| The Better Day Alliance Foundation has two departments. Fundraising and Community Projects. Both departments work closely together in order to achieve the goals of the BDAF. |
The Community Projects Department is the other half of the Better Day Alliance Foundation. It is their job to seek out existing charities that can most benefit from our support and liaise with the staff there. They then organize the necessary suppliers and businesses and oversee the community project from concept to reality. |
The Fundraising Department is responsible for organizing events and campaigns for the purpose of raising money for the foundation. They provide the life blood of the Better Day Alliance Foundation. Our goal is to operate without the help of government funding which means our Director of Fundraising is kept very busy! |
| The Better Day Alliance Foundation is a volunteer run organization that has no paid staff! This means every dollar you donate goes directly towards promoting and achieving its goals! |
| Adam Wiseman adam@betterdayalliance.org Executive Director |
| Lori Nicholls -Vigario Lori@betterdayalliance.org Director of Fundraising |
| Tanya Szabo tanya@betterdayalliance.org Director of Community Projects |
| Nicole Gawley - Social Networking Coordinator nicole@betterdayalliance.org Chantelle Szabo - Fundraising Support Specialist chantelle@betterdayalliance.org In addition to these individuals we have many Special Event Volunteers that help out each time the BDAF has a major event. |
| Volunteer Staff |
| Adam Wiseman President adam@betterdayalliance.org Tanya Szabo Vice President tanya@betterdayalliance.org Jacquie Small Secretary jacquie@betterdayalliance.org Michael Kurtz Treasurer |
| Board of Directors |
| Charitable Registration # 8562 78213 RR 0001 |
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The Better Day Alliance Foundation is a non-denominational, registered charitable organization whose mission is to work
with established charities to create positive experiences that go beyond necessity and bring unexpected delight to people
facing a variety of challenges throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Sometimes luxuries are more then extras, they are
absolutely necessary to help people maintain hope and to remind them that they are not alone. Everyone has different
challenges, fortune, experiences, opportunities, skills and abilities; but we are all meant to have dignity and enjoy life. This
is true whether you are facing isolation and aging, mental illness, poverty, physical or cognitive disabilities, violence,
terminal illness, or any other form of adversity.
The Better Day Alliance Foundation was co-founded in 2007 by three community mental health workers who saw the faces
of poverty, mental illness, and many of life's other struggles daily. They saw that for the individuals they served, a BBQ was
more then a nice lunch; it was a day to forget their illness, forget their isolation, and forget the endless stress that
accompanies a life full of challenges. A BBQ picnic that costs very little, could provide weeks of exciting anticipation and a
life time of memories. Perhaps those memories would be the ones that kept them warm years later at a time when they
may be feeling all alone. In a city full of struggling and under-funded essential social services, the value of social
interaction can often get lost to the realities of budget cuts, administrative costs and constraints.
At one such time while working at a community mental health organization, the soon to be co-founders of the BDAF decided
to organize a small basketball tournament in which one individual with a mental illness teamed up with one staff. They
raised enough money at this tournament to organize some very special events and purchase some much needed supplies
for the social resource centre. They were surprised by how eager individuals and local businesses were to help out. They
realized that beyond the clients of the agency they worked for, there were countless other people facing all kinds of
challenges throughout the Greater Toronto Area that could benefit equally from such events. They knew that you can sit
around and say, “Wouldn’t it be nice...”; or they could do something about it. They chose to act! The Better Day Alliance
Foundation was created in 2007 and received registered charitable organization status in 2008.
The BDAF provides grants of up to $1000.00 to registered charitable organizations throughout the Greater Toronto Area
(Toronto, York, Peel, Halton and Durham) so that they can offer special social recreational events and programs for the
people they serve which they could not otherwise provide. Some examples of the types of programs/events that have been
funded are:
• The Canadian Mental Health Association was funded to bring an interactive animal program, the Zoo to You, to their
social resource center. They also wished to purchase some fun supplies, like a foosball table, to enhance their Social
Resource Center for the people they served to enjoy.
• Downsview Services to Seniors were funded to have an Elvis Themed BBQ for the seniors living in their residence.
• North York Community House runs a mentoring program for young women from high-risk neighborhoods called Girls
on the Go. They wanted to have an end of the school year bash for the young women they tutor and mentor. They were
funded to rent a bus and go out for a nice dinner and a movie as a celebration.
The Better Day Alliance Foundation is an entirely volunteer run organization and relies entirely on the support of local
businesses and individuals to do its great work. The need in the city is great and sadly the BDAF is only able to approve
approximately 20% of the requests it receives. We thank you in advance for your generous support and helping us to bring
a better day to the GTA!
with established charities to create positive experiences that go beyond necessity and bring unexpected delight to people
facing a variety of challenges throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Sometimes luxuries are more then extras, they are
absolutely necessary to help people maintain hope and to remind them that they are not alone. Everyone has different
challenges, fortune, experiences, opportunities, skills and abilities; but we are all meant to have dignity and enjoy life. This
is true whether you are facing isolation and aging, mental illness, poverty, physical or cognitive disabilities, violence,
terminal illness, or any other form of adversity.
The Better Day Alliance Foundation was co-founded in 2007 by three community mental health workers who saw the faces
of poverty, mental illness, and many of life's other struggles daily. They saw that for the individuals they served, a BBQ was
more then a nice lunch; it was a day to forget their illness, forget their isolation, and forget the endless stress that
accompanies a life full of challenges. A BBQ picnic that costs very little, could provide weeks of exciting anticipation and a
life time of memories. Perhaps those memories would be the ones that kept them warm years later at a time when they
may be feeling all alone. In a city full of struggling and under-funded essential social services, the value of social
interaction can often get lost to the realities of budget cuts, administrative costs and constraints.
At one such time while working at a community mental health organization, the soon to be co-founders of the BDAF decided
to organize a small basketball tournament in which one individual with a mental illness teamed up with one staff. They
raised enough money at this tournament to organize some very special events and purchase some much needed supplies
for the social resource centre. They were surprised by how eager individuals and local businesses were to help out. They
realized that beyond the clients of the agency they worked for, there were countless other people facing all kinds of
challenges throughout the Greater Toronto Area that could benefit equally from such events. They knew that you can sit
around and say, “Wouldn’t it be nice...”; or they could do something about it. They chose to act! The Better Day Alliance
Foundation was created in 2007 and received registered charitable organization status in 2008.
The BDAF provides grants of up to $1000.00 to registered charitable organizations throughout the Greater Toronto Area
(Toronto, York, Peel, Halton and Durham) so that they can offer special social recreational events and programs for the
people they serve which they could not otherwise provide. Some examples of the types of programs/events that have been
funded are:
• The Canadian Mental Health Association was funded to bring an interactive animal program, the Zoo to You, to their
social resource center. They also wished to purchase some fun supplies, like a foosball table, to enhance their Social
Resource Center for the people they served to enjoy.
• Downsview Services to Seniors were funded to have an Elvis Themed BBQ for the seniors living in their residence.
• North York Community House runs a mentoring program for young women from high-risk neighborhoods called Girls
on the Go. They wanted to have an end of the school year bash for the young women they tutor and mentor. They were
funded to rent a bus and go out for a nice dinner and a movie as a celebration.
The Better Day Alliance Foundation is an entirely volunteer run organization and relies entirely on the support of local
businesses and individuals to do its great work. The need in the city is great and sadly the BDAF is only able to approve
approximately 20% of the requests it receives. We thank you in advance for your generous support and helping us to bring
a better day to the GTA!
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