The Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) celebrated the close of the Say Yes! to Kids campaign on July 8. 2021 with a Celebration of Giving via Zoom to announce the final result of the campaign: over $110,000.
“This campaign set a stretch goal for AFC, and no one really knew what to expect,” said Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate and Chair of AFC. “In the end, hundreds of donors from coast to coast to coast have given generously to Say Yes! to Kids.” Archbishop Nicholls thanked dioceses, ACWs, parishes, corporate sponsors, and other groups from across the church for their generosity. “To those who chose to support Say Yes! to Kids when local youth efforts you would have normally supported were suspended due to COVID-19, you helped this campaign to be successful, and the church will be stronger for it.”
The Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Rois, Executive Director, AFC, thanked AFC’s friends and volunteers—Board Directors, Diocesan Representatives, Bishops, and diocesan staff champions—who carried the banner for Say Yes! to Kids in their dioceses. “Much of the momentum for Say Yes! to Kids grew out of the efforts of our team fundraisers and their supporters,” said Canon Rois, “We had 12 teams and 33 individual fundraisers in AFC’s first peer-to-peer fundraising effort, and we have been inspired by your energy and enthusiasm.”
Archbishop Anne Germond, Vice-chair of the AFC Board, spoke to the impact the Request for Proposals (RFP) arising from this campaign will have in dioceses. “In the Diocese of Algoma, and elsewhere in the country, there are wonderful ministries serving vulnerable children and youth. Through this campaign they have discovered that there is both a will and a way to provide the additional funding they need.”
Diane Dance, AFC’s Representative for the Diocese of Huron, captain of Huron Says Yes!, the campaign’s top fundraising team, and member of the Request For Proposals (RFP) Committee said, “My hope is that champions for youth across our church will spend some part of the summer months imagining the kinds of projects they might undertake with this new funding.” Dance, a retired educator, added, “I spent 40 years in the classroom, and I know that not all children have the same opportunities. The church has a vital role to play in post-pandemic recovery and maximizing what we can offer children and families in our communities will be part of that.”
While the campaign is officially closed, late gifts will continue to be counted and will increase funds available for the RFP and maximize funding impact at the local level.
For more information on the RFP, visit the webpage or send an email.