Direct your donation

When you make a donation to Twice Upon a Time, you have the choice to direct your funds to one of four areas of need: Kids Today, Plaisir de lire!, ReconciliAction, or where most needed.

Kids Today: Celebrating diversity

This fund is intended to celebrate the diversity of today’s kids. Donating to this fund allows us to purchase books that reflect different cultures, backgrounds and family experiences, allowing children to see themselves in the stories they read. Celebrating different cultures and backgrounds promotes inclusivity and encourages children to learn about and embrace their histories and those of their peers.

With this fund, we hope to help build a more united community.

Plaisir de lire! French Books for Ottawa Kids

In 2017, 28% of the books chosen by children at our locations were in French; at present, fewer than 15% of the donations received are for French books, and much of the material donated is out of date, of poor quality, or not representative of the community. This means we often have to supplement French material by purchasing books, at bulk discounts through partner wholesalers and local bookstores, in order to offer adequate and appropriate material for the children who visit our sites. However, even with those generous discounts, French materials continue to be more expensive than their English counterparts.

We live in a bilingual city and want to share the richness of this bilingual experience with all children in our locations. Your donation toward French books allows us to support our Francophone patrons, all while supporting bilingual and Anglophone children who wish to learn or improve their French skills.

ReconciliAction: Best Kids’ Indigenous Books

2021 saw the tragic moments of too many unmarked graves being exposed on residential school sites. As the movement Every Child Matters grew, we were reminded of our responsibility to listen and to act, after offering a dignified burial to these children and giving communities the space to grieve.

Twice Upon a Time is proud to have developed 2 new partnerships with the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation and the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation. Together with our long-time ally the Minwaashin Lodge, they offer free books from Twice Upon a Time to approximately 370 children.

We have expanded our goal: we now offer Ottawa kids relevant materials by First Nations People, Métis and Inuit authors featuring these communities’ stories, history, cultures, characters. We wish to expand our purchasing of books in this area with the help of Indigenous organizations’ representatives.

With your help, we can take charge of our collective commitment towards Reconciliation. We can impact children’s knowledge and understanding of each others’ cultures, contributions to society, and aspirations early on so that, moving forward, future generations will know the truth and embody reconciliation themselves.

Where most needed

Donating to this category supplements book purchases to fill in gaps in the donations we receive. These funds also help cover our program and operating costs. Having this flexibility in spending allows us to best manage funds where they are most needed to help keep Twice Upon a Time operational for our young readers.