ACCESS Annual Report 2011

2011 A N N UA L R E P O R T

accesscharity.caaccess

2 | ACCESS Annual Report 2011 | accesscharity.ca/annualreport

2011 ANNUAL REPORT

ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education is a youth

run, non-profit organization providing education and leadership

opportunities to youth in developing countries, while raising

awareness and inspiring youth locally to become leaders.

ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.

Ontario Corporation Number (OCN) 1766228

[email protected] | accesscharity.ca

Annual Report for the Year Ended December 2011

Printed October 2012 | Brampton, Ontario

accesscharity.caaccess


ACCESS facilitates education and empathetic

leadership development through initiatives

that engage, inspire, and motivate youth to

drive positive change, locally and globally.

We envision the empowerment of generations of leaders through education in order to inspire meaningful development in their own communities.


Leaping ForwardPresident’s Annual Recap

Nearly 10 new roles were created and filled within our 2011 year – a sign of growth and assurance in our future as a youth-run organization, and refreshing for myself and our team. Bringing more change, we launched our new logo, signifying this new period of growth.

ACCESS tested the waters and tried a few new initiatives, including a very environmentally conscious fundraising activity: Cell Phone Drives. We also made partnerships, such as a Haiti solidarity group for a public forum in Toronto: Haiti Beyond the Headlines.

Representing ACCESS outside Ontario, we had the chance to travel to the Ignite Change Now Global Youth Assembly in Edmonton, Alberta – making new connections and presenting about Online Activism.

University students formed ACCESS U – Laurier, a student group that raised awareness and funds for our projects, impressively taking home Club of the Year.

Talks also began to form this group at Western and York universities. New supporters included students at University of Guelph-Humber, who fundraised by providing henna tattoos to students. It’s so rewarding for me to see other students become passionate about these important social justice issues and take action!

For the start of another school year, ACCESS added a whole new set of Educator Resources – the relaunch

of an idea sparked years before, with help from some awesome educators, committed to ACCESS.

Along with another successful Youth Making a Difference Conference with high school students,

ACCESS also hosted its largest event to date: our Called to Action Social Justice Conference, with over 700 elementary students attending from across Peel Region.At year-end, we began selling Fair Trade gifts – soapstone necklaces and waterpipe bracelets – through Nharo, from artisans in countries like Namibia. We’re thankful to Kingdom Life in Brampton who hosted one of our

first-ever Christmas events: Passion in Praise; we also celebrated the Holidays with a Give Thanks, Give Hope dinner dance for Haiti with an amazing priest visiting from Haiti, where we presented a donation.

At ACCESS, things are changing – our team, our projects, our funding, our structure – and we’re ready for a year full of heavy planning and organizational growth.

Thank you to everyone – our supporters and volunteers, the community, our team and the youth that motivate us to keep improving and expanding the ways we educate, empower, and inspire.

Daniel Francavilla, President & Founder

Photo by Andrew Ly, 2011


Board of Directors (L–R) Michael Onabolu, Annalisa Sodhi, Louroz Mercader, Arthur Kong, Rosemary Francavilla, Alrick Grange

ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. formally introduced its Board of Directors, which was officially

formed in 2011 to support and guide the growing organization. These senior volunteers are passionate about the mission

and vision of ACCESS, and are committed to seeing its ambitions achieved. Through the culmination of diverse collective

experiences, these six members are dedicated to steering ACCESS forward into the future, beginning 1-2 year terms.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2011

Chairperson Louroz Mercader

Vice-Chairperson Michael Onabolu

Treasurer Rosemary Francavilla

Community Representative Alrick Grange

International Projects Director Arthur Kong

Local Projects Director Annalisa Sodhi

Introducing our Board of Directors

Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development. – Kofi Annan

Students helping students, from day one

Today, ACCESS is a youth-run, non-profit organization providing education opportunities to youth in developing countries, while raising awareness and inspiring youth locally to become leaders.

Our Brief History

In the early days, ACCESS began by raising thousands of dollars to help hundreds of children in schools in the developing world by providing uniforms, shoes, school supplies, classroom construction, student transportation, international scholarships.

The inspiration behind this organization came from a trip to the developing world in early 2006. Daniel Francavilla traveled to the Dominican Republic as part of a student Exposure Experience program. While on the trip, students were exposed to the extreme poverty that the people of this beautiful country face. Visiting the isolated communities and experiencing the children surrounding him asking for simple things such as paper and pens was the trigger of the desire to help these children obtain a better life.

ACCESS started off as a collection at a Brampton church, after Daniel Francavilla presented his trip experiences to the congregation. Because of the generosity of the parishioners, the organization started off strong and continues to grow into what it is today.

Starting with relationships in Dominican Republic, establishing contacts in countries such as Columbia, Honduras and Jamaica, and travelling to Haiti has allowed ACCESS to expand through secure connections with people who directly involved in needy communities.

Presentations at local schools and events, engaging youth through leadership and empowerment opportunities, raising funds and spreading the word about social justice and life in the developing world have become ACCESS activities. Today, ACCESS continues to take-on new projects, helping the youth of impoverished countries achieve a better quality of life, and expanding its local programming to increase youth involvement.

The organization is registered in Ontario as a Non-Profit Corporation under the legal name “ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.” and is run by an organized group of youth – students ranging from high-school to university students, advised by a Board of diverse community members.

ACCESS and its team continues to grow, forming new partnerships and expanding both local youth programming and international initiatives.


New logo design represents inspiring ideas

Over the past few years, ACCESS has been working to raise awareness and to make education a priority both locally and globally. In August 2011, ACCESS launched a new logo to update its identify and signify the continued growth of the organization.

The new logo consists of two head silhouettes, which also form a light bulb. In the centre, the familiar ACCESS text remains from the existing logo.

To develop the logo, Eren Kapaklili interned with ACCESS through the archiTEXT Designer Combiner program, under the direction of ACCESS President, Daniel Francavilla. Eren describes the design process as “distilling themes and motifs based on the goals and philosophy behind ACCESS”. He explains how circles and networks of lines became important to him when designing the logo. A style of applying overlapping and transparency along with the silhouette motif was used in the design.

Two human profiles overlapping to create a light bulb convey that we as people are all connected through education and knowledge.

The logo makes use of a powerful, yet simplistic visual effect to make a statement about interdependence and the positive outcome of human connectedness, education and social justice.Zahra Ebrahim, founder of archiTEXT, shared her think tank’s motivation for running the Designer Combiner

program: ”In the work we do, we’re frequently engaging with dynamic groups in the charitable and non-profit sector while simultaneously engaging with emerging young designers. The Designer Combiner program allows us to facilitate relationship building between organizations we trust and admire and the young designers whose development and growth we want to help nurture.”

“We developed the logo over a several months to create one that represents our work involving human growth, connections and the power of knowledge and ideas through education.”Daniel Francavilla stated, upon the launch in August 2011. “As an organization, we are very excited to be growing and diversifying – this logo is a welcome refresh to our visual identity.”

Local Programs Recent Programs 2011

Youth Making a Difference Conference

ACCESS U – Student Groups

Speak Up for Change Blog

School Presentations

Educator Resources

Past Programs

School Supply Drives

Student Contests

Initiatives Overview

Global ProjectsRecent Projects 2011

High School Student Sponsorship | Haiti

University Student Sponsorship | Haiti

School Supplies | Honduras, Haiti

Past Projects

School Uniforms | Dominican Republic

Vulnerable Children & Arts Centre | Tanzania

Outdoor School Renovations | Jamaica

Primary School Expansion | Colombia

For an updated list of our local and global initiatives, visit accesscharity.ca/initiative.


I do not have any words to say thanks to you, thank you so much for your blessing and helping me to succeed in my education. I think without you this year of 2011 could not be a success for me. Therefore, I want to say happy new year and may God be with you on all things that you will undertake in 2012.”– Phanuel Estinvil Haitian Student supported by ACCESS, attending university in Texas (December 2011)

“


Thanking our supporting and funding partners

In 2011, ACCESS received support and funding from community organizations and local businesses, to benefit our projects and programming.

This support is key to the success of our programs, and ACCESS is very thankful. Selected contributors and partners from 2011 are displayed below.

Rapport Youth & Family Services

Nearly 60% of our 2011 expenditures went directly toward

international initiatives to support education in developing

countries, while 40% was allocated to local youth programming.

ACCESS nearly doubled its cash reserves to prepare for future organizational expansion.


ACCESS: ALLOWING CHILDREN A CHANCE AT EDUCATION INC. Statement of Operations as at December 31, 2011

2011

RevenuesDonations $5,086.89Fundraising $912.05Other $2,323.32

TOTAL $8,322.26

DisbursementsInternational Initiatives $4,554.40Operating $503.40

TOTAL $5,057.80

RESIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS $3,264.46

Consolidated Statements

Special Note: ACCESS was awarded an Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant at the end of 2011, however the funds were received in the beginning of 2012 and will be reflected in the 2012 Annual Report.

*This statement includes both income and expenses related to both operational and the income and disbursements of donated funds.

*As per our agreement with donors, donated funds are not used towards operational items.

Donations include external fundraisers, personal donations, online donations, workshop fundraising etc.

Fundraisers include funds generated through ACCESS events (i.e. Talent Show tickets).

Other includes product sales, services provided, bank revenues.

*This balance sheet includes assets and liabilities pertaining to both operational and donated funds.

**As per our agreement with donors, donated funds are not used towards operational items.

Questions about this statement?

Contact Mark Llanes, Director of Finance ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. [email protected]

ACCESS: ALLOWING CHILDREN A CHANCE AT EDUCATION INC. Statement of Financial Position as at December 31, 2011

2011

AssetsCash $37,659.75Supplies $1,000.00School Supplies $1,200.00

*in-kind advertising and other supplies *donated school supplies

TOTAL $39,859.75

Liabilities & EquityLIABILITIES

Restricted Cash $17,298.05Restricted Donations** $5,986.11

EQUITYOpening Balance $13,843.62Residual Contributions (net of donations) $2,731.97Closing Balance $16,575.59

TOTAL $39,859.75


Educate. Empower. Inspire.

Documents

ACCESS Annual Report 2011