew if I was going to get a job, it was going to be a challenge, and I would have to prove myself first,” says Mike. He aced the course, got a placement in an upscale Yorkville restaurant and has now landed a job. “I am grateful every day for the opportunities I received at Covenant House.”

Research shows that over 70% of street youth leave home because of physical and/or sexual abuse. In Toronto alone, there are at least 1500 homeless youth on any given night. On an annual basis, ShareLife agencies provide food, shelter, guidance, care and counselling to more than 10,000 young people in the Greater Toronto Area.