Twice Upon a Time was very excited to receive a donation in October from Barristers for a Better Bytown, a group of lawyers who fundraise to support other charitable activities in Ottawa.
Barristers for a Better Bytown have graciously provided us with over 100 brand new graphic novels, perfect for the older kids who visit our locations! We have wide variety of titles, such as Raina Telgemeier's "Smile" and "Fantômes," "Illegal" by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, "Escape to Gold Mountain" by David Wong, and "War of the Blink" by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, and we know these books will be greatly enjoyed again and again by Ottawa kids.
Our sincerest thanks go out to Barristers for a Better Bytown for this very cool donation!
The Great Canadian Giving Challenge is back this June! During the month, donate to any registered Canadian charity through Canada Helps, and your donation will automatically enter the charity to win $10,000 from Canada Helps. The larger your donation you give, the more chances the charity has to win! We hope Twice Upon A Time–Free Books for Ottawa Kids will be your charity of choice for this exciting fundraising campaign.
Here’s how it works: from from June 1-30, every $1 you donate to Twice Upon a Time through Canada Helps qualifies us to win $10,000. So if you donate $20 to Twice Upon A Time, we would have 20 chances to win $10,000. Just imagine how many Ottawa children could benefit from this additional funding: it’s enough to buy 800 books that reflect the experiences and backgrounds of our clients: French materials, books by and about Canada’s Indigenous peoples and Canada as a country of diversion and inclusion. It would also help produce three years’ worth of promotional material to share with the community, or pay our storage for six months.
Our mission is to support early literacy skills and foster a love of reading through book ownership and making books readily available in the home. Children who visit any of our four locations can choose a book for themselves to keep for free, each time they visit! These books are received through both donations and purchases, and are carefully sorted to ensure that the books we give to children are in new or nearly-new condition.
During the month of June, please consider donating to Twice Upon A Time–Free Books for Ottawa Kids via the CanadaHelps.org website.
We sincerely appreciate your continued support, whether it is via the Great Canadian Giving Challenge 2018, raising awareness about our organisation, book donations, volunteering, or other forms of support.
As the year comes to a close, we are so grateful for all the progress Twice Upon a Time has made this year. We have given away books to multiple children, and helped bring reading into more children’s lives.
We ant to take the time to thank everyone who has supported our organization in any form. We truly could not do what we do without you.
We want to give a special thank you to everyone who sponsored us this year. It allows us to cover our costs, and find new and specialized books for each and every child.
Thank you to:
Multiple donors from United Way
Library Association of the National Capital Region for their generous donation
Everyone who showed up to our 20th Century Boys Fundraiser
Everyone involved in the Carleton Library Staff Book Sale
Everyone who showed up to our Spinning Fundraiser
Grounded Kitchen, who donated 15% of their sales one Friday to us
One of our awesome volunteers who won a donation through their work, and donated it to us
The Retired Women’s Teachers for their generous donation
Anyone who donated on their own or through our Canada Helps campaign
Additionally, thank you to everyone who donated books, and all the organizations who act us drop off locations for us!
Here’s to a great 2017, and an even greater 2018.
On November 28, 2017 Giving Tuesday, Twice Upon a Time launches Year 2 of its Indigenous Materials Project – to build a collection by and about Canada's Indigenous peoples-First Nations, Métis and Inuit and get them 
into the hands of Ottawa's youngsters. As of November 2017 we have purchased more than 100 books for the Indigenous Materials Project collection and distributed them to our delighted young clients. But there is so much more to do.
Give the gift of learning and literacy. Support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action #62, #63 and #93 by putting children's books by and about Canada's indigenous peoples - First Nations, Métis and Inuit, into the hands of Ottawa's youngsters ages 0 -12. These materials are urgently needed to support youngsters of all backgrounds in understanding the variety of experiences that tell the whole Canadian story.
It’s a special year for Canada, and Twice Upon A Time has a special project to go along with it. Twice Upon A Time is participating in the CAN150 Indigenous materials project. This project focuses on getting books by and about Canada’s Indigenous peoples into the hands of Ottawa’s youngsters. What a great initiative to teach Ottawa’s youth.
To date, we have spent almost $1000 and purchased 106 books for giveaway.
If you are interested in donating to this cause, you can donate at our Canada Helps page.
Whole Foods hosted a Kids Club Carnival on September 10th, with lots of different booths for children. Story and Snack time was one of those booths, where they promoted Twice Upon A Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids. It was a great success, and they are hosting another one soon!
So, if you missed the first one, Whole Foods Lansdowne are hosting another event on September 23rd. This event is purely a Snack and Story time event – children can come for a book reading and a healthy snack. And the best part is, Twice Upon A Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids will be there to give children books. What better way to spend a Saturday – snacks, reading, and a book to take home!
In the meantime, Whole Foods is hosting a book drive for Twice Upon A Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids leading up to the event. Anyone is welcome to bring in their gently used books to donate. Twice Upon A Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids will use these to provide free books for children up to 12 years old.
We are always accepting donations, so if you have any books to donate feel free to bring them by! We hope to see everyone at the Story and Snack time on Saturday, September 23rd.
Consider helping Twice Upon A Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids - support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action by putting children's books by and about Canada's Indigenous peoples - First Nations, Métis and Inuit - into the hands of Ottawa's youngsters. Here are six favourites selected by Board Members of Twice Upon a Time. We hope you will enjoy them as much as we have!
Suggestions from Alexandra Y:
Fatty Legs: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
I had the great pleasure of hearing Margaret and Christy speak at the Ottawa Public Library recently, and for all of the pain in this story, and in Margaret’s residential school experience, I was touched by how much the whimsical, funny, and smart child is still so visible in the now-81 year old Margaret! Fatty Legs tells the story of Margaret’s arrival in a 1940s residential school in Aklavik, NWT. There she meets the Raven, a cruel nun who is intent on breaking the spirits of Margaret and her classmates, but also the Swan, another nun who is kind to the children. The story is heartbreaking, but Margaret’s desire to learn to read, her sense of humour, and determination to succeed, along with poignant and at times amusing drawings, make this tale accessible to a wide audience who will come to love Margaret and her curious, determined nature.
At the Heart of It: Dene Dzó T'áré by Raymond Taniton
This very accessible picture book for children 4+ invites readers to explore the land and culture of the Sahtugot’ine, or the “people of Great Bear Lake”. Author Taniton introduces readers to the community elders, music, crafts, the natural world around them, and the stories the community tells. There is lots in this book to discuss with younger and older children, from the details of intricate beading work depicted in the photos and drawings, to the philosophical and spiritual messages in the oral tales re-told.
Suggestions from Marni S:
A Salmon for Simon by Betty Waterton and Ann Blades
Simon is a boy living on the west coast of Canada who has been given his first fishing rod. His greatest wish is to catch a salmon. The story, told in 15 pages with many illustrations, deftly communicates Simon's experience in being confused when he actually gets what he has been wishing for and his cleverness in solving the 'problem' of the fish all by himself. Meanwhile, the family remains just out of view, letting him figure this one out on his own. Suitable for children 5 to 10.
Lesson for the Wolf by Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley
With the rhythm and formality of a fable, this book tells the story of a wolf who grows up in Inuit territory, admiring the other animals more than he does the wolves of his own pack. The animals and the land are given magical qualities and the wolf becomes an amalgam of those he admires. He realizes he cannot survive without his pack but it takes the persistence and love of his family and friends to get through to this impetuous wolf who is too embarrassed to ask for help on his own. Lively drawings with the energy of cartoons that would appeal to children 5 to 10.
Suggestions from Kim F:
Hello Humpback by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd
This is a beautifully illustrated board book with rhyming text. It’s a perfect book to introduce west coast first nations art to children. The bright bold colours will attract even young babies and the illustrations of nature by Roy Henry Vickers will inspire artists young and old.
Ava and the Little Folk by Neil Christopher and Alan Neal and illustrated by Jonathan Wright
This book is a northern folktale based on traditional tales of people who could become small in order to survive in the harsh northern climate. They would need less food and could hide from predators more easily. Ava is orphaned and alone when he stumbles across the little folk who give him a home and teach him the necessary skills for survival.
Twice Upon a Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids - is thrilled to announce that we have been recognised as a Reading Champion by Scholastic Canada. The announcement can be seen at http://www.scholastic.ca/readingchampions/. Scholastic Canada had this to say about Twice Upon a Time’s mission:
“They are constantly striving to strengthen and build partnerships with other community organizations and are always expanding their services and selection of books. Due to their positive social impact in the Ottawa community and their continual efforts to grow, Twice Upon a Time is undeniably a Reading Champion."
Reading Champions Certificate
Scholastic Canada established the Scholastic Reading Champions program in commemoration of their 60th anniversary. Over the course of 2017, Scholastic Canada will celebrate 60 Canadians who help children discover the pleasure and power of reading. A Reading Champion can be any individual, school, teacher, librarian, non-profit, charity or literacy organization who actively promotes the gift of reading and, through their efforts, helps children discover the power of reading. Nominations are made by the public, and each month in 2017 five Reading Champions are selected based on these nominations.
Twice Upon a Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids – is thrilled to have been nominated and selected for the month of June 2017! As a selected Reading Champion, Twice Upon a Time will receive a certificate of recognition and Scholastic Canada will make a book donation, up to a retail value of $1,000.00 to Twice Upon a Time. Thank you to Scholastic Canada for selecting us and for the most generous support.
On June 2nd, Ottawa Fit (http://www.ottawafit.com @ottawa_fit) donated their space for a charity spinning event in which Twice Upon a Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids - raised over $450! It was a big success and we’d like to thank Ottawa Fit and, of course, all the spinning participants for their limitless energy and overwhelming generosity.
The event was extra special thanks to all those noted below who donated prizes for the event:
The Great Canadian Giving Challenge is back and this year CanadaHelps, a registered charity and nonprofit social enterprise, is sponsoring a specific Canada 150 fundraising challenge for the month of June. Thousands of people visit CanadaHelps every year to discover new causes and to donate to their charity of choice. We hope Twice Upon a Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids will be your charity of choice for this exciting June 2017 fundraising campaign!
This is how it works. For every $1 donated to Twice Upon a Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids, via the CanadaHelps.org website, we will receive 1 entry for a chance to win a $10,000 donation. So, if you donate $20 to Twice Upon a Time, via the CanadaHelps.org website, we would have 20 chances to win $10,000. Just imagine how many children would benefit from this!
The mission for Twice Upon a Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids - is to support early literacy skills and foster a love of reading through book ownership by making books readily available. Children who visit any of our locations can choose a book for themselves to keep for free, each time they visit! Our books are received through donations and purchases, and are carefully sorted to ensure that the books we give to children are in new or near-new condition.
During the month June, and in support of Canada 150, please consider donating to Twice Upon a Time – Free Books for Ottawa Kids via the CanadaHelps.org website. We sincerely appreciate your support and would like to thank you in advance for any donation you may be in a position to offer.
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Aesop.