It keeps me up at night that many women live their entire lives without a home that is safe and secure.  I think of the women and children trapped in violent situations or turned away from emergency shelters because they are full. I think of the women forced to live in shelters for years at […]

Carmela and her team, the Fast and Furious, were the top fundraisers in support of violence against women shelters at the 2015 B&O Yorkville Run. Sponsor one of our runners or sign up to run at the 2016 B&O Yorkville 5K Run happening September 11, 2016.  I first became involved with YWCA Toronto when a colleague […]

Joselyn is a recent high school graduate and volunteer at YWCA Toronto’s Girls’ Centre. Joselyn reflects on her experience as a mentor at the 2016 Digital Girls – Digital Literacy Camp. The Girls’ Centre is such an important part of my life.  When I am there, it feels like home.  I started as a participant […]

I am thankful to Mandi Gray. It takes immense bravery to report sexual assault and endure an 18-month trial. Especially when confronting a system that regularly fails women. For this reason, I cheered inside when I saw the front page of a Toronto newspaper’s story about the verdict. It read: “It does not matter if […]

Thousands of women and children in need will receive a financial boost via the new Canada Child Benefit program launching in July. It is historic – the benefit provides targeted support to low and moderate income families across Canada. According to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, it is projected to slash child […]

Cindy is a Employment Centre participant. Her story is featured in YWCA Toronto’s 2015 Annual Report.  Cindy left China in 2001, intent on creating a new life and secure a future for her family in Toronto. She felt lost at first. But she soon discovered YWCA Toronto. She enrolled in an employment training program and aced a work placement that led to […]

June 21 is National Aboriginal Day in Canada. At YWCA Toronto, we celebrate and honour Indigenous peoples and heritage – today and everyday. We are dedicated to the work of reconciliation and continue to call for justice, safety and a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples.  Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future – the ground-breaking Truth and […]

Dr. Cheryl Wagner is a primary care physician and a 2016 YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction. I was in Moose Factory Hospital on the edge of James Bay when the call came to take over the practice of a Toronto physician diagnosed with AIDS. That was thirty years ago. The full impact of the epidemic […]

Elizabeth Shilton, Senior Fellow, Queen’s University Centre for Law in the Contemporary Workplace, is a 2016 YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction. (womenofdistinction.ca.) She receives her award for leadership in law and justice Thursday, May 26. Every Monday morning, a Toronto daily newspaper publishes a set of tables showing data on financial issues such as interest […]

Georgia Quartaro, Dean of the Centre for Preparatory and Liberal Studies at George Brown College, is a 2016 YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction. I have the privilege of working at a college where I see lives transformed every year. This is true across the college, of course, as students learn, develop skills, and find the […]