 Even before I started running my own business, I volunteered on a regular basis. When my kids were young, it was regular sessions at their school. I moved on to a local hospice, a long term care home, and a women's supportive housing facility when I was no longer needed at the school. In my opinion, philanthropy and entrepreneurship are two sides of the same coin. Think about it: when you first start a business, you put in a lot of unpaid hours to get it off the ground. In essence, you’re a volunteer for your business. You better be passionate about it at the startup phase if you want to move beyond volunteer status. Since you know you’re willing to work without being paid for a cause in which you believe, it seems a logical that you’d volunteer your time for another worthy cause in which you believe. One Million Women, Ten Million LivesWhen Pierrette Raymond asked me to donate to a charity of my choice as part of The Living Fully Show's “One Million Women, Ten Million Lives”*, I said yes immediately. And I knew which charitable organization I’d be selecting. Sidebar: to learn more about Pierrette’s fantastic organization, visit Women Living Fully. And here's the link to my podcast, "How Movement Is the Key to Longevity and Wellness". *The Living Fully Show, which is the Women Living Fully podcast and radio show, is on a mission to help one million women support 10 million lives. Voice Found The charity I am supporting is called Voice Found, a survivor-led charitable organization that is on a mission to prevent child sex abuse and commercial sexual exploitation. Their slogan is “Giving voice to those trapped in the dark.” I’ll tell you more about Voice Found and then I’ll tell you why I’m supporting them. Voice Found was created in 2011 by Cynthia Bland, “a survivor who had a successful career prior to disclosure. Once she disclosed (after 42 years of silence) she realized that she needed to DO something. And so in 2011, she founded Voice Found.” Did you know that over 90% of youth who are sex trafficked have been sexually abused as children? That’s why Voice Found created The Hope Found Project: to support youth and women who are victims of sex trafficking. “This heinous crime is happening in every neighbourhood in our city. It crosses all socio-economic boundaries and with devastating consequences. Victims really can be anyone and the common age of recruitment into trafficking in Canada is 13.” The Hope Found Project“The Hope Found Project is currently working with 70 clients at an undisclosed, safe location in downtown Ottawa. The office is a sanctuary where professionals with lived experience help them to create new lives. Each case is unique but some of the things they offer are; paying for specialized trauma therapy, assistance with education and employment, court support, safety planning, assistance with emergency housing, help with addictions and connections to other agencies who are trauma informed and victim-centered manner. Clients are also provided with 24/7 support. This support has helped in the rescue of clients who have been taken by their traffickers to other cities.” Why I’m Supporting Voice FoundIn 2015, I was invited to donate a silent auction item to an event called Clear the Room, supporting the Canadian Continence Foundation and Voice Found. The premise behind the fundraiser was that openly discussing incontinence and child sex abuse would ‘clear the room’, since most people would be uncomfortable discussing these topics. It struck a chord with me - it must be incredibly difficult to fundraise for a cause that makes people squirm. I had never heard of Voice Found, so I endeavoured to learn more about the organization. And I willingly donated a silent auction item.  Fast forward to 2016: I approached my friend, Danielle Allard. Danielle is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter based right here in Ottawa. I love her music and Danielle is also very giving of her time and talent to charitable causes. I approached Danielle with a fundraising idea: a live music Essentrics class. She would be set up in the corner, playing songs from her debut solo album (Chameleon), while I taught an all-ages Essentrics class. Attendees would pay by donation, and all money raised would go to Voice Found. Danielle loved the idea and we immediately started planning the event.
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September 2023
AuthorAmanda Sterczyk is an international author, Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM), an Exercise is Medicine Canada (EIMC) Fitness Professional, and a Certified Essentrics® Instructor. |
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