Donner Canadian Foundation Awards recognize
achievement in the non-profit sector
Contact:
Helen McLean, Director of Operations
Donner Canadian Foundation
Telephone: (416) 920-6400, ext. 24, cel. (416) 712-7266
Jason Clemens, Director of Non-profit Studies
The Fraser Institute
Telephone: (604) 714-4544Release Date: 13 October 2000
TORONTO, ONTARIO — The Honourable Hilary M. Weston, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, presented the Donner Canadian Foundation Awards for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services at a Queen's Park reception today. These annual awards recognize efficiency and effectiveness among non-profit agencies at the community level.
The top award was shared between two agencies from Ontario and Alberta.
"We had two hopes with these awards," says Allan Gotlieb, Chairman of the Donner Canadian Foundation, "we wanted to recognize and encourage the spirit of initiative and independence, and to provide donors with assistance in their assessment of charities. It gives us great pleasure to recognize exceptional organizations that are accomplishing so much in their communities."
The awards use a unique system of objective performance measures, developed in partnership with The Fraser Institute, to select finalists. The evaluation protocol was established with the input from the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy, the Canadian Cancer Society (BC & Yukon Division), the Trillium Foundation, and Family Services Canada.
"The system assesses performance between participating agencies in ten areas, including financial management, staff productivity, volunteer usage and management, and program cost," explained Jason Clemens, Director of Non-Profit Studies at the Fraser Institute. "This data will help agencies focus their often limited resources on areas of improvement, and ensure they are providing services effectively."
Chosen from among 322 applicants, awards totalling $65,000 are presented to agencies in nine categories: child care services, crisis intervention, counselling services, alternative education, traditional education, prevention and treatment of substance abuse, provision of basic necessities, services to the disabled, and services to seniors.
Awards of $5,000 are presented to the top-performing agency in each of the nine categories. The Donner Canadian Foundation Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services, an additional award of $20,000, is given to the agency receiving the highest score.
This year, the Donner Canadian Foundation Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services was shared between Sarnia-Lambton Rebound, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Calgary Chapter.
Sarnia-Lambton Rebound was established in 1984 and provides early intervention, mentoring and life-skill programs for low 'at risk' youth between the ages of twelve and seventeen. The organization promotes self-management and problem solving skills, and provides cost-effective early intervention and prevention programs.
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Calgary Chapter is a key organization in assisting those affected by multiple sclerosis in southern Alberta. The chapter provides services and support to their network of nearly 900 clients chapter, and helps fund MS research conducted at Calgary's Foothills Hospital MS Clinic, a leading research facility.
This year's recipients of the Donner Canadian Foundation Awards for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services are:
Donner Canadian Foundation Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services (for overall performance)
- Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Calgary Chapter
Calgary, Alberta - Sarnia-Lambton Rebound
Sarnia, Ontario
Child Care Services
- Kitsilano Area Childcare Society
Vancouver, British Columbia
Crisis Intervention
- Sarnia-Lambton Rebound
Sarnia, Ontario
Counselling
- Vernon & District Hospice Society
Vernon, British Columbia
Alternative Education
- York Region Abuse Program
Newmarket, Ontario
Traditional Education
- Cornwall Alternative School
Regina, Saskatchewan
Prevention & Treatment of Substance Abuse
- Women's Addiction Recovery Mediation
Fort Erie, Ontario - Julien House Society
New Westminster, British Columbia
Provision of Basic Necessities
- FIFE House
Toronto, Ontario
Services to the Disabled
- Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Calgary Chapter
Calgary, Alberta
Services to Seniors
- St. Joseph's Villa
Dundas, Ontario
In 2001, the Donner Canadian Foundation and the Peter F. Drucker Canadian Foundation, will integrate their awards programs to create the Canadian Awards for Non-Profit Excellence. Eleven awards totalling $90,000 will be presented in categories ranging from services to seniors to childcare to education to innovation. This will be the only program in Canada to recognize best practices among non-profits by using objective benchmarks to measure how well the organization uses its limited resources.
The Donner Canadian Foundation (DCF) was established in 1950 by William H. Donner and is one Canada's largest, and oldest, private foundations. The Donner Canadian Foundation is dedicated to supporting projects that emphasize self-reliance, individual initiative, and independence.
Established in 1974, The Fraser Institute is an independent public policy organization based in Vancouver, with offices in Calgary and Toronto
info@fraserinstitute.ca
4th Floor, 1770 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6J 3G7
Tel: (604) 688-0221 Fax: (604) 688-8539 Book Orders: 1-800-665-3558 ext. 580
You can contact us at the above email address for any comments or information requests. Please report any dead links or technical problems.