482 Collective - Blog

The Showroom | Athleta Yorkdale

6/11/2023

In June we held our very first in-person event at Athleta, Yorkdale. Guests enjoyed a privé shopping experience with an exclusive in-store discount, indulged in Kiehl's mini facials, tasted delightful eats, contributed to our Power-to-Choose raffle, and took home gift bags filled with luxury items. We heard from compelling guest speakers who shared personal insights and statistics that moved many of us to tears. Together, we are supporting, empowering, and changing the lives of women and girls who have fled intimate partner violence and human trafficking. This is just the first of many thoughtful events we have planned for our collective! Thank you to our Athleta event committee and everyone who helped make this a memorable and inspiring experience.

Award of Excellence

5/19/2023

Last night we won the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Award for Excellence Non-profit/Charity! What an absolute honour to have Rosemary Naccarato from Bell Canada call our name and share this incredible moment with us up on stage. And the extra hug from Elvira Caria was the icing on the cake. Huge congratulations to our fellow nominees, Yellowbrick House, YMCA GTA, Hospice Vaughan, and Earth Rangers – we are all doing important community work and we can accomplish even more together! This award belongs to everyone who is part of our collective—our clients, volunteers, directors—thank you for believing in us and the power of community and connection.

Infinite: a bespoke giving experience

12/31/2022

There are infinite ways to make a difference when we work together as a collective. Special thanks to Adonis Partners, the Sinha Family, Marsh Canada, Bell Canada, RX Music, 8Twelve Mortgage, FOCUS Toronto, Harvey Kalles Real Estate and to everyone who contributed to our online fundraising campaign during the 2022 Giving Season.

Kindness Day

10/11/2022

Thank you to all the families who participated in this fun-filled family volunteering experience, hosted by Ilana Mazur and Justine Grossman in support of the 482 Collective. With entertainment, creative activities, a DJ, and snacks, it was a wonderful chance for families to get together and give back to the community. Thank you to all the children who donated essential items including: peanut butter, Nutella, Cheerios, pasta & sauce, shampoo & conditioner, and gift cards!

Rest Assured

7/31/2022

Insurdinary's Rest Assured initiative raised funds to provide peace of mind and a good night's sleep to women and children who have fled human trafficking and gender-based violence. Congratulations to Insurdinary for raising enough funds to purchase two beds.

The Power of Volunteering

6/30/2022

Facing your fears is EVERYTHING. We recently participated in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Symposium at Richmond Hill High School. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with teens and offer them insight into the unique experience of volunteering. Maureen shared stories from her own childhood growing up in Richmond Hill and the volunteer experiences that changed her life and led her to create the 482 Collective.

Thank you to all the students and educators who attended our workshop sessions throughout the day; to the organizers for providing us with this incredible opportunity to share the Power of Volunteering with so many young people; and to Maureen for pushing herself waaaaay outside of her comfort zone to motivate students in grades 9-12. Part of her role as the leader of our organization is to inspire meaningful action through volunteering, and to showcase volunteering as a way for young people to explore their passion, purpose and potential.

Hello Sunshine | Clothing Drive

4/30/2022

With a little inspiration from the changing weather, we ran an overwhelmingly successful spring clothing drive in support of Abuse Hurts. All donated items went directly to support abused women and children in Ontario through Abuse Hurt’s flagship space in Newmarket, as well as their new pop-up space in Aurora. Spring cleaning never felt so good!

SPACE x 482 Collective x The Harlowe

12/31/2021

Space On King–a contemporary event venue on King St. East - ran a holiday toy drive in collaboration with The Harlowe. All toys collected were delivered to the 482 Collective. We then matched the donated toys to families in need and personally delivered them throughout the GTA! Win-win-win!

100 Coats for First Nations Communities

11/30/2021

We partnered with Abuse Hurts to collect 100 coats for First Nations communities. We delivered well over 100 warm winter coats to agencies such as Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child and Family Services (pronounced: Nog-dah-wen-mawg / Bin-ooh-zhee-yug) – a multi-service Indigenous child well-being agency that provides a wholistic, inclusive, and nonjudgmental circle of care; and Biindigen Healing and Art – an Indigenous-led cultural hub providing healing opportunities for Indigenous families.

Thank you to everyone who donated and helped us surpass our goal. The demand for warmth is always high and we appreciated all donations of new and used winter coats for adults and children in support of these and other local organizations.

Back on Track | Backpack Initiative

8/31/2021

We collaborated with Amazing Fundraising in support of York Regional Police, CAYR, Toronto Police (51 Division) and Victim Services of York Region to give backpacks filled with school supplies to students in need. We reached our goal of 150 backpacks a full week earlier than planned! Thank you to every single donor who participated, donated, shopped, and spread the word; and thank you to all the volunteers who collected, shopped, sorted, packed and delivered the backpacks – each one filled with a complete collection of brand-name, high quality school supplies to get students BACK ON TRACK.