WoodGreen Community Services receives $CDN 1 million grant from The TD Ready Challenge
Toronto, October 24, 2018 — WoodGreen Community Services has been named one of the ten winners of the inaugural 2018 TD Ready Challenge presented by TD Bank Group.
TD’s Accelerating Possibilities by WoodGreen: Creating Sustainable Pathways to Success in a Changing Landscape is a multi-faceted initiative to decrease income volatility and optimize employment for mid-career workers.
It brings together and scales four of WoodGreen’s most successful advancement programs: Homeward Bound Transitions to Success; Financial Empowerment; Workforce Development; and Newcomer Services. Aided by technology and leveraging wrap-around supports in four streams — Super Job Seeker; Entrepreneurship; College Ready; and Internationally Trained Workers — it will position participants for financial stability and sustainable employment in a rapidly changing labour market.
The TD Ready Challenge is a signature initiative, laddering up to The Ready Commitment, TD’s new corporate citizenship platform, aimed at opening doors to a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow. Acting as a springboard for social innovation, TD established the TD Ready Challenge to identify and support scalable solutions to a specific issue identified within the drivers of The Ready Commitment. In its inaugural year, the TD Ready Challenge encouraged organizations across North America to create scalable solutions to help increase income stability and give people the skills they need for the economy of the future. In total, TD awarded $10 million (CDN) for the 2018 Challenge.
“WoodGreen Community Services has brought forward a creative and scalable solution to help address the uncertainty associated with technological acceleration and the future of work.” said Andrea Barrack, Vice President, Global Corporate Citizenship, TD Bank Group. “Being a winner of the TD Ready Challenge is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators, as well as their dedication to opening doors to a more inclusive and financially secure tomorrow.”
“WoodGreen is thrilled to have been selected as a winner of the TD Ready Challenge!” said Teresa Vasilopoulos, Executive Director of The WoodGreen Foundation. “By bringing together 4 of WoodGreen’s most successful and innovative service offerings, TD’s Accelerating Possibilities by WoodGreen: Creating Sustainable Pathways to Success in a Changing Landscape program will fast-track participants to greater financial stability and sustainable employment, positioning them to thrive in the future.”
A full list of The Ready Challenge winners as well as more information about the challenge can be found at www.td.com/thereadychallenge.
About WoodGreen Community Services
A United Way Anchor Agency, WoodGreen combines significant scale and a proven track record with an entrepreneurial mindset, continuously seeking and developing innovative solutions to critical social needs.
Now in our 80th year, WoodGreen is one of the largest social service agencies in Toronto, serving 37,000 people each year. Together we help people find safe, affordable housing, seniors live independently, internationally-trained professionals enter the job market, parents access childcare, children and youth access after-school programs, newcomers settle in to Canadian life, homeless and marginalized people get off the streets, youth find meaningful employment and training and provide a wide range of mental health supports.
About The Ready Commitment
TD has a long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its customers, colleagues and communities. In March 2018, TD launched The Ready Commitment, a new multi-year program to help individuals and communities prosper. As part of The Ready Commitment, TD targets CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for an inclusive tomorrow – Financial Security, a more Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through The Ready Commitment, TD’s aspiration is to link business, products, services, and community giving to help people feel more confident – not just about their finances, but about their future and their ability to achieve their personal goals in a changing world. For further information, visit www.td.com/thereadycommitment