Charitable donations have always been important to me and my philosophy is simple – I donate to things that affect little children and to things that scare the you know what out of me. Below is a quick summary of some of charities I choose to donate to on a regular basis, scroll down to read more about each charity.
January
Alzheimer’s Society of Canada
https://alzheimer.ca/en/on
Alzheimer’s falls under the broader category of dementia disorders that can affect anyone! Having seen someone go through early onset Alzheimer’s and witnessing the speed of progression and impact it can have this particular form of dementia is quite scary to me.
February
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/
February is heart month for more than one reason! My wife and I are both ex-smokers, so while we’ve been been smoke-free for a number of years now there is always the worry that the damage has already been done.
March
Canadian Liver Foundation
https://www.liver.ca/
Felt appropriate given March is Liver Health Month in March – just a coincidence that this is the same month as St. Patrick’s Day?
April
Autism Awareness
https://www.autismspeaks.org/world-autism-awareness-day
April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. There’s a whole spectrum that many individuals find themselves on – reducing the stigma and promoting a better understanding is what this day is all about!
May
Canadian Mental Health Association
https://cmha.ca/
If you’ve read the whole list, you’ll probably be able to guess that mental health really worries me. The fact is, there is just so much about the brain we don’t understand and only through studying various mental health disorders can we hope to gain more insight into how to prevent a wide range of terrifying disorders.
June
Thyroid Foundation of Canada
https://thyroid.ca/
This one is a little more specific – having some close family members that have had some thyroid concerns (cancer) it’s definitely something that hits close to home.
July
Cambridge Memorial Hospital
https://www.cmh.org/
I grew up in Cambridge and this is where my wife and I chose to raise our family so we’ve obviously visited this place once or twice!
August
The Children’s Miracle Network
https://childrensmiraclenetwork.ca/
August is Miracle Month! While this is a charity that I donate to on an ongoing basis (a portion of every home bought and sold through me goes directly to this organization) this month there is a special focus with various events and awareness campaigns put on by my local RE/MAX® brokerage as well as the Regional and Internation counterparts.
September
Bereaved Families of Ontario – Midwestern Division
https://bfomidwest.org/
Specifically we attend the butterfly release each September at the Williamsburg Cemetary in Waterloo. Losing a loved one of any age is never easy, the organization offers critical support services to those who need.
https://www.kitchenercemeteries.ca/en/things-to-do/walk-to-remember-and-butterfly-release.aspx
October
Canadian Cancer Society (Breast Cancer month)
http://www.cancer.ca/en/?region=on
There are so many forms that Cancer can take, October just happens to be Breast Cancer month and having so many females in my life (I have 8 sisters including all of the in-law and step variety :D) I feel like this is an important one to focus on!
November
Movember Foundation
https://mobro.co/GordonWallace
If you have known me for any length of time (as long as that length of time has encompassed at least one November) you’ll know my favourite month is MOVEMBER! I grow a ridiculous moustache (much to my wife’s chagrin) and raise money and awareness for Men’s mental and physical health. Plus it’s fun.
December
RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage: Annual Charity / Fundraising initiative of choice
Every year my brokerage chooses a new charity or theme for a fundraising drive to inspire competition across our brokerage’s office locations.. check out my Facebook page in December to see which group or cause it is this year: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernOntarioHomes/
Other charities / groups
With some many good causes to support there are often times where events pop up that are so worthy they deserve some extra love. Those that I don’t have a specific month for yuo can read about below:
Work for a Cure
https://www.workforacure.org/
Not a registered charity themselves but a collection of volunteers who donate their time and ensure that 100% of the proceeds collected go to local children’s cancer initiatives.