Globe and Mail special features

Philanthropic gift boosts Planet Youth Calgary’s generation-changing potential

For many of today’s most pressing challenges, there are no easy answers. Take the mental health crisis affecting Canadian youth, for example, where countless individuals suffer in isolation – and where organizations and communities often struggle to navigate a complex maze of different interventions.

Support from the community builds connections and gives the centre’s youth a sense of belonging

The Wagner Green YMCA in Toronto is an emergency shelter and drop-in centre that provides youth experiencing homelessness with a hot meal and a safe place to sleep. But it does more than that, says Nelson Borges, the shelter’s director of youth outreach and intervention – it provides hope.

National Philanthropy Day (NPD), which takes place on November 15 each year, celebrates giving of all kinds – donations, volunteering and charitable engagement. NPD is a day to highlight the accomplishments, large and small, that philanthropy makes to our society and our world. It celebrates charitable accomplishments and encourages all of us to strengthen and support our communities – around the corner or across the globe.