Women Gaining Ground
Make a Women Gaining Ground gift and help women in poverty gain economic self-sufficiency.
As a member of Women Gaining Ground, there are a wide variety of opportunities for you to engage in, such as workshops, agency tours, charity events, career mentoring, committees and more. Learn more on how to take part.
Recent News from Women Gaining Ground
2011 Project Focus: Homeward Bound and Women Moving Forward
This year, Women Gaining Ground will focus on Homeward Bound and Women Moving Forward (WMF), a program that is designed to help single mothers between the ages of 20 to 29 and living below the poverty line in the priority neighbourhood of Jane-Finch. The focus will be on helping these young women transition from social assistance to economic self sufficiency through a comprehensive program of training (literacy, life skills, parenting), individual supports, civic engagement, and education. United Way Toronto’s member agency Jane/Finch Community and Family Centre developed the program in partnership with nine other community organizations in response to the growing need to assist young single mothers in the community.
History of Giving
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2010: Homeward Bound:
A United Way Toronto member agency that offers innovative, long-term solutions to the critical social issues facing our city, including homelessness and chronic unemployment. It is the first housing model of its kind in Canada. It offers a four-year program that helps single mothers—many of who only a short time ago were living in shelters—move into affordable housing, access free childcare, earn a college diploma, develop parenting and job-readiness skills, and find gainful employment.
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2009: CITY Leaders:
A United Way training program that aims to develop the leadership skills of young people working and volunteering in the community and social services sector of Toronto. The Creative Institute for Toronto's Young (CITY) Leaders program provides participants with a supportive and stimulating learning experience, which is delivered through educational sessions, online forums, mentoring, peer-learning, and project-based experiential learning.
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2008: Youth Challenge Fund (YCF):
A partnership with the Government of Ontario and United Way Toronto, YCF uses creative collaborative approaches to engage and provide skills and opportunities for young people in Toronto's 13 Priority Neighbourhoods. As a youth-led initiative, staff support the development of these approaches by mentoring, mediating, educating, and collaborating alongside youth leaders, their community and institutional partners to ensure the success of YCF-funded initiatives.
Women helping women through education and employment
United Way Toronto's Losing Ground research report released in 2007 has acted as a compelling call to action for our city. It showed that families in Toronto experience higher rates of poverty than anywhere else in Canada. In particular, single women and their families are losing ground at an alarming rate. Women Gaining Ground (WGG) was created in response to this concerning trend.
WGG's vision is to help women in poverty gain economic self-sufficiency. It is a group of like-minded, professional women, who want to make a personal impact in the lives of women facing poverty through their donation and volunteer efforts. WGG focuses on the education and employment of women as a means of fostering self-reliance.
Each WGG member donates $5,000 or more toward a group gift that is significant and meaningful to the programs we support. Members also act as both donors and key decision-makers through our annual grant selection process. WGG combines the benefits of a small giving circle with a trusted organization—United Way Toronto.
Benefits to membership
- Learn about issues affecting women and their families
- Hear about innovative programs addressing these issues
- Make a personal impact through our group gift
- Volunteer our time and skills to the projects we fund
- Join in events with others who feel passionate about helping women gain ground
You can download the Women Gaining Ground Pledge Form (doc - 171KB) and send it to us by:
Email
womengaininground@uwgt.org
Fax
416-777-0962 (Please add Attn: Women Gaining Ground at top of the form)
Mail
Attn: Women Gaining Ground
26 Wellington Street East, 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON
M5E 1W9
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