On February 18th, 2010, Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School kicked off its annual 25 hour Thinkfast!
Over 40 students participated in the fast, raised money and awareness. The event was filled with education, community, enthusiasm and an important display of solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Global South!
Students were very busy being farmers and CEO’s with our guest speaker Julie, from Development and Peace.
An awesome justice-themed Amazing Race game was held later in the evening. We then learned about the multi-national food industry with a screening of “Food Inc.” The second day of the fast was aimed at bringing awareness to the school community. Students were given the D&P postcards and petitions for their fellow classmates to fill out; all of them were! Our fast closed with a liturgy filled with song and a strong sense of community.
The final fundraising count will be finished shortly. We will post an update once the final numbers are in!
In collaboration with Catholic Students’ Week, students at colleges and univeristry campsuses across Canada are inspiring their Catholic community to be informed, liturgical, and active witnesses on campus to the love of God and of neighbor.
Catholic Students’ Week ends on March 21st with Development and Peace’s Solidarity Sunday – when we join with the rest of the Canadian Church to share our resources with the poor in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Here is a list of all the Development and Peace Makes a Difference week events on campuses:
BC
Vancouver, Corpus Christi and St. Mark’s College at UBC
March 14, 11am: Mass and Soup lunch with Development and Peace guest speaker
AB
Edmonton, St. Joseph’s College
March 21, noon – 2pm: Development and Peace Talk followed by Sunday Brunch hosted by D&P and Campus Ministry
MB
Brandon, University of Brandon
March 14-15: 25 hour THINKfast!
ON
London, King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario
March 21st: Solidarity Sunday Mass with Development and Peace presentation on agrofuels
Toronto, Ryerson University
March 21, 5 pm: Mass and Haitian Dinner in solidarity with the victims of the earthquake.
St. Michael’s Cathedral collecting donations for Development and Peace
NB
Fredericton, St. Thomas University
March 15, 10am – 1pm: Development and Peace Share Lent bake sale and card signing
March 16, 6:30pm: Development and Peace screening of Food, INC with pizza and card signing
Development and Peace THINKfast! during “D&P Makes a Difference week: March 14th – 21st
Friday March 5, 2010, marked St. Thomas Aquinas (Brampton) first ever THINKfast, fundraising over $5 000.00.
The Grade 12 IDC Leadership class and the Grade 11 GPP Leadership class led the students of Aquinas in a fun and educational evening that was filled with workshops, a Reality Race and, the fan favorite, Man Hunt.
The Music students opened the evening with a magical performance of ‘I believe’, followed by a heartfelt presentation from the students who traveled to Nicaragua.
The THINKfasters then participated in a community building workshop facilitated by Rising Stars and student-led workshops about Development and Peace and Social Justice. Together they learned about the struggles of those less fortunate, and they learned about the impact our lifestyle here in North America has on the Developing World. They felt the hunger pains, the headaches, the nausea, and the fatigue that millions of people have accepted as a normal part of their every day existence.
And knowing that these feelings are not normal they began to understand how together they can help empower those who desperately need support in their fight for human rights, land rights, and equity. This realization also led those who participated to a greater awareness and appreciation of the opportunities that exist here in Canada. So, they signed petitions.
And after Fasting for 25 hours, they gathered for a meal prepared by our Hospitality students and our Aquinas Community prayed in SOLIDARITY with those in our Global Community.
Our Youth believe and hope to make a difference one choice at a time, one action at a time, and one prayer at a time.
This year’s THINKfast campaign is rockin’ it all over the web!
Students are creating their own videos (way to go Thomas Aquinas in Brampton!) or link their online fundraising page to their local parish to promote their THINKfast (nice site!).
It’s great to see that so many young people are participating in this campaign and are supporting and spreading the word about the work of Development and Peace and its partners in the Global South.
Over 150 participants are using our new online fundraising tool (click here for direct access) to collect their pledges.
Organizers and participants can easily set up their group and personal profiles and reach out to family members and friends who live further away via e-mail or social media applications like facebook and twitter.
AND, this tool also allows D&P to save on staff and mailing costs because tax receipts are emailed out immediately to donors.
Go check it out and we wish all participants and organizers a great time at their THINKfast 2010!
Student leaders at St Thomas Aquinas High School in Brampton, Ontario (how is it that all the St Thomas Aquinas schools are AMAZING THINKfasters?) made this awesome video to promote their THINKfast this year.
I love it!
Tom, from Saskatoon’s St Thomas More College JUST YOUTH Group (one of the strongest in the country – go SK!) made this brilliant video. I really dig the music and it connects our work after the Tsunami to what is going now in Haiti.
If you’ve got a video to share – let me know. What amazing youth members we have!
Two weeks ago today we launched the Development & Peace THINKfast 2010 campaign.
As of today 25 groups and a total of 90 participants have registered. In 2 weeks we have raised close to $3000!
The Winnipeg parish JUST YOUTH Group “Youth Affecting Humankind” raised a stellar $1210 with just 9 group members. Keep up the excellent work!
Since then more and more groups are registering and signing up for THINKfast online. Click here to get directly to our new online fundraising tool.
Get in touch with us by phone or email if you have any questions or need any kind of support with getting online.
We are very excited about this great start into our THINKfast 2010 campaign and are looking forward to hearing about your experiences at your THINKfast. Leave a comment below this post anytime!
We here at Development and Peace have been super impressed with your leadership, your commitment to international solidarity, and your mad THINKfast skills.
Not only are you generous fundraisers, but you have been leading spin-off THINKfasts in your local parishes. Nice work!
We wanted to thank you in a special way, so… we have a few videos we made – just for you.
Here is a special message from one of our partners who is here with us in Montreal this weekend for a Development and Peace program planning and visioning session.
Meet Victoria Ohaeri of the Social & Economic Rights Action Centre (www.serac.org) in Lagos, Nigeria…
Thank you for all your support and for showing us all how to put our faith into action. Keep being that prophetic voice – sharing the good news and denouncing injustice on behalf of our brothers and sisters around the world. Peace, and God bless!
Our new online fundraising program is up and running!
As of today, Feb 1st, THINKfast participants from across Canada can use this secure online tool to ramp up their fundraising for Development and Peace programs around the world. Click here to get to the online fundraising page.
The THINKfast online fundraising is secure, easy to use and has straightforward directions, leading you along until you have everything set up.
Here’s a snapshot of how it works: Everyone starts by signing up. You are then asked if you are a THINKfast Organizer or a THINKfast Participant. Organizers are directed to name their group and register their THINKfast date – this sets up a group page. When participants sign up, they join a group. Ta da!
All participants can create their own, personalized (with photos and video!) fundraising page. EVERYONE can collect donations online from friends, family and colleagues – near and far. You can see how you are doing and compete with your friends for reaching your THINKfast goal. Tax receipts are issued to donors by email, within minutes of the transaction.
Development and Peace have staff on hand to assist you with your fundraising. Raphael, at our Toronto office, can answer any questions you have and can walk you through the sign up and registration process. Contact him at 1-800-494-1401 ext 233.
THINKfast groups can still collect pledges in cash and cheques – this year we will be fundraising online and offline. As always, give us a ring or send us an email if we can help. We deeply appreciate the generosity of our young members and are excited to reach our THINKfast 2010 goal of $300,000.
