How Can I Help?

Although child poverty seems overwhelming it can be eliminated with your help.

There are things that we can do individually or as a group. CPAN appreciates each and every effort and whether it is talking to others, donating time or money this help is always needed and very much appreciated.

Contribute to a CPAN project

Please take a moment to learn about some of CPAN's current and on-going projects. Please know that every donation reaches and betters the life of a child in poverty! You can make a difference!

There are multiple ways in which you can help CPAN, here are some creative things that have already happened thanks to our wonderful community:

• One-time cash donations
• Monthly scheduled donations
• Business cards, certificate and voucher printing
• Website design and hosting
• Annual events with funds donated to CPAN
• Firefighters hosting chili-fest
• Employees asking for corporate donation for CPAN from their employers
• Graphic design work (for posters and office sign)
• Funds raised at Renfrew’s Hawaiian Christmas event
• Donation of racks for Operation Snowsuit
• Storage room for Operation Snowsuit
• Framing of pictures for silent auction
• Signed memorabilia for silent auction
• “Thanksgiving Bash” Music night, cover charge and auction donated to CPAN
• Cleaning bags of dirty snowsuits
• Office space, and administrative support
• All supplies including chili for CPAN annual Chili-fest
• Room and food for business luncheon
• Activity funding assistance
• Funds raised at local trivia night
• Donations collected at office parties (in lieu of gift exchange)
• Donations were given in the name of others (as wedding presents and Christmas Gifts)
• Gift cards collected by one local store to buy gifts for low income children
• One 11 year old collected $1,100 in pennies
• Every office worker committing to a cash donation once a year
• In lieu of birthday presents a little girl asked for hats and mitts for her 6^th  birthday to donate to Operation Snowsuit (12 sets were donated)
• “Helping Hands” fundraiser, Massage Therapists donate their earnings for one day
• A “Knit-a-Thon”  was held, people could learn to knit, mitts and hats were donated to Operation Snowsuit, donations for Operation Snowsuit were also accepted
• The Tim Hortons “Smile Cookie” Promotion
•  All company employees committing to providing one snowsuit
• Money collected at cash-point in various stores

» Current CPAN Projects

Social Inclusion

Inclusion is a term that is familiar to most people in their everyday lives. Feeling included in a family, a neighborhood, a community, a society is one of the most important things in life. It makes us feel good. It makes us healthy. It makes us want to reach out to others.

During 2005 CPAN held a community forum where a vision was created on what social inclusion would look like in Renfrew County. A Social Inclusion sub-committee has been formed and is in the process of developing a set of objectives and targets to improve the sense of belonging for children, youth and families living in Renfrew County. In the spring of 2007 working with Kids and Community (Social Planning Council of Ottawa) and others the Social Inclusion Committee held a series of community focus groups and heard from families who have experienced social exclusion or the lack of inclusion. The objective was to find out what needs to change and how we can affect change in the future.

CPAN has a vision of a Renfrew County where all children can feel a sense of belonging and our social inclusion committee concentrates solely on issues relating to social inclusion. Some issues regarding social inclusion that are being addressed right now are school fees, participation in extra curricular activities, and the stigmatization of being excluded.

Our goal is to ensure that all children in Renfrew County have opportunities to participate fully in school, recreation, and community activities. It is through that feeling of inclusion that children have the best chance to succeed and reach their full academic and social potential in life.

Many organizations across Canada such as Health Canada, Human Resources and Social Development Canada, Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse, Social Planning Network of Ontario, and the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition are focusing on social and economic exclusion and inclusion as a way of understanding and addressing the disadvantages of poverty and the impact on health and well-being. Children living in poverty in Renfrew County face social and economic exclusion in various ways by not being able to participate fully in school and community life.

Another really important way we can all help, is to remember that all children in Renfrew County are part of our community and need to feel that they belong.  Their parents are our neighbours and need to be treated as such.  We need to resist thinking and talking about them as if they are somehow "different" than people who have higher incomes.  In these times of economic unrest and recession we can all slip into poverty.  The social safety net has been eroded away so much that at any time we can find our self in poverty and facing the same struggles.  We are all part of this community, and to have a healthy community we all need to feel that we belong.

Workbook on Child Health and Poverty in Renfrew County

In November 2006, the Workbook on Child Health and Poverty in Renfrew County was launched. This workbook was produced by the Child and Youth Health Network of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), along with input from CPAN. It highlights the impact of poverty on children's health and social performance, focuses on developing local action strategies to fight child poverty, and shows the impact and barriers that poverty has on children.

Copies of the workbook are available free online at;
Download the English Workbook (PDF)
Download the French Workbook (PDF)