I volunteer at a charity Light up the world . I wanted to introduce it here, but I also wanted a spot that everyone can post about the charities they support, because some times, just getting the awareness of these charities is hard to do. I look forward to hearing about everyone else's charities they support, and maybe others can find new charities they want to get involved in. Below is a documentary on energy poverty that is featuring the work LUTW does.
Light up the world is looking for about 4-5 more volunteers for one of these trips to install a solar system in Peru starting september 28th. If you have interest please check out the info for the trip.
Thank you
__________________
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
- Aristotle
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Tiger For This Useful Post:
Wow. I remember LUTW from a long time ago, I didn’t know it was still around.
It has been a while, but I used to volunteer with Tetra Society, which has since, in Calgary, renamed to Ability Workshop Society, which is great if you’re something of a maker.
I support Ronald McDonald House for every sale I make at work. I can't imagine having a seriously ill or injured child and how difficult just having to deal with day to day things would be.
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Winsor_Pilates For This Useful Post:
Our daughter is a psychologist with CASA Mental Health so we give monthly to them. A friend does missionary work building dams in South America and we support them. We’ve supported Ronald McDonald house.
Did you know that you can bring a group in the prepare and serve a meal? We’ve done that.
Last edited by WideReceiver; 06-23-2025 at 10:54 PM.
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I support Ronald McDonald House for every sale I make at work. I can't imagine having a seriously ill or injured child and how difficult just having to deal with day to day things would be.
Ronald McDonald house story:
My younger son spent some time in the NICU after he was born. We live in Calgary so never stayed at the house or anything, I drove back and forth to try and keep things somewhat normal for our older son (who was 2). I was a wreck - totally stressed, not sleeping (I actually backed my vehicle into the closed garage door exiting the garage). One of the nurses mentioned that Ronald McDonald house had supplied snacks for families of the NICU babies. That $3 worth of granola bars and peanut butter crackers was a lifesaver, as at least I ate something that day. I really, really appreciated it. Something little but it made a big difference in a really tough situation.
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to bizaro86 For This Useful Post:
I am a sucker for people (esp. kids) going hungry, so main charities are the Calgary Foodbank and Brown Bagging for Kids. Red Cross, Focus Humanitarian Assistance and cancer related charities are others that I give to
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I am a big believer in education. I set up an award at UofC. For every $1000 annual award they want $25,000 to keep it running forever. You can name it whatever you want, set some terms on the recipient, and choose the faculty. I plan to increase the number and amount over time.
Separately I was delighted to learn the Calgary Board of Education has a charity set up called Education Matters. You can donate money and direct it specifically to a particular school (ie the one YOUR kid goes to). It isn’t for general purposes, there has to be some structure involved but when I directed funds to my kid’s high school the Principal called me to thank me and ask which areas I wanted to support. We discussed areas of need and areas that my children participated in, so we decided to buy better art supplies and gym equipment to enhance what was lacking.
Message me if you want to discuss either the above.
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Brupal For This Useful Post:
I donate monthly to the distress centre. I got an email recently and apparently I've been doing it for a decade? Dang, time flies. All I did was divert my money from Red Cross to them.
I put some money up for Brown bagging for kids last month. Man... I'm considering putting up a monthly donation for them too. I forget what the stats were about the bags they do per month in Calgary, but honestly, too damn high! As much as sometimes I wish finances weren't as tight, at least I just have tight finances and I don't have to choose basic necessities and go without food.
It literally reminds me of some cartoon I watched as a kid and pulls at my heart strings as a result. It was some PSA about poverty being around us in the developed world or something (some VHS we borrowed from the library with half a dozen PSAs on it). I wish I could find this video on Youtube. I wanted to show it to my kids. At one point in the cartoon, a sad kid with no lunch reaches into the garbage can for a slice of orange that another had thrown out as a "joke" to the shock of his classmates. Ugh... I've been there. No kid deserves to go hungry. I've asked my son to try and identify kids like this. He says he is not aware of any in his class for kids with no food, but the moment he does, we won't hesitate to pack double lunches for him to share.
I've donated to education matters before, but I wasn't as huge of a fan in being unable to know what the funds were being diverted to. Instead I occasionally buy things that I hear are needed and I tell my kids to share it in their classes.
EDIT: I seem to recall the music that was in the video. I should hum it to an online tool and see if it can give me a lead on what the videos were.
I support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto and volunteer time to lead recruitment campaigns promoting the organization's various programs at the firm I work for. I was previously a Big Brother myself for about 3 years and plan to get back into that program at some point when my personal situation better allows me to. I encourage everyone here to look into the organization in Calgary and see if one of the programs fits your own schedule! A little bit of your time can go a very long way for a kid.
Last edited by activeStick; 06-24-2025 at 02:35 PM.
+2 for Ronald McDonald House. My wife had a difficult pregnancy with our oldest and ended getting medivac-ed to Edmonton. After three nervous weeks in the hospital we welcomed our little girl three months premature. We stayed at RMCH Edmonton for six weeks, and then another month in Red Deer when our girl was doing a bit better. Both places were well run and supported by the community with different community organizations coming in to make dinners and what not.
I donate to them regularly and buy coffee for my office every year on McHappy Day.
The Following User Says Thank You to pseudoreality For This Useful Post:
Calgary Humane Society, I know people need help as well but it will always be animals for me.
Spent a day there washing blankets, cleaning bowls and dishes, mopping floors. Going to do the same thing this year. Be fun to take dogs for walks but they already have people for that who are checked out, trained, etc.
The Following User Says Thank You to Engine09 For This Useful Post:
I donate to the Tsuu Tina occasionally. They have a real easy setup too. I just walk in to the casino, feed $20 into one of their machines and I'm out within 10 minutes. So quick and effortless.
__________________ "We are no longer living. We are empty of substance, and our head devours us. Our ancestors were more alive. Nothing separated them from themselves."
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I am a big believer in education. I set up an award at UofC. For every $1000 annual award they want $25,000 to keep it running forever. You can name it whatever you want, set some terms on the recipient, and choose the faculty. I plan to increase the number and amount over time.
Separately I was delighted to learn the Calgary Board of Education has a charity set up called Education Matters. You can donate money and direct it specifically to a particular school (ie the one YOUR kid goes to). It isn’t for general purposes, there has to be some structure involved but when I directed funds to my kid’s high school the Principal called me to thank me and ask which areas I wanted to support. We discussed areas of need and areas that my children participated in, so we decided to buy better art supplies and gym equipment to enhance what was lacking.
Message me if you want to discuss either the above.
If you wanted a scholarship but didn't necessarily want it to be U of C specific the Calgary Foundation is also set up to run endowment type funds. Your fund gets their exact return after fees, and the results have been pretty good imo.
Back during the 2013 flood, my backyard picnic table and generator became the focal point folks in my neighbourhood who could not stay somewhere else during the week-long black out. Some neighbours had mental health issues, others had pets to care for --some had both situations.
I became aware how some people sometimes cannot ( or will not) seek help for themselves because of their obligations to their pets,
Last edited by para transit fellow; 06-25-2025 at 01:45 PM.
Reason: soo many typos.....
Charities Calgarypuckgarians work with/support
Dang, time flies. All I did was divert my money from Red Cross to them. 
