Invest In Our Work

While Mary Centre currently assists some 200 adults with a developmental challenge and their families, demand for our services is growing. Government cutbacks and an aging population bring more people to us every week. We dearly need the financial support of the community.

• While we are providing respite to about 90 adults, we have a need for twice that capacity. You can give the gift of time to a family under stress.

• Mary Centre has helped more than 50 adults gain competence and confidence since we started community support two years ago – but we have a growing waiting list. With funding for more staff members, we can provide meaningful day activities and life skills development to many more adults who are currently "waiting in line."

• The average age of the adults living in our five residences is mid-fifties. As they age, their needs are increasing. You can help us provide more staffing and purchase mobility aids, medical equipment, wheelchair accessible transportation and other supports that ensure the comfort and safety of our residents.

You can support our work by...

...becoming a financial supporter. Mary Centre receives most of our funding from the Ministry of Community and Social Services — however, this does not cover the full costs of outreach services, such as respite or faith outreach. Nor do these funds cover the increasing health care needs of our senior residents. In fact, those who reach the age of 65 are transferred from the Ontario Disability Support program to Old Age Security — and lose important dental, vision and drug benefits.

Adults with a developmental challenge often show age-related impairment at a younger age. Sensory, visual and auditory impairment may be more severe and they often experience greater loss of flexibility and develop arthritis and Alzheimer's Disease at a younger age (Seniors on the Margins: aging with a developmental disability). This means they require careful health monitoring and daily living and mobility aids — from bathing equipment to wheelchair ramps.

Funding from donors helps us meet these important needs for comfort and safety. And it will help us achieve our strategic priorities, which are intended to enable us to meet growing — and urgent — needs for our services.

...sponsoring or participating in our special events. Mary Centre holds two fundraising events each year, a golf tournament and a gala. These events raise $75,000 annually, enabling us to operate our outreach programs. Need continues to increase, however, and all of our programs have waiting lists. Funding from donors can help us to include those who wish to participate in these vital community connections.

...becoming a volunteer. Volunteers fill a range of important roles at Mary Centre. We need people from all cultural and religious backgrounds, people with specific skills and people who just want to help us create new opportunities for the developmentally challenged.

We rely on the generosity of the community to support our work. If you would like to become a Mary Centre supporter, click on the button below or contact our office manager, Marion Patterson. Marion would be delighted to talk with you; you can reach her at (416) 630-5533, ext. 100.

And thank you — on behalf of all of us at Mary Centre!

Current funders of Mary Centre:

• — Private donations
• — Ministry of Community & Social Services
• — Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
• — Catholic Charities (through ShareLife)