Once a week, a lively group of people gather in a kitchen in North York as part of a breakfast club. They come together to learn, chat and connect. However, the people in this group can’t hear the bacon sizzling or see the full pot of coffee waiting for them. This group is deafblind. Not only Deaf. Not only blind. But rather, a varying combination of both. They each have specialized communication needs and use intervenors to allow them to access their world and leave the barriers they face daily at the door.

This is a special place that means so much to this population. This is The Canadian Helen Keller Centre and here, individuals who are deafblind come to learn new skills in an accessible setting that meets their specialized needs. They connect with each other and with their community. They receive vital services, have access to affordable housing and take part in life-changing programs, all with intervenors who provide access to information that would otherwise leave them isolated.

It is at this time every year we begin to reach out to our community for your support in one of our major fundraising events, "Tombola" at the 40th Annual Great Valentine Gala, hosted by the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons (CFPDP). Tombola is highly anticipated at each year’s Gala. Volunteers sell balloons which contain a hidden number corresponding to a prize with a retail value of at least $50. These prizes are the donations we receive from our generous donors and proceeds from the sale of balloons goes to support Canadians who are deafblind through the provision of services, programs and events. Prizes can be gift certificates for products or services, corporate/promotional items, retail stock and/or monetary contributions.

A Tombola catalogue listing all of the prizes and the donors’ information will be distributed to the approximate 1,000 attendees at the Gala. Your name will also appear in our Annual Report. Upon request, a charitable tax receipt for the retail value of donations will be issued.

This year’s Gala will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at the Fairmount Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Ontario. We welcome you to attend this year’s 40th Annual Great Valentine Gala! This year’s entertainment will be Rick Mercer and we promise a wonderful evening for all. Individual tickets, as well as corporate tables, are available. Please contact CFPDP for more information at 416-760-7351.

Sincerely,

Clarissa Gregorio

Tombola Donation Coordinator

For more information or to arrange pick-up of your contribution, please contact Canadian Helen Keller Centre at 416-730-9501 or officeadmin@chkc.org before January 19, 2024