Here comes Summer!

And some really hot deals.

Our summer garage sale project ended last year with success thanks to the direct involvement of East York and supporters like you. This year, we are hoping to surpass our goals while providing our community with  some really hot deals through our summer inventory.

Your support will help us make a difference in the lives of homeless and at-risk youth in Toronto.

Join us

Date: 02 JUNE 2012 @ 9 AM to 3 PM

Where: TOUCHSTONE’S PARKING LOT (1076 PAPE AVE, PAPE AND COSBURN)

For more information, please contact Kay Chin

Mirela Cehic, student of  Oxford College’s School of Dental Hygiene, came in today to shed some light on ‘what’s really good about dental hygiene’. Mirela, accompanied by 3 other students, broke down the steps required to keep that smile fresh and clean.

Youth from our Drop-In and Residential Services paid attention to the details needed to make the cleaning experience and effective one.

This workshop represents Touchstone’s initiative to open the doors for community engagement where youth learn from members of their community.

Thanks Mirela!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! - To celebrate this special day, we would like to invite you to our first ever Mother’s Day Sale.

Join us in our Multipurpose Room at Touchstone Youth Centre (1076 Pape Avenue, Pape and Torrens) on Friday (11 May 2012) and Saturday (12 May 2012) from 10 am to 5 pm for great sales and prizes.

Our inventory promises to send the message of love and appreciation to the most important person in our life – MOM.

All proceeds go towards are general operation.

For more details, please contact Marjorie

See you there!

Thursday June 14th, 2012 at the Don Valley Hotel (1250 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto ON M3C 1J3 (Hotel Entrance located on Wynford Drive) beginning at 5:30 p.m. on their outdoor patio! Come help celebrate the beginning of summer with us.

The feature for the evening will be Tom Melissis (Canadian Actor), Jaci Gecelter (1^st place Choreographer Winner Vegas Dance Explosion 2011) and the F-Minor Quintet.

Tickets are $100.00 per person, $190 per couple and $750 for groups of eight (a tax receipt of 50 % is included).  We will also have our spectacular silent auction of amazing items and balloon game.

Casual summer dress is encouraged for our summer theme!

The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 14th, 2012.

 For advance tickets and exclusive sponsorship opportunities contact Touchstone Youth Centre at 416-696-6932 and ask for Fire and Ice or email Lisa Khan.

“It’s been an exciting and encouraging experience…to see the interest of new supporters to the cause,” claimed Anthony Stewart, the event’s organizer. This was one of Touchstone’s newest initiatives to build awareness of its cause to different groups. Over 90% of the people who attended did not have any relation to Touchstone before this event. Supporters represented many different groups across Toronto with an underpinning enthusiasm for the game of poker. The representation supported the organization’s intent of creating more community involvement opportunities where local community members will see Touchstone as their own.

The night’s entertainment was ushered in by the pre-play coaching opportunity guests had as they got ready for some free poker playing while learning more about Touchstone. As guests filled the Main Events Hall of the newly renovated Centennial College Progress Campus, they were greeted with their first of many servings of sautéed chicken skewers with mango sauce, jerk chicken and 5 different types of appetizers throughout the night. The atmosphere was filled with an overwhelming energy of hope where new and existing supporters of the organization reflected on the reason for Touchstone’s existence and the hope each person brings in addressing youth homelessness.

The success of the event included the efforts of many different groups. Our volunteers, led by Khalvin Herbert, Manager of Volunteer Administration, provided nothing but the best service to our guests. Our mentor chef, Sean Taylor, mentored our ‘Me So Hungry’ facilitators, Brandon Thonson and Logan Scott as they put together appetizers for the entire night. Our table sponsors for the night were UMAB Canada, Roxanne Meek, Baked By Popular Demand and Nations United – thank you for making a difference.

Thank you for making this event a successful night of awareness building and see you in 2013!

Players travelled from as far as Oshawa to the event’s location of East York to battle it out for our 6 LOVE! Champion. Highlights of the night included the suspense-filled final game of table “Clarendon” as Prescod Rolstol claimed championship despite the challenges presented by his opponents.

The night carried a warm, Caribbean feeling with the accenting taste of Touchstone’s Youth Advisory Board life skills group, Me So Hungry’s ‘Saturday Soup’ tantalize the taste buds of our guests. The event also received significant support from local Caribbean restaurant Charley’s Caribbean Cuisine (1158 Morningside Avenue, Unit 3, Scarborough) and Patty King (Nicholas Chong – 321 Progress Avenue, Scarborough).

Our volunteers also came out in full swing as they worked endlessly at decorating our venue and manned the registration table.

We would like to thank all our supporters for a successful night of awareness – and we look forward to your support during next year’s 6 LOVE!

Touchstone Youth Centre is a homeless shelter for youth between the ages of 16-24. As a student, who also falls in the age range of the residents, my experience has been an eye opener. Working with youth who are sometimes older than you can make certain situations intimidating, but having support from staff members has lessened this intimidation.

When I first started at Touchstone I was unsure of what to expect in the shelter and of the residents. As I began to interact with the staff and residents everyone seemed very friendly and respectful to one another. Experiencing a high level of respect encouraged me to become more involved in assisting the residents on tasks they needed to complete. As I continued to assist the residents, a group of students, including myself, decided on a program that would further engage the residents in accomplishing their goals.

Seeing as many of the youth have not completed their schooling, we decided on starting up a school program in order to provide the residents more information about how and where they can complete schooling no matter what stage they have completed. This program has not been put into action, but we have begun the preparation and plan of what needs to happen in order for the program to be successful. Even though we have not had the chance to put our program into action, having the opportunity to begin a program from scratch has been a learning experience.

As a student, I have had the opportunity to engage in many activities with the youth which has demonstrated what Touchstone does for the residents and other community members. Recently I have had the chance to attend a community event that was planned by Touchstone. The event, gear, was not only a fundraiser for Touchstone, but also an opportunity for youth to become involved in the community where their talent could be exposed to many people giving them a sense of support and care. Being a part of such an event, was a good experience because I was able to experience the joy and accomplishment these youth felt while on the stage.

Finally, as a student I have grown personally and professionally from this experience, due to the fact that I have never worked in the Social Work field before. At the beginning I would attempt to use theory I have learnt in school, but was not very successful, but as I continue to experiment with the skills I have gained in school and through my placement, certain techniques have been working for some of the residents. Feeling this sense of accomplishment has made me have a more positive outlook of what skills I have developed and where there is room for improvement. I believe this placement has been a helpful and useful experience for future working environments I will be placed in. Touchstone was and has been the perfect placement for me because it has helped me break out of my shell, and become more comfortable when working with homeless and street youth.

Thank you Touchstone.

Sofia Syrakos

TIFIDIN - TIFIDIN is proud to partner with Touchstone to deliver the Community Care Program.  Through this program we are able to give back and do our part to make a positive difference in our community. One of the most impactful engagement that promotes this gesture includes the employment opportunities youth receive through TIFIDIN. Whether it be packaging, labeling or giving input on the marketing elements of the next upcoming project, youth from Touchstone are given the chance to contribute through employment with TIFIDIN.

Thanks for making a difference TIFIDIN!

Please keep posted for upcoming projects!

To learn more about TIFIDIN, please click here.

Evening of Hope

UMAB Canada – Joe Hyland (Full House Sponsor) – Thanks!

Whether it is providing educational support to the organizations leaders regarding crisis management or sponsoring one of the organization’s fundraising events, UMAB (Understanding and Managing Aggressive Behaviour) Canada has demonstrated the true essence of social contribution. Since 2006, Touchstone’s volunteers and staff members have been using the crisis prevention techniques of this well-recognized approach to dealing with aggressive behaviour. The support received through this program has allowed the organization to demonstrate more confidence in providing sound care.

UMAB is commitment to ‘providing the working tools for the caregivers that work directly with people that experience difficulties and at times express it in an unsafe manner’

UMAB’s support has been endless throughout the years. This year, UMAB Canada sponsored our Evening of Hope (Full House Sponsor).

We would like to thank Joe Hyland and Joe Boux for their direct and continued support over the years; thanks for…making the difference!

For more information on UMAB Canada, please  click here.