Donate

There are many ways to give to Community Support Connections - Meals on Wheels and More:

    * Donate Online
    * Corporate Giving
    * Leave a Legacy
    * Give the Gift of Time!      
    

Leave a Legacy is a community-based effort to encourage people from all walks of life to make gifts to the not-for-profit organizations of their choice.

By promoting awareness of the very simple act of leaving a charitable bequest through a will, or making other planned gifts, the community benefits in a positive way, just as it does from the everyday acts of kindness in our community.

Leave a Legacy is an effort that can help feed our communities' hungry, shelter our homeless, educate our children, bring hope and healing to those who are ill, sustain the arts, care for our older adults, provide mentoring for youth at risk, improve local health services and more - much, much more.

Making a planned gift to charity, such as a bequest in one's will, means everyone can leave a legacy of good works. A charitable gift is a way to express compassion. It is an enduring expression of leadership to create a better community and a better life for generations to come.

How do I leave a gift for a not-for-profit organization that I admire?

You can arrange for a gift in many ways. The most common way is a charitable bequest in a will. Many people leave a certain dollar amount; others leave a percentage after they have taken care of family. Some people leave something they own. Others leave a paid-up life insurance policy, securities, retirement account or other financial investment. Recent federal budget changes make many of these options very tax effective.

Must I have a large estate in order to leave a gift?

No. Everyone can leave a gift. "Estate" is simply a word used to describe everything you own at the time of your death. Everyone leaves an estate when they die, even though they may not have a great deal of wealth.

Do I tell the not-for-profit that I've left a gift?

That's up to you. Not-for-profits often like to know in advance so they can recognize your generosity. They can also tell you about opportunities for giving to specific areas or programs. In addition, they can confirm that you have correctly specified the full legal name of the charity-this is most important!

How do I give a lasting gift in memory of someone?

A gift is a wonderful way to recognize someone who has made a difference in your life.

This kind of memorial gift can be arranged now or in your will. You just need to make it clear that the gift is given in memory of a particular person.

Who can help me arrange for a gift?

Dale Howatt at Community Support Connections would be a good source of information. Also, you should seek the help of your professional advisors - a lawyer, financial or estate planner, accountant, trust officer or insurance agent - about leaving a gift. These advisers can make sure you are getting the maximum tax and legal advantages allowed for your gift.

The top ten things you can do today to leave a legacy:

Prepare a will: without a will you lose control over your property at death.

Think about who should receive your gift and why. Maybe you or someone you know has been helped by a particular organization, or maybe you are an active volunteer, or believer in a cause.

Leave a gift in your will for the not-for-profit organizations that made a difference in your life or the lives of your loved ones or friends. Imagine the difference it would make to our community if everyone made a gift.

Leave a specific dollar amount or a percentage of the assets in your will to a not-for-profit of your choice.

Consider using assets for your charitable gift. These include stocks, mutual funds, bonds, term deposits, jewelery and more. All gifts provide tax savings, but some are more tax-effective than others.

Name a not-for-profit as the beneficiary of your RRSP or RRIF.

Name your favourite charity as the beneficiary of an existing or paid-up life insurance policy, or purchase a new life insurance policy naming your favourite not-for-profit as the owner and beneficiary.

Remember your loved ones and friends with memorial gifts.

Encourage family and friends to leave gifts to not-for-profits in their wills.

Ask your professional advisers to include charitable giving as part of their advice to all clients.

For more information, please contact us in one of the following ways:

Phone (519) 772-8787

E-mail: info@communitysupportconnections.org

Fax: (519) 742-5523

Please click here for Frequently Asked Quections regarding Canada Helps. 

Aren’t the services funded by the government?

Some services are partially funded – but not sufficient to meet current and growing community needs.  For example, the Meals on Wheels program in Kitchener and Waterloo is funded to provide 52,000 meals, but in 2007-2008, we provided more than 61,000 meals. 

Government funding represents approximately half our budget.  It is tied to specific services and service delivery targets, whereas donations enable us to offer innovative services and respond quickly to emerging community needs.

Is there a fee for service?

Many of our services do charge a modest fee, however the fees paid do not cover all of the costs associated with the service.  Most of our clients live on fixed incomes, many of them below the poverty line.  Subsidies that allow these clients to get the services they need come directly from donors like you.

 Can I designate my donation?

Yes.  CSC will honour donor requests to fund particular programs or services in specific geographic areas.  Since community needs are constantly changing and we make every effort to respond to emerging gaps in service, we encourage donors to support the organization as a whole.

As a provider of home support services, Community Support Connections (CSC) collects, uses, discloses, retains and protects personal information and is a personal information custodian under the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

Policy:

[01]      CSC is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of all personal information which is entrusted to the agency. The privacy, confidentiality and security policy incorporates the provisions of Part 1 of PIPEDA and applies the ten principles of the Canadian Standards Association's Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (CAN/CSA-Q830-96), which was published in March 1996 as a national standard of Canada. CSC will adhere to the following interrelated principles.

[02]      Any employee, worker or volunteer who does not adhere to confidentiality policies set by CSC may be subject to disciplinary actions and/or dismissal from the agency.

[03]      All employees, brokered workers and volunteers will read and sign a Confidentiality/Conflict of Interest Statement.

Principle 1 - Accountability for Personal Information
CSC is responsible for all personal information under its custody or control and has designated a Privacy Officer who is accountable for the organization's compliance with the principles. The name of the Privacy Officer designated by CSC to oversee its compliance with these principles is available upon request. Other persons within the organization are also responsible for the day-to-day collection, processing and protection of personal information, and for complying with this policy. All employees, workers and volunteers will be required to complete a confidentiality agreement. 

Note:  This confidentiality agreement remains in effect for the length of time that the employee, worker or volunteer is associated with the agency, and any information obtained while involved with CSC must stay confidential after involvement with the agency ceases.

Principle 2 - Identifying Purposes for Personal Information
CSC will identify the purposes for which personal information is collected at or before the time of collection. The purposes are:  to make decisions about the type of services required; to serve as a means to communicate with persons within the circle of care; to monitor provision of services and evaluate the response to services provided; to provide for administration, management, strategic planning, decision making and research; to allocate resources; to support and promote fundraising as it is related to CSC; and to meet legal and regulatory requirements.

Principle 3 - Consent for the Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information
Knowledge and consent of the individual is required for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information.  CSC will seek consent for the use or disclosure of information at the time of collection or at the start of service as appropriate.

Principle 4 - Limiting Collection of Personal Information
The collection of personal information will be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by CSC. Information shall be collected by fair and lawful means.

Principle 5 - Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention of Personal Information
Personal information will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the person or as required by law. When personal information is to be used for new purposes, CSC will document these purposes.

Information will be retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes or as legislated. Disposal of personal information will be done in a secure and confidential manner.

Note:  CSC employees, workers and volunteers will be informed of limits to confidentiality which include harm to self, harm to others, or risk of harm to a child. 

Principle 6 - Ensuring Accuracy of Personal Information
Personal information should be as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.

Principle 7 - Ensuring Appropriate Safeguards for Personal Information
Personal information shall be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, regardless of the format in which it is stored. The security safeguards will protect personal information against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.

Principle 8 - Openness Concerning Policies and Practices
CSC will make readily available specific information about its policies and practices relating to the management of personal information through the web site and brochures.

Principle 9 - Individual Access to and Amendment of Personal Information
Upon request, a person will be informed of the existence, use, and disclosure of his or her personal information and may access, inspect, or copy (upon payment of cost recovery fee) his or her personal information, subject to legal restrictions. A person will be able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information and have it amended as appropriate.

Principle 10 - Challenging Compliance with the Privacy, Confidentiality and Security Policy of CSC

A person will be able to address a challenge concerning compliance with privacy, confidentiality and security guidelines to the Privacy Officer of CSC. Complaint procedures will be simple and easily accessible. All complaints will be investigated and remedial action taken when appropriate including, if necessary, amending its policies and practices.

 Procedure:

 1.   Organizational

• Employees, workers and volunteers will be screened using recognized screening procedures, as outlined in the Risk Management Policies of CSC.
• Employees, workers and volunteers will be trained about security practices to protect personal information.
• Before disclosure of any personal information, employees, workers and volunteers will confirm the identification of persons requesting access, establish their right to access personal information and ensure authorization has been obtained.
• Access to records will be restricted to persons who have a need to know in order to provide services and ensure safety.
• Inactive files will be kept for a minimum of seven years and then will be destroyed in a confidential manner.
• When a set of conditions exist that would lead a reasonable person exercising reasonable care and concern to believe that failure to disclose information would constitute a danger to staff or volunteers, senior staff will make the necessary contact.

 2.   Technological

• All print-outs of client information will be disposed of securely when no longer required, preferably by shredding.
  Users will minimize or close software programs when away from their desks.
• Measures will also be taken to prevent unauthorized viewing of computer screens by setting the screen savers to end a session after 10 minutes of inactivity.
• Virus software will be updated routinely.
• Operating systems will be updated with patches as they become available from the vendor.
• Sensitive and confidential files will be encrypted for transmission purposes.
• Firewalls will be in place.
• A computer back-up system will be in place remotely and data recovery will be possible.

  3.   Faxing

• Faxing of personal information will be done only when urgently required. Personal information, that is not urgently required, will be sent by regular mail and marked as confidential.
• Personal information faxed to third parties will be sent in a secure manner, i.e. the person on the receiving end will be notified prior to sending the confidential fax.
• Fax machines will be located in non-public areas.
• A confidential cover sheet will be attached to all faxes with the following statement. “The attached fax/e-mail contains confidential information that must not be disclosed to anyone other than the intended recipient. If you receive this fax in error, please notify CSC Home Support at 519-772-8787 immediately.”  

4.   Physical Measures

• Archived records will be stored in a secured area, e.g. locked closet, cabinets, etc.
• Active records will be closed and placed in a locked filing cabinet when not in use.

5.   Passwords

• All users are responsible for their confidential passwords.
• Password characters will never be displayed on monitors, or available to anyone other than the Office Coordinator and Executive Director (e.g. post-it notes, etc).
• Passwords will be keyed in by the user each time the user signs on.
• Passwords should be a minimum of 6 characters long and include a combination of alpha and numeric characters.

The following individuals generously donated to Community Support Connections - Meals on Wheels and More from October 1st, 2011 - December 31st, 2011. This kind of support is invaluable, and the mark of a truly caring community. Our sincere thanks go out to you for helping us to help people live at home with independence and dignity!