The Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) is celebrating the success of its 3rd annual Say Yes! to Kids (SYTK) campaign, with 17 fundraising teams in 8 dioceses having raised more than $80,000.
“Two thirds of the Say Yes! to Kids teams reached or surpassed their goals,” says Michelle Hauser, development and communications officer for AFC, “and the remaining third achieved between 50% and 80% of their targets.“ Hauser says each team received a $1,000 AFC Angel Donor match thanks to this year’s $25,000 matching sponsor. “And many others benefited from the growing friends of the SYTK community which includes diocesan ACWs and the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Ontario and Rupert’s Land, whose gifts were shared among the teams campaigning in their regions.”
Of the 17 teams in this year’s campaign, more than half were returning participants, like St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church (SMMAC) in Napanee. “Like many Anglican churches across Canada, SMMAC relies heavily on fundraisers for our core youth program,” says Anne Alkenbrack, Chair of the Children, Youth & Family Ministry Committee. “This was our 2nd Say Yes! to Kids campaign. We raised $5,000, an increase from last year’s campaign, and thanks to Say Yes! to Kids we can fund both our annual youth retreat and launch The Ben Rose Memorial Scholarship.”
The scholarship award was established this year in support of local High School students who are pursuing post-secondary studies in music. “There were three applicants,” says Chris Yeomans, churchwarden, and SMMAC Grants Committee chair. In the end, Yeomans says, the Committee voted unanimously to award a scholarship of $1,000 to each applicant.
Yeomans explains all three applicants were involved as student mentors in the Harmony Lounge and Music Club, which is a community program of SMMAC that provides free music lessons and an after-school drop-in program to area youth between the ages of 12 and 16. “Our student mentors were so incredibly helpful in launching the church’s music outreach program last year—we could not have done it without them.”
The scholarship was named in memory of Benjamin (Ben) Rose, a former organist and music director, who was known to many as the ‘Piano Man’ for his dedication to sharing his love of music. “We are grateful to all the parishioners and many other people in our community who gave so generously to this year’s Say Yes! to Kids (SYTK) campaign so that we could raise the funds that enabled us to establish this scholarship,” says Yeomans. “It gave Ben great joy to help nurture the musical talent of young people and he would be so pleased to know his music teaching legacy continues through this scholarship.”
Elsewhere in Canada, music was also a theme for other SYTK fundraising teams as well. The Diocese of Edmonton, which had the top fundraising team in the country, raised just over $10,000 for their Diocesan Children’s Choir. “Established in 2021, with the help of Say Yes! to Kids, this choir is thriving and singing at worship services and liturgical events across our diocese,” says the Ven. Susan Oliver, Archdeacon for Children, Youth, and Family Ministry. “In addition to the musical and choral knowledge, we often hear from parents that our choristers experience improved self-confidence and an overall sense of well-being and belonging. It is important, for many reasons, that we make this choir a sustainable part of our worship life in the Diocese of Edmonton.”
Since it was launched in 2021 SYTK has provided over $710,000 to more than 100 unique beneficiaries and fundraising partners in support of youth-focused ministry and outreach from coast to coast to coast. If you would like more information on becoming a Say Yes! to Kids sponsor or partner for the 2024 campaign, please contact Michelle Hauser at [email protected].
Stewardship Reflections with the Ven. Wayne Varley