Ralph Thornton Community Centre - NEWS

Riverdale Food Working Group picks local pears in South Riverdale

2009-09-01T13:56:00.003-04:00

The Riverdale Food Working Group of which the Ralph Thornton Centre is a member worked together with Not Far From the Tree to pick pears from a tree growing right here in South Riverdale. We collected over 200 pounds of fruit from a single tree. Imagine what we could get from all the fruit trees in Riverdale?

For more information on how to get involved with fruit picking opportunities in South Riverdale contact Joanne Fisher at the Ralph Thornton Centre:

joannef@ralphthornton.org or call: 416-392-6810 ext. 231

Not Far From the Tree is an organization that brings together volunteers and tree owners to ensure their fruit does not go to waste. One third of the harvest goes to the tree owner, one third goes to the volunteer pickers and one third goes to local community organizations in need of fresh food. For more information about Not Far From the Tree visit their website at www.notfarfromthetree.org

Canning Workshop a Great Success

2009-09-01T13:13:00.006-04:00

Last night local chef Lisa Shamai and about 12 inexperienced canners put the Betsy Swift Community Kitchen to good use here at the Ralph Thornton Community Centre. Lisa had us all working hard on recipes for Dill Pickles, Salsa and Raspberry Jam and taught us how to preserve them through the age old process of canning.

You probably remember your parents or grandparents making jars of preserves, pickles or jams in the days before globalized food but it’s a practice that’s becoming popular once again as the local food movement gains momentum.

Last month we hosted a Container Gardening Workshop to demonstrate the possibility of growing food on your porch or balcony and earlier this week we got together a small group to pick pears with Not Far From the Tree.

Toronto has become a hot-spot of urban agriculture and the Ralph Thornton Centre wants to help you become more involved. Together with the South Riverdale Food Working Group we’re hoping to bring nutritious, sustainable and delicious food to our neighbourhood.

If you have an idea for an event, or have a skill you’d like to share with the community contact us. We have meeting space and event space, a kitchen and great staff that are here for South Riverdale.

Container Gardening at the Ralph Thornton Centre

2009-08-11T17:29:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday evening the Ralph Thornton Centre hosted a Container Gardening Workshop led by our friend Zora Ignjatovic. More than fifty people of all ages came to learn how to use a kit, or converted buckets, to grow healthy, organic fruits, vegetables and herbs in a space no larger than a blue bin.

Zora’s presentation began with photos showing the installation of her Living Food Boxes at The Big Carrot here in Toronto. These containers are large enough to produce impressive yields, yet small enough to fit on a balcony or porch, and the ingenuity of the design means you only need to fill the reservoir once or twice a week.

Afterward everyone got a close-up view of the containers Zora brought with her and she demonstrated how to start a new one. Experienced gardeners in the crowd were excited by the prospect that you can take your garden with you if you move, and gardeners who have trouble getting down on the ground can leave the container on a table for easy access.

The Ralph Thornton Centre would love to host more food and environment related events in the future, so if you have any suggestions or would like to share your skills with the community let us know.

www.rooftopgardens.ca for information about the Living Food Box

http://www.tcgn.ca Zora’s group the Toronto Community Garden Network

RTCC appears on You Tube!

2009-01-06T15:00:00.004-05:00

Watch this beautiful video by Amnesty International on how Ralph Thornton Centre created our Urban Canvass Mural at Queen and Jones on Article 25 of the Declaration of Human Rights.

2008 Mural Art Project

2008-11-17T17:40:00.003-05:00

My name is Suritah Teresa Wignall and I was hired by the Ralph Thornton Centre to be the Mural Project Coordinator for the summer of 2008. My background includes working with women and youth as an arts facilitator and youth worker for over 6 years in various diverse communities.

I had the opportunity to work with 7 amazing and talented youth who dedicated their time and energy in creating 2 beautiful murals and restoring one mural that had been tagged over the year before.

Our first mural was done on 887 Queen St East, on the side of the pharmacy building owned by Steven Wolk, a very enthusiastic individual, who happens to be an artist himself. Steven and the youth agreed that the mural would represent the Riverdale community, a community that encompasses families, retail stores, music, dancing and a variety of different cultures and backgrounds. So, for the month of July 2008, the mural artists and I worked on our first mural at the pharmacy. Next to the pharmacy is the Red Door Family Shelter, so I decided that it would be a good idea to have the mothers and youth from the shelter come and help us with our mural. Since the little ones were too small to paint the mural, I purchased a fairly large mural and some acrylic paints to have fun with. Overall we had a great time working together and Steve was very pleased with his mural.

Our second mural was for Amnesty International in celebration of their 60th anniversary. Amnesty International had chosen The Ralph Thornton Centre to participate in their urban canvas project. We asked to do article 25 from the universal declaration of human rights, which stated:

(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, and housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

This mural project provided us with many challenges only to result in a beautiful outcome. The mural artists worked really hard day and some nights to complete this mural. Amnesty International came out to film and photograph the artists. For the film I was interviewed as well as a couple of the artists. Both photographs and film will be featured on the Amnesty website as well as You Tube. Be sure to check out Urban Project Amnesty International on You Tube December 10th, 2008 for full interviews.

To view the Amnesty International mural and the teams progress, please log unto the following link below,

http://www.aito.ca/urbancanvas/mural_25.html
http://www.aito.ca/urbancanvas/gallery_25.html

Overall the artists and I had a great summer together, besides all the great work that we did, fixing up old murals and creating two new beautiful murals. The youth had the opportunity to go on a gallery viewing, take their first life drawing class, take art workshops provided by the coordinator and attend artist network events. It was a very informative and exciting summer that we all will never forget.

I would like to thank the RTC staff for all their support, in helping us get through some tough times.

All the best and see you next summer.

FOOD FOR TALK – What Canadians can do about the global food crisis

2008-07-30T14:12:00.000-04:00

40% of food made in North America is wasted each year! Food prices are rising! Our food is processed with cancer causing chemicals! Millions of trees are being cut down to make room for agricultural fields!

These are some of the statements that began the “Food for Talk” dialogue in which I participated on Tuesday about Canada’s role in the international food crisis sponsored by Canada’s World (www.igloo.org/canadasworld.foodfortal).

As the Environmental Animator at the Ralph Thornton Centre, I have worked to share information about the environment with community members who use this space. So far, I have focused largely on environmental issues that have become increasingly common like the “reduce, reuse, recycle” model, waste reduction, and easy ways to save energy.

I have not yet addressed the relationship of food to our environment but it is, without a doubt, a key element of health, and the way food is managed has major implications for the environment in which we all live.

This week, two hundred Ontario residents from various backgrounds met to discuss areas for potential change within the local and global food systems. Inspired by speakers like Debbie Field, the Executive Director of FoodShare, Dr. Gerald Caplan, author of the “Betrayal of Africa”, Dr. David Sparling, an internationally recognized authority on issues related to food-policy and agricultural food supply chains, John Knechtel, Director of Alphabet City, and Phillip Haid, the Chair of Canada’s World Communications Committee, we covered lots of big topics in a day!

My table of 8 included
1) a representative from the South African consulate,
2) & 3) two American ex-pats from Engineers Without Borders,
4) myself as Environmental Animator at the RTC and a student of Naturopathic Medicine,
5) a Masters student writing a thesis on the feminization of Jamaican agricultural workers in North America,
6) a teacher from Toronto working in rural Nova Scotia,
7) a full-time mom and volunteer with Certified Organic Growers (www.cog.ca), and
8) our table facilitator who works for Campus Co-op providing housing for university students.

We identified major problems in the food system on all levels from the agricultural system, to the distribution, right up to the consumer. Monocultures are unsustainable, deplete the earth of nutrients making the soil less productive, put enormous financial and emotional stress on farmers, and fill the pockets of large multinational corporations. Dr. Gerald Caplan shared the following statistics to illustrate one of the problems with the distribution system: 5 companies in the world control 90% of the global grain supply, and 4 companies control 80% of US beef. That means less than 10 companies in the world, essentially regulate quality for, set prices for, benefit financially from, and ultimately determine most of what we have available to eat.

After discussing the endless issues surrounding local food supply, global food supply, and how to bridge the two, we came together to propose a list of things we could walk-away with to make sure the discussion continued: The following is the list of actions resulting from our day of talking. I invite you to choose a couple to try for yourself.

All two hundred of us said we will. . .

1) Integrate the issue of food security and continue the discussion around food into what I am already going.
2) Connect with a farmer, shop at a local market and learn the name of who farmed my food, or get a CSA share. (www.csafarms.ca)
3) Stop eating genetically modified foods and revitalize the market for natural produce. Unless otherwise indicated, Canadian crops of corn, soy, canola, and cotton, are most likely genetically modified.
4) Share good food with the people I love because it feels good.
5) Continue to research existing changes in food systems on the global level and learn from other countries.
6) Write to my MP and local elected officials and ask them “What are you doing about what Canadians are eating?” and demand a National Comprehensive Food Policy that guarantees every Canadian has access to affordable and nutritious food grown with sustainable methods.
7) Read “The Betrayal of Africa” written by Dr. Gerald Caplan to better understand the global effects of our current food distribution system
8) Research “permaculture” – a potential alternative to our current food management system
9) Demand my right to know what is in food and how it produced by understanding labels and certifications like “fair-trade”, “organic” (http://www.cog.ca/stds_regs.htm#labels), and “Local Food Plus” (www.localfoodplus.ca)
10) I will send ripples of change around myself and I will celebrate my successes, no matter how small.

If you like to eat, and want to make sure good food remains available in Canada for your children, grandchildren, and generations to come, please think about trying one of the things on the list above. Then tell us about it and join the dialogue, we’d love to hear from you!

Video featuring Community opinion on the Smart Centre

2008-07-17T16:43:00.000-04:00

Please click on http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=IwJ6K9Xi_tY to see what some of your neighbors and local business persons have to say about the impact of a Big Box Behemoth in the heart of our neighborhood.

Share the video with your neighbors, colleagues, facebook friends and like-minded citizens and please consider making a donation to the East Toronto Community Coalition so we can continue the campaign to keep our community clean, prosperous and vibrant. Visit
http://easttorontocommunity.org/ to learn more and click on the 'donate' button to make a secure online contribution. Every penny counts!

CONGRATS on another GREAT AGM ...and...GETTING PRESS!!!

2008-06-13T10:49:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday June 10th we had our AGM with great success!!! It was wonderful to see everyone who came out and an especially large privledge for us all to meet the family and friends behind Ralph Thornton, the man and activist that he was. We all enjoyed and learnt from the shared experieces.

Thank you to all of you who helped organize and run the event, it could not have been as good without your efforts.

We have also received some media coverage about the centre and are please to share it.

Please click on the link below and read the article!
http://www.thestar.com/article/441723

CONGRATS TO ALL!!!!

Tribute to Newell's Cafe

2008-06-10T11:03:00.000-04:00

For twenty-two years, 784 Queen Street was home to Newell’s Café. As of the first of May, Newell’s has been closed and the Riverside neighbourhood has been feeling the loss.
Frank and Eddie Newell served more than good food at a reasonable price. It was a gathering place where people of all ages and backgrounds could meet for coffee, a pitcher of beer, or Frankie’s meat loaf. Depending on the time of day, you knew who would be there, almost setting your watch by the arrivals.
There was the breakfast club, dedicated caffeine hounds who were there before the doors even opened. Men waiting for calls about day jobs, women having that first coffee, and Frankie serving up breakfasts as fast as he could, making his movements behind the counter almost like a ballet. The residents of Jilly’s and the old Edwin, before its closure, were regulars. Customers on scooters were a fixture, usually at the first table at the front, and helped in and out of the store if necessary.
Later in the day, there was lunch, with specials like pork chops or the wonderful meat loaf, sandwiches, endless orders of fries. Western omelets with cheese were no problem.
Eddie did the second shift, which was more the drinking crowd. The juke box had a good selection of classic country and western, and the crowd often sang along.
The brothers often fed people on tick till cheques came in. They helped in ways that formal agencies never could. Eddie had been fighting a leg problem for over a year at the time of the closing, but Frank kept the restaurant open with a little, not much, extra help. Later openings and earlier closings made this possible.
Holidays were special at Newell’s. Frankie made turkey dinners and people who would have been alone had a family atmosphere for Thanksgiving and Christmas. A turkey dinner with all the fixings could be had for six bucks, along with company and laughter. Superbowls, Grey Cups, Stanley Cup playoffs were all holiday events on Newell’s calendar.
There was an atmosphere of helping at Newell’s. If someone needed a government form filled out and there was a literacy problem, someone else would give their time and effort to help get it done, and check u to see if there had been a response. Advice, good and bad, personal and financial, was freely dispensed from one customer to another. We weren’t just in the same boat, we were in the same restaurant.
News and Newell’s were synonymous. Looking for someone? Try Newell’s. Looking for an apartment, a job, a used car? One of the customers would have a lead.
People might get a little rowdy and a little stupid. Forbearance and forgiveness were both available. Friendships were forged, alliances built. And if any of the pollsters really wanted to know what people thought, no one was shy about giving their opinion, from far right to far left.
Frankie and Eddie are still around the neighbourhood, but neither think that they are going back into the food business.
It wasn’t the forced laugh track of a bar like television’s Cheers, nor was it the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. It was comfort food, community, and acceptance. The customers may have dispersed to other restaurants and bars at both ends of the Riverside strip. But there is a hole in the heart of the ‘hood. The way to our hearts wasn’t just through our stomachs.

Information Links for the OMB Case on Eastern Ave.

2008-06-05T16:18:00.002-04:00

For notices on community campaigns and other related news go to the East Toronto Community Coalition web site at and get on their mailing list

http://easttorontocommunity.org/index.html

For impacts on cycling go to http://biketoronto.ca/topic/show/654.htm

Three related News items.

1. Recent Press Coverage and

2. Community involvement at the OMB

3. a talk: Activity friendly neighbourhoods

1. Recent Press Coverage

Most recently the Toronto Star had the following Op Ed piece sent by Tim Kirkwood, volunteer with East Toronto Community Coalition (ETCC)

Is retail best for Leslieville?

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/433822

Please read the Op-Ed piece from the Toronto Star. The paper invited both sides of the issue to present arguments on the subject of employment in the retail sector and specifically as it applies to the SmartCentres' proposed development on Eastern Ave. We urge you to comment on the editorial or on your own view of the impacts the development would have on the
economic health of the community and the city. Use the email link below.

lettertoed@thestar.ca

And a response . . .

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/435132

2. Community involvement at the OMB

The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has designated a day and an evening for members of the general public to address the Board regarding the proposed SmartCentres application in Leslieville.

The public day and evening will both take place at the OMB’s offices, 655 Bay Street, Toronto, 16^th Floor.

The time will be divided as follows:
Thursday, June 12 – Morning Session – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Thursday, June 12 – Afternoon Session – 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Monday, June 16 – Evening Session – 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

THE BOARD HAS INDICATED IT IS WILLING TO HEAR FROM ANYONE, EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY INDICATED YOU WISH TO ADDRESS THE BOARD. However, if the person is an East Toronto Community Coalition (ETCC) member please ask them to contact Eric Gillespie, legal counsel for the ETCC at ekg@cunningham-gillespie.com before taking any further steps.

THE BOARD HAS ALSO ASKED PEOPLE TO PRE-REGISTER. THIS INCLUDES ANYONE WHO IS ALREADY LISTED AS A PARTICIPANT.

There will be 25 speaking opportunities in each of the 3 sessions (morning, afternoon and evening – totaling 75) so it is important for people to pre-register early if they wish speak. If more time is required the Board has indicated it will consider at least one more evening session.

To pre-register please contact Leesa Kwong via email at Leesa.Kwong@ontario.ca.

People who wish to register should be advised that they will be giving evidence. As a result, before speaking they will be asked to swear an oath or affirm their testimony. Each speaker should be clear and concise about what their views are. Their evidence should be based on their own direct experience and knowledge and not on speculation. Their evidence should not repeat the comments of others, if a speaker agrees with a point made by a previous speaker that is all they need to say. Once they finish each speaker may be asked questions by any of the lawyers participating in the hearing and/or by the Chair.

If any more information is required please contact us at the numbers/email address below.

Thanks.

Eric K. Gillespie, LL.B.
Cunningham & Gillespie LLP
Barristers & Solicitors
10 King Street East, Suite 600
Toronto, Ontario M5C 1C3
Tel.: (416) 703-6362
Fax: (416) 703-9111
Email: ekg@cunningham-gillespie.com

3. A talk: Activity friendly neighbourhoods, June 16, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

How healthy is your neighbourhood?

Can you walk to shops and buy healthy food?
Is the TTC service frequent and accessible where you live?
Are there biking paths and parks in your area?
Do you feel safe when you walk around?
A recent study seems to indicate a connection between activity friendly neighbourhoods (walking, biking and transit) and the prevalence of diabetes. If you like maps this is for you! They have some great thematic maps showing walkability, physical design features, car ownership, modal split, etc. (some, not all are on line). http://www.torontohealthprofiles.ca/thematicMaps.php More great health rationale for bike, walk, transit.

When: June 16, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Where: St. Luke’s Anglican Church, 904 Coxwell Ave. (at Cosburn)
Contact: Tory Bowman: 416-461-9043 x343, tbowman@srchc.com.
Anne-Marie Tynan: 416-864-6060 x2522, tynanma@smh.toronto.on.ca.

Please RSVP by June 12^th.

Fund Raising to stop the Big Box

2008-05-27T16:25:00.002-04:00

The corporate giants have tonnes of bucks to prolong the OMB hearing till the community runs out of funds and can no longer defend themselves.
They are already attempting to use this tactic and each stall means more money in lawyers fees.

So the East End Community Coalition is throwing a PARTY! Two days of great music and great fun all for a small donation.

When: Fri June 13 & Sat June 14
Time: Fri 8:00 pm start, Sat 2:00 -6:00
Where: Dora Keogh, 141 Danforth ave.

Ryerson Community Development course presentation

2008-05-27T15:58:00.001-04:00

A brief reminder that our Ryerson Community Development course presentation will be Wednesday May 28th from 1:00 to 2:30 on the 2nd floor.

The students and community members will be presenting information about housing and vulnerability in Riverdale.

I hope you can join us! It would be great if you can drop by even for a small part of it!

FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED!

For more information about this work being done in cooperation with Ryerson University please read the blog post below.

Urban Community Development: Field Experience

2008-05-20T15:54:00.001-04:00

The Ralph Thornton Centre has partnered again with Ryerson University to offer students and local community members a course in community development. The course is titled Urban CommunityDevelopment: Field Experience, and is based on the principles of interdisciplinary team work and experiential learning, allowing participants the opportunity to get hands on experience in the field of community development.

The students are selected from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds, including Architecture, Nursing, Social Work, Politics, Sociology, and Urban Planning. Local community members also become students, adding extra knowledge and experience to the course. The idea for the diverse group of students arose from a sense that community development training should reflect the interdisciplinary nature of real world issues.

The course was first offered in 2005 and focused on the provincial government’s announced intent to build a new energy plant in the Port Lands area of South Riverdale. This original class was considered a success and led to a continued commitment from both Ryerson University and the Ralph Thornton Centre.

This year’s course will focus on the broad theme of housing vulnerability. Currently, Toronto, and in particular South Riverdale, are experiencing an increase in housing costs, which can lead to an exclusive community. The students have just finished a semester of background research and preparation for an intense spring. The students have been hitting the streets for the month of May to engage with the Riverdale Community and discuss the issue of housing vulnerability.

True Inclusive Community Development

2008-03-22T08:34:00.003-04:00

The Toronto Neighbourhood Centres (TNC) are a network of agencies all over Toronto who work directly with their communities offering a variety of services and programs to help their communities thrive and enable diverse communities to work together to promote justice and a healthy life for all. The TNC has been focussing on a Community Development Renewal Initiative for the last two years.

As members of the TNC, Ralph Thornton Centre has been reviewing the systems we have in place with our organization and how they can be re-vamped to include community development work within all facets of planning and program implementation.

At a recent meeting with the TNC some very interesting ideas were discussed on ways in which agencies may be creating barriers for community involvement in their organizations.

Sometimes the barriers are physical messages subtly telling people they are not important. Like the way space is designated. For example many not for profits tend to mimic the Bay Street model of providing a large office with bright windows to the Executive Director and any other management level staff while other staff work in smaller cramped offices or shared space. Volunteers rarely have permanent space designated to them at all, making it difficult for them to fully participate with in an agency.

Other times the physical barriers are things like a glassed in reception area or a security guard watching clients every step. This can give off the impression that people are not welcome.

We must remember when structuring our agencies that “this is not our place, this is their home” – Ernest Hirschbach

Other ways we send messages are through the way we control information or hold tight to our decision making positions. “For the poor, especially those on the bottom of the economic ladder, it is expected that we take what we can get and be thankful. This adds to the powerlessness in our daily lives” – Pat Capponni

Being transparent and inclusive will help to improve our community development initiatives.

To have a truly integrated community development model the community needs to be involved at every step of decision making. Not only involved but treated as equals. Each person being consulted should have the same opportunity and value as everyone else they are working with. As Michael Creek says in his speech to the TNC “Whether it's from the bottom up or from the top down, to obtain optimal results, community developers must utilize the community's greatest resource... the members of the community .You need to listen and hire or financially compensate community members. You need to provide the tools for communities to be fully engaged”

“To build strong communities people must feel fully engaged. It must be a partnership with flexibility that allows for people and communities to feel valued. When you are chained to poverty and social exclusion it is very difficult to participate. Poor and marginalized people often take heroic steps, to leave their comfort zones, risking possible rejection to feel part of a community.

Only when communities feel empowered will transformation and community development reach its full potential. Communities need and want changes; they must be allowed to dream for themselves. People need and want to be connected to each other. The deprivation of poverty makes it hard and sometimes impossible for communities and people to connect. I know that these chains of poverty can be broken and bring us together.” -- Michael Creek

20 Minute Clean-Up: 20 minutes of ACTION! And much more….

2008-03-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

Let’s stop complaining about our dirty city and do something about it!

On Friday April 18^th2008 the Ralph Thornton Community Centre and various local partner agencies and volunteers will participate in the City of Toronto’s

20 minute Clean-Up.

The 20 minute clean-up is more than just 20 minutes of garbage picking.

It is….

20 minutes of socializing and engaging with people who live, work and play in the neighbourhood;
it’s a 20 minute work-out;
It’s 20 minutes of citizen participation and ACTION to keep our neighbourhood clean!

Collective Action:

As citizens, these are small ways that we can all participate collectively in order to keep our community healthy and clean. Part of the bigger problem with all of this litter is that we also need to consider why there is so much in the first place! Our society is inundated with packaged goods, take-out food and plastic! Recycling is only part of the solution. I challenge everyone of us to consider how much waste we produce in our daily lives

Don’t we need to be reminding ourselves where is all of this garbage going anyway? Shouldn’t we feel guilty about just throwing away things in the garbage only to be sent off to some huge pit somewhere in the middle of nowhere? Isn’t the real problem that we are just all huge consumers of products that produce waste in the first place?

Here are some things to do to reduce the waste in your life:

take a re-usable food container when I do go out for take-out food
use cotton bags instead of plastic bags
use a stainless steel drinking container for refilling with water rather than buying plastic water bottles
when grocery shopping, don’t put your veggies in the plastic bags (who cares if you get a little dirt everywhere!)
buy biodegradable soap that does not come in a package
get laundry soap that is biodegradable and comes in a brown paper bag (much less waste than a huge plastic container!)
use both sides of pieces of paper
re-use old envelopes and packaging as quick and easy notepads
buy food in bulk
don’t buy unnecessary things and if you do need something search for it used first
use reusable and washable dishcloths for spills and cleaning instead of paper towels

What are you doing?

The RTCC encourages residents, organizations and local businesses to get involved in a 20 minute clean-up in your part of the neighbourhood or city.

If you would like to participate with Ralph Thornton Centre’s 20 Minute Clean-Up please contact Joanne Fisher at 416-392-6810 ext. 234

For more information about the City of Toronto Clean-up Days visit:

http://www.toronto.ca/litter/

For information on how you can reduce and reuse visit this site:

http://www.greenontario.org/solutions/waste.html

2008-02-14T06:23:00.002-05:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
to the
RALPH THORNTON COMMUNITY CENTRE!

CELEBRATING 27 YEARS IN THE COMMUNITY!

2008-02-13T20:56:00.001-05:00

Ralph Thornton Community Centre is celebrating Black History Month again in February 2008!

Ralph Thornton Community Centre is excited to present the 2008 Black History Month, featuring cultural performances, exhibitors, vendors, food, DJ music and lots of fun stuff. In February there will be two events: African Vendors Market on Sunday, February 17^th (2 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and the 2^nd Annual celebration on Saturday, February 23^rd (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.), both taking place on the 2^nd floor of RTCC, 765 Queen Street East (Queen & Broadview). At the Vendors Market, you will meet African vendors, showcasing their talents and skills in different areas. There will be different kinds of music and dance performances at the 2^nd Annual Celebration. We would love to have you and your whole family come out and join us for two fun afternoons. For more information, contact Paulette Caine, Volunteer Co-ordinator, Ralph Thornton Community Centre at 416-392-6810 ext 231.

Riverdale Community Action Project

2008-02-13T20:46:00.000-05:00

Have you ever felt like you have no power to make a difference about something you see happening in our world? You know, like having the equipment at our local playground upgraded or made safer, or stopping government cut backs to programs that our community needs, or even getting your landlord to fix that hole in your wall. Sure you have, we all do at some point!

The thing is we all have the opportunity to make those changes; but sometimes we might need some help. We may need help knowing who to contact or how to navigate the system or how to organize a group of people.

Here at The Ralph Thornton Community Centre we reach out to people, give them the opportunity to talk about their concerns and offer them the support they may require to take action to create the change they would like to see. We involve people in our community who don’t always have a voice; those who on a very regular basis have felt discouraged from becoming civically engaged in the community.

We meet these people by going directly to them, door to door, by attending their drop-in programs or by hosting public Town Hall events.

We are hoping to have an impact throughout Riverdale, by seeing citizens become more involved in decisions and actions that affect our lives or the entire neighbourhood. If one person speaks up then more will join in!

We want you to think about the challenges you face, and if you had some help, what actions you might take to over come those challenges?

Working with you, our neighbours, to improve the Riverdale community is very important to us. It allows us to be good neighbours and to share our resources with those who may need them.

With many voices working together we can make change happen!

If you would like more information about the Riverdale Community Action Project (RCAP) please contact Susy Glass @ 416-392-6810 ext 237 or susyg@ralphthornton.org

To volunteer at The Ralph Thornton Community Centre please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Paulette at 416-392-6810 ext. 231 or paulettec@ralphthornton.org

Youth Arts Project!

2008-02-13T20:40:00.001-05:00

"This Is Not History 101"
A Youth Arts Project at The Ralph Thornton Community Centre

In January an enthusiastic group of nineteen youth started work on "This Is Not History 101", an art project for youth between the ages of 15 and 18. Under the guidance of artist in residence Sara Sniderhan, the youth will design and create a large scale, multi-media art installation to line the walls of the main stairway at RTCC.

Along with learning skills in the fundamentals of drawing and painting, design and printmaking skills, the youth will collect stories from community members and explore themes of history- personal, local and universal. We are
indebted to the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Toshiba and several individual donors for supporting this community arts project.

Watch for the public unveiling ceremony of the installation in the first week of June!

Betsy Swift Community Kitchen

2008-01-23T07:38:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to all those who helped make our community kitchen a possibility! The Betsy Swift Community Kitchen has officially opened and we welcome you to come and take a look.

Renters Rights! Information Session

2008-01-20T10:28:00.000-05:00

Do you have questions about the way your landlord treats you?

Find out what landlords are allowed to do and not do.
Meet groups who can help you take action when something goes wrong.
Learn your responsibilities and rights as a renter.

Speakers from East Toronto Legal Services (Legal Aid) and the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations will be there to answer questions and provide information.

JAN, 22, 2008 - 2-4pm @ RTCC

visit www.ralphthornton.org for more information