There are over 82,000 charities in Canada. Some exceptional ones are doing highly innovative work which is producing excellent results in addressing the social needs of Canada. However, all too often, these leading charities do not receive the level of recognition or reward that their...
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There are over 82,000 charities in Canada. Some exceptional ones are doing highly innovative work which is producing excellent results in addressing the social needs of Canada. However, all too often, these leading charities do not receive the level of recognition or reward that their effectiveness deserves. This is because the funding of charities is rarely based on results; far more commonly it depends on a charity possessing the resources for marketing campaigns or benefitting from affluent connections.

Our mission is to address this deficit by publicizing the work of charities that are leaders in delivering both Effectiveness and Efficiency. Our research focuses on Results, identifying excellence in charities and enabling funders to see how their money is used and the calibre of its social returns.


With the resulting new levels of recognition and greater rewards to be gained by such charities, we hope to inspire others to be as efficient, effective and innovative in meeting their clients' needs.

Our bottom line is to focus on the long-term benefits for the people who are served by charities.

Our Vision is to reward Excellence.
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A community where no family is homeless.
Inn from the Cold began out of a community concern for the growing number of homeless people during the bitterly cold winter of 1996-1997. Volunteers from several Calgary churches met to decide how they could help.

On May 2, 1997, St....
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A community where no family is homeless.
Inn from the Cold began out of a community concern for the growing number of homeless people during the bitterly cold winter of 1996-1997. Volunteers from several Calgary churches met to decide how they could help.

On May 2, 1997, St. Stephen’s opened its doors to provide shelter and hope to Calgary’s homeless families and others in need. Since then, an ever-growing number of inter-denominational churches, synagogues, community associations and organizations have come together to provide temporary emergency shelter and resources for Calgary’s homeless.

In October 2008, the Inn began a new chapter with the opening of Calgary’s first Emergency Family Shelter.

Today, there are over 6000 volunteers providing thousands of hours of support, both at the Emergency Family Shelter and in our community Inns on a rotating basis 365 days a year.

Over the years, Inn from the Cold has helped literally thousands of homeless children, women and men rebuild their lives and create a new future. Our vision is a community where no family is homeless and we support Calgary’s ten-year plan to end homelessness. We believe that change matters and we are in a journey as a community to end homelessness.
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Volunteers are vital to Inn from the Cold. In many ways, they are the heart of our organization. In 2009, over 6000 volunteers provided over 74,000 hours of support for a value of over $1M in time (based on Government of Alberta Lottery Fund calculation).

Throughout the year,...
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Volunteers are vital to Inn from the Cold. In many ways, they are the heart of our organization. In 2009, over 6000 volunteers provided over 74,000 hours of support for a value of over $1M in time (based on Government of Alberta Lottery Fund calculation).

Throughout the year, volunteers of all ages spend time preparing meals and spending time with our guests at various Inn locations across the city, including the Emergency Family Shelter.

Groups of volunteers come to the shelter on a rotating basis. Some groups decide to sponsor the dinner they prepare. Each and every group that hosts at the shelter makes an invaluable difference to Inn from the Cold and the lives of homeless Calgary families.

We currently have a need for:

Child care supervisor
Responsibilities: caring for children under the age of 6 while parents are participating in programming onsite.
Dinner Service
Responsibilities: Serving dinner, preparing lunches for the next day and enjoying a visit with our families. Teams of 6-10 are encouraged to apply.
Weekend breakfast group service
Responsibilities: purchasing, preparing and serving a hot breakfast for our guests on the weekend. Approximate cost $150 to feed 80 individuals.
Emergency overnight supervisor volunteers at community Inns
Responsibilities: supervise guests overnight at one of our Inns around Calgary.
Special events volunteers
Responsibilities: represent Inn from the Cold at our fun and exciting third-party fundraising events.
For more information, contact:
Stefica Turuk, Volunteer Services
p: 403-263-8384
c: 403-473-2248
e: stefica@innfromthecold.org
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