Tim Hortons Foundation Camp (Tims Camps) has committed $5 million to a five-year partnership with Justice Fund Toronto, focused on supporting underserved youth.
The partnership, kicking off this fall, will enable the two not-for-profit organizations to combine resources to provide programming opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and youth of colour from under-resourced communities in Toronto.
Tims Camps is focused on youth development programming with six campuses across Canada, built and funded by Tim Hortons owners since 1974. The Justice Fund was founded by Noah “40” Shebib, Yonis Hassan, and Jermyn Creed to “break the cycle of conflict in underserved communities by providing youth with opportunities to thrive.”
The investment will provide customized youth programming at two of its campus sites: Tim Horton Onondaga Farms Camp in St. George, Ont., and the Tim Horton Memorial Camp in Parry Sound, Ont. In addition, Tims Camps will provide its first-ever off-campus programming via after-school sessions at a new downtown facility to be opened by the Justice Fund. The Justice Fund will identify the youth, community organizations, and community chaperones to be included in the Tims Camps programming.
Numerous studies have shown that racialized youth in Toronto are disproportionately impacted by poverty. While many youths benefit from many opportunities to grow and develop, many Black, Indigenous, and youth of colour are limited by their access to the health, academic, and social resources necessary to thrive.
“We’re honored our initial pilot program with Tims Camps has grown into a remarkable long-term partnership, with a bold $5 million commitment to provide accessible outdoor programming to BIPOC youth across the GTA. Our city is blessed to have leading non-profits such as Project FU, Artcity, and Kickback Project—and it’s been a privilege to collaborate with these organizations through the partnership of Tims Camps, Justice Fund, and 40 Foundation,” says Shebib, co-founder of Justice Fund, and a long-time collaborator with Canadian hip hop superstar Drake.
“This is the first time we have entered into a major partnership to focus on helping a specific community in need–Black, Indigenous, and youth of colour from underserved communities across Toronto … The special programming we have developed alongside the Justice Fund will allow us to help these youth in need both downtown in Toronto and expose them to our exceptional facilities and camp experience in St. George and Parry Sound. The combination of downtown and at-camp programming will be a powerful experience that we believe will change a lot of lives and help break the cycles of poverty and violence that we see in these communities,” said Duncan Fulton, chief corporate officer of Tim Hortons and Chairman of Tims Camps.
This long-term partnership follows a 10-week pilot program from both organizations, developed in fall of 2021 delivering at-camp and in-community programming to Toronto’s historically underserved communities. Organizers say the program aims “to foster positive connections, encourage civic engagement, and build meaningful skill development”.
“Justice Fund has created something truly special that puts youth and their communities first, working with Tims Camps, a brand known across Canada for decades of supporting youth in need through exceptional programming and experiences,” said Hassan, co-founder and CEO of Justice Fund. “Based on what we’ve seen from the pilot last fall, we know this program helps open up new ways of thinking and inspires them to make a difference in Toronto’s underserved communities.”
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