Non-profit organisation rebrands to showcase its reach
THE FREE For All Foundation, a non-profit organisation that was initially set up to help black and racialised youths, has evolved into offering several services across the Region of Peel and the Greater Toronto Area. It recently held a rebranding event to re-examine its mission and publicise its growth. The name has been changed to Free For All Community Services reflecting its mantra, ‘No one should be left behind, or no one should be turned away who asked for service’.
Jamaica-born David Green, executive director of the organisation which he started in 2000, said the foundation also experienced challenges in acquiring financial assistance as potential donors thought the word “foundation” in their name meant that they dispensed money instead of received it.
“We felt that was a barrier to us really expanding and providing more services to our community as we would like to, and the fact that we have evolved from serving youths to serving seniors and families now,” said Dr. Green who immigrated to Canada from Jamaica in 1980.
Green said the programmes have grown from the initial youthfocused providing mentorship, leadership, sports, and recreation to other areas such as STEM, mental health and wellness, and a wrap-around service for community members and their families who access the services of the Peel Children’s Aid Society.
“Our partnership with the Peel Children’s Aid Society is to make sure that we are now keeping families together instead of separating the families. We try to provide them with the capacity that they need to be competent and strong so that they can advocate for their families.”
COMMUNITY’S MOST VULNERABLE
Green said black families make up the highest number of cases seen, and many of the children in care are newcomers to Canada.
“They don’t have the know-how and the understanding that raising a child back home — let me use Jamaica as an example because I’m a Jamaican — is a totally different thing here,” he said. Green is also the chair of the Peel District School Board.
The Peel Children’s Aid Society strives to ensure the safety and well-being of “the community’s most vulnerable - with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion” and helps “parents and care-givers build healthy families and provide a safe environment for children and youth.”
Green said Free For All helps families that face barriers in the school system and continue to provide wellness programmes for seniors funded through the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility and the New Horizons for Seniors Program.
The group saw a surge of people when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, as many members of the black and racialised communities, especially seniors, were vulnerable to the disease and faced food insecurity. That outreach has expanded to take care of new refugee claimants arriving in Canada.
“On any given week, we are serving over 378 individuals picking up grocery bags from us,” he said. He shared that the organisation received funding from the government, has also partnered with many entities across the province to provide for clients.
Through these partnerships and fundraising it provides culturally appropriate food. As the organisation is without a truck driver, Green takes on that role on a Friday to pick up the food items from different locations.
With several individuals on a wait list for help, Free for All also looked to help address the issue of an increase in mental health challenges for black families, by hiring mental health workers.
GREAT NEED
Green shared that when he came to Canada from Portland, Jamaica in 1980, he was eight years old and lived in the Lawrence and Weston Road area before moving two years later to the Jane and Finch neighbourhood.
He attended Fairbank Public School and George Harvey Secondary School — a school known for sports and the trades. He recalls that he was sent there for the trades, but gradually pushed back in grade 11 when he heard a black police officer talk about opportunities in law enforcement.
It was while working with the Toronto Police Services and attending Fellowship Redeemed Church of God in the Eglinton West and Weston Road area, that he noted that there were many children coming into Canada who could not read and write.
“I started this programme called Help Me to Read, within the church basement and when I became involved in law enforcement, I dropped it because I didn’t have the time. But then during the “years of the gun ”when Chalkfarm and places like those were hot, we started again through the ministry at the Chalkfarm Community Centre.
When Green moved to the Region of Peel and saw that there was a great need to support marginalised black youth, he met with community leaders and started helping a few kids.
“And then when we saw the growth and we saw the need, we said how best can we serve. Needless to say, we did the research and in 2014, we became a charity and since then we just blossomed.”
He notes proudly that to date the organisation has served over 1500 youths and has also provided bursaries.