Donate to Dovercourt, a registered charity.
Your donations help us deliver inclusion programs, financial assistance and last-minute club. You can also donate in memory of past staff, Lorne Tosh and Jonas Mitchell.
Ways to donate:
The best way to make a donation is through the Canada Helps form at the bottom of this page. You will receive a tax receipt.
If you prefer to send us a donation by cheque in the mail, please ensure that you include your full name, address and email so that we may email you a tax receipt.
Dovercourt Recreation Association
411 Dovercourt Ave, Ottawa ON K2A 0S9
Please do NOT make donations to the Kichi Sibi Winter Trail here. The Trail is now a registered charity/ not for profit, independent of Dovercourt. Visit www.wintertrail.ca to make your donation.
Dovercourt’s inclusion and accessibility programs
As a registered charity, Dovercourt Recreation Association is committed to making sure that all of its programs and services are accessible to everyone in our community. While we rely mostly on our success as a social enterprise to support our charitable programs, donations are very welcome.
We help ensure that all ages and abilities can access our programs through the following initiatives:
- Financial assistance: If affordability is a problem, complete our simple financial assistance form and DRA will provide a subsidy of up to 75% of the program cost to qualified applicants.
- Targeted programs: Sometimes the best way to reach people with challenges is to offer a program to suit their needs, this includes rehabilitation fitness programs, free disabled swims, our WAVE program for adults with intellectual disabilities, subsidized programs for youth and seniors and more.
- Accessibility and inclusion: We work with parents and individuals to include people with disabilities in all of our programs. Sometimes that requires assistance with transportation, one on one supervision, a special device, or training for staff.
Stay tuned for… “Starts with Soup”, a soup bar coming soon to Dovercourt!
Dovercourt Recreation Association is thrilled to share some exciting news! We have been awarded a Grow Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, totaling $366,300 over the next three years. This incredible support will allow us to take the WAVE program’s Bodacious Bone Broth business to the next level — transforming it into a vibrant new Soup Bar right here in Dovercourt‘s kitchen.
Through this expansion, we will create even more hands-on training opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities, helping them build valuable job skills, gain confidence, and actively contribute to their community. The soup bar will not only be a place to enjoy delicious, healthy soups, but also a hub of inclusion, empowerment, and community connection.
The W.A.V.E. management team is thrilled to be working with the Centre for Social Enterprise Development (CSED) to bring this exciting social enterprise business plan to life!
We are deeply grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for recognizing the value of our work and investing in a future where every individual has the chance to learn, grow, and thrive. Follow along as we build and grow our business — one bowl of soup at a time!
You can make a donation to our new enterprise below, in the CanadaHelps donation form.
Make a donation in honour of former Dovercourt staff
Remembering Lorne Tosh
Lorne Tosh was a longtime member of our Dovercourt community, and one of the friendliest, most cheerful people you will every meet. Over the years he played many roles at Dovercourt, including a member of our Board of Directors, a customer service staff, and an avid user of the Fitness Centre/ weight room. His talented daughter, Tara, is responsible for several large murals at Dovercourt including the Koi fish on the ceiling of the upstairs entrance, and the Canadian wildlife appearing on our downstairs changeroom doors and the walls that lead to the pool.
We were saddened to hear of his passing in September 2020. We extend our sympathies to Lorne’s family, as his loss is deeply felt. Read more about Lorne in this tribute:
https://www.tubmanfuneralhomes.com/obituary/Lorne-Tosh
On the Tubman webpage for Lorne, it stated:
A celebration of Lorne’s life will take place when pandemic restrictions allow such gatherings. For those wishing, a donation made in Lorne’s memory to the Education Foundation of Ottawa or to the Dovercourt Recreation Association in Ottawa would be greatly appreciated.”
If you would like to donate to Dovercourt in Lorne’s name, you can do so by calling 613-798-8950 or using the Canada Helps form on this page”
Remembering Jonas Mitchell
This is our great friend and former staff, Jonas Mitchell. Jonas was a very enthusiastic, fun, caring and compassionate leader in our camp program for several years, and was an inspiration for a generation of campers, many of whom went on to become staff themselves, including Nicola, the little girl he is holding in this picture. Jonas was tragically killed as he was riding his bike to work in Toronto in 2018 by a driver who ran a red light. If you were a friend, camper or co-worker of Jonas, his parents have asked us to start a fund in his memory that will help children who need help to manage the cost of camps. You can donate online on our campaign page on Canada Helps or in person at Dovercourt. And please, take care and watch out for bicyclists.
Dovercourt’s Community events and resource sharing
Dovercourt works with a number of community partners and sponsors to provide resources and events that help our community. These have included various revents with Westboro Village (e.g. Wickedly Westboro), the annual Garage Sale with Westboro Community Association, The McKellar Fall Harvest Fair with the McKellar Park Community Association, and our wading pool’s special events. All of these are free events, so your donation can help support these community-building events.
To discuss sponsorship opportunities
Please contact Executive Director, Sureen Gosal at 613-798-8950 ext. 224 or sureen@dovercourt.org
Please do NOT make donations to the Kichi Sibi Winter Trail here. The Trail is now its own registered charity/ not for profit, independent of Dovercourt. Visit www.wintertrail.ca to make your donation.
