On the Danforth Online

Danforth Avenue’s FRESH Floral Creations

By Sarah Blagdon

Nothing is better than escaping winter by dashing into the doors of a local florist, with its warm temperatures and surrounding reminders of spring. Case in point: walking into Danforth Avenue’s FRESH Floral Creations, it’s hard not to be amazed by the modern and sophisticated collection of flower accessories, and more importantly, by the glassed in green house that encamps half of the store.

Don’t let their small store front, (at 333 Danforth Avenue, between Chester and Broadview) fool you. There are many unique arrangements and gifts available for every season and occasion.  My personal favourite, their FRESH at home collection, sure to make you the envy of all your friends.

Regardless of time of year, FRESH provides its patrons with an ideal way to improve their lives in a small yet effective manner. In addition to the health benefits of keeping flowers in the home, they decrease stress and encouraging feelings of well being,  they also provide visual appeal to the landscape of our homes and offices, as well as an appealing aroma.

FRESH is a magical place on the Danforth, providing neighbourhood residents, and visitors to the area, with a chance to explore and relish the world of flowers. Be sure to look in their storefront window next time you pass by for their next awe inspiring display.

The War of the Roses:

Ever wonder the meaning behind the colour of the roses that you send?

Red: Symbolize love, passion and romantic relationships. (Best for lovers)

Pink: Say “Thank you,” or “I’m thinking of you”. (Perfect for just about anyone)

White: Symbolize purity and true love. (Perfect for a fiancé or a spouse)

Yellow: Symbolize friendship. (Perfect for anyone: co-worker, friend, or parent)

Orange: Symbolize excitement or something new. (Great for a friend embarking on a new path in life)

The Riverdale Share Community Association defines what a community is.

By Kristen Gentleman

For eighteen years, the Riverdale Share Community Association has dedicated itself to bettering its Danforth-Riverdale community.  Every December, it hosts the Riverdale Share Concert to raise money for people-in-need within the community, now a much loved start to the neighbourhood’s holiday celebrations. 

Susan Baker, producer and co-artistic director at the Association (RSCA), says she hopes to expand it into a full-time community association, but is finding it difficult to find the manpower and time to do so.  

“There are people who have and those who have not,” Baker says, “and I think there is an important role that we can play in connecting those two sides.”

THEIR HISTORY

The Share Concert was created in 1991 by Maggie Callandine and Bill Usher in partnership with the Danforth BIA (Business Improvement Areas), to showcase local talent and bring the community together.   The first concert was such a success that even after the bills were paid there was money leftover.  Knowing of individuals-in-need, they split the profit between them.

Today, under Baker’s leadership, the basis behind the Share Concert and the RSCA remains the same: to help those less fortunate in the community.  Now the RSCA only funds programs that help the community.   They fund about seven organizations a year.  Past recipients include Broadview Community Youth Group, Dundas School Spontaneous Art Program (for more information, contact Joel Segal, 416-393-9565) and the South Riverdale Child-Parent Centre.

            This spring marks the third annual Bebop-a-looza, an event Baker created to thank sponsors and to publicly hand out the grants raised from the concert.

THEIR FUTURE

Organizing these two events has become a full-time job for Baker, who also works part-time at RE/MAX.  Baker wants to expand the RSCA, but that would require funding from the city that, being completely volunteer-driven, she doesn’t have the time or support to apply right now.   The RSCA only has 22 regular volunteers. 

Baker has already started other small community initiatives, including collecting old computers and donating them to grant recipients and students.  She says she hopes to continue exploring these other avenues of community involvement and actually making the RSCA her full time job. 

Until then she is busily preparing for this springs event and already looking forward to her next Share Concert. Visit this link to purchase tickets for the Bebop-a-looza and click here to find out when the next Riverdale Share Concert is happening.

Check out these other great articles:

Lions, Bears, and Guinea Pig Tails: My grandmother remembers the Danforth of her childhood.

http://www.onthedanforth.ca/2009/03/19/lions-bears-and-guinea-pig-tails/

Keeping it Wheel: Life in the bike lane.

http://www.onthedanforth.ca/2009/06/29/keeping-it-wheel-life-in-the-bike-lane/

This is a blog you should be reading…if you haven’t already.

By Madelaine Paterson

Natasha Granatstein of the Danforth-based blog, DECA Diaries, shares Danforth’s history and purpose, shedding light on why this medium is so crucial for connecting with the community.

Why Blog?

The motivation to create a blog was all about reinvention. As the chairperson of the Danforth East Community Association (DECA), Natasha sent out e-newsletters updating community members on what was going on with DECA and the Danforth at large.  It was a tedious process so she introduced a blog instead. DECA Diaries is now a one-stop location for people to access the association’s happenings in a more versatile medium.

History of DECA

DECA was created in Spring 2007. One of its primary functions is aiding in local business revitalization through consulting and marketing. Their blog’s current outpost, the DECA Diaries, has been around for over a year. The initial reception was met with some discomfort, like any new technology. Only now does Natasha realize how the blogs growth has “taken off with the development of the Danforth.” The blog now has over 300 subscribers plus many daily readers just passing through.

What’s it About?

Natasha sees the blog as a tool of connecting and engaging with the existing community. Much of DECA Diaries content is association-based, but general community information is also posted. She feels that, “sharing information about the neighbourhood is powerful.” Natasha is the only person who controls the blog as writer and creator, however, members can email in with news, events, and content suggestions. One issue the blog keeps citizens informed about is safety and crime. The association has a safety team involved in the well-being of the neighbourhood. The blog is becoming a pillar of the organization in promoting these community functions.

Have Your Say

DECA Diaries is on the right track to maintaining its community connection. One key feature is the ability to comment on posts. Many blogs have now taken away the option of commenting due to its sometimes volatile nature. When it comes to comment moderating, Natasha does it herself. All comments are reviewed before approval. “There have been no issues with conversations. [There has] been disagreements, but that’s OK” she says, “it encourages further dialogue.”

Check out DECA’s website and blog to stay up-to-date with what’s happening on the Danforth.

Poverty is an issue all around the world, but at Centennial College, students are making the community a priority.

By Tracy Martin

             In 2006, 2,100 families in the Danforth area, spanning O’Connor, Broadview, and Coxwell, were living in poverty.  This spurred a number of events including Countdown for Change, a poverty awareness event held at Centennial College, and 1.4 Billion Reasons, a presentation conducted by the founder of The Global Poverty Project.  After these events, Centennial College administrator Kathy Mahoney wondered if there was something to be done by students to fight poverty.  She passed on her idea to Tilt, a student-run communications agency at Centennial.

            800 Acts of Caring was born and is hoping that all 800 students of Centennial College will donate pieces of poverty-related work – journalism, art, and photography – to members of Tilt or the Advertising Student Society (ASS). These works will be displayed in front of the cafeteria at Centennial. The expectation is that these works will create a dialogue within the community so that solutions to poverty can be discussed openly. ASS also holds small events, such as movie nights, in which entrance admittance requires two non-perishable food items that are then donated to the Daily Bread Foundation.

            Matthew Bressan, a Centennial student helping with 800 Acts of Caring, explained: “It is our goal to gain attention to remind people there is still a battle to be won. As a generation poised for changing the world, this is an issue that we can tackle.” With the help of campaigns like 800 Acts of Caring, people around the city and the Danforth area can spread awareness and start making a difference.

To learn more about this initiative or become a part of the caring community, visit there website here.

Check out these 3 Acts of Caring commercials:

800 Acts of Caring Video 1

800 Acts of Caring Video 2

800 Acts of Caring Video 3

The Massey Centre for Women gives young mothers in need a second chance.

By Shaundra Selvaggi

The Massey Centre sits neatly tucked into the corner of a no-exit street along Broadview Avenue in East York.  It is made up of two buildings: one, an antique split-level home turned main office and the other, a large brick building with glass doors and a keypad requiring a code for entry.  They are a fitting combination of the centre’s historic roots and modern-day innovations.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the Fred Victor Mission, an outreach operation of the Methodist Church for troubled and homeless young men in Toronto, recognized the need for a safe place for unwed mothers with no where to turn.   The program was ahead of its time.

Today, Massey Centre is an award-winning institution with programs unlike any other in the nation. “We are the only [women’s centre] of its kind in Canada that has a post-natal program with residence where [women] can stay after they have their babies,” says Intake Social Worker Lorey Younger, who has been with the centre for 23 years.

The centre has a variety of resources available to women before, during, and after birth.  The pre-natal residential program provides expectant mothers with lodging, primary health care, around-the-clock counselling, and training for future employment.  The centre has a secondary school operated by the Toronto District School Board on-site for those interested in obtaining a high school diploma.

After birth, mothers live in apartments at the centre and attend programs designed to equip them with life skills and emotional and financial stability for life on the outside.

It is important to note that the Massey Centre’s programs aren’t just for those in need of shelter.  The centre is also the flagship location for the Toronto-Danforth Early Years Centre.  These Early Years Centres provide free programs and services for parents in the local community with children 0-6 years of age and are facilitated by experts in early childhood development.  It’s not unusual to see at least one dozen strollers parked outside the building’s entrance on weekday mornings.

For those who are interested in giving their time and support to the amazing people at the centre, there are many available opportunities.  The centre gladly accepts donations of new or gently used items for moms and babies at the centre and volunteers are always needed.

Revitalizing the community with an art walk

By Katie McHale

WHAT IS IT?

Art of the Danforth is an art walk planned for April 23-May 2. One objective of the event is to “pretty up the community” by displaying art around the neighbourhoods of the Danforth, including Danforth Avenue between Greenwood and Woodbine, and Jones and Main. Another goal is to get different members of the community involved in the event. Existing work might be displayed, along with approved ideas for work created specifically for Art of the Danforth. The art might be displayed in empty storefront windows, on walls of existing stores, in parkettes, or in existing art studios in the neighbourhood. As it is a pilot project, organizer Cindy Rozeboom says those involved in the event are open to any and all ideas.

“It’s a lot of work,” she says about organizing the event. “There’s a lot of momentum. It just feels really overripe. The community is really ready for it.”

WHY THE DANFORTH?

            Rozeboom, a fundraiser/resource developer who loves community art, first thought of the idea after she’d moved into the Danforth area. “I realized once I started talking to people that I wasn’t the only person who’d come up with this idea. I think I just put a voice to it.”

            “There’s an incredible number of artists in this neighbourhood,” Rozeboom continues. “Everyone we’ve talked to about this project says, ‘Wow! We don’t know why this hasn’t happened yet in this neighbourhood.’”

WHO IS INVOLVED?

            Along with the volunteers, nine partnerships were formed with local community associations, groups, and businesses, each contributing something different.  The Danforth East Community Association  is helping promote the project through its communications network, and is working with the organizers to help secure funding.

            “We hope Art of the Danforth will encourage people from across the city to take a walk through our neighbourhood and discover that [it] is filled with artists, amazing community spirit, and some fabulous restaurants and shops,” Natasha Granatstein, chair of DECA, explains.

            Check out the latest issue of On the Danforth for more.

A guide on where to eat, shop and hang out while visiting Greektown!

By Andrea Del Medico

1. Caffé Demetre

Caffé Demetre offers one of the largest homemade ice cream selections in Toronto. If you have a sweet tooth, this is the place to be! It offers an extensive assortment of sundaes, waffles, cakes, pies, crepes, and specialty coffees. Treat yourself to an iced espresso loaded with ice cream, drizzled with mocha sauce, and topped with whipped cream.

(400 Danforth Avenue / 416-778-6654)

2. Treasure Island Toys

This independent toy store sells everything a kid’s heart could desire! Visit Thomas the Tank Engine, check out the giant pirate ship, or build a Lego city–this is definitely kid’s paradise!

(581 Danforth Avenue / 416-778-4913)

3. It’s My Party

It’s my Party is filled with every trinket and decoration you could want when throwing a party. They’ve got authentic-looking rats, a section devoted to filling birthday loot bags, and a must see Halloween costume section. This party store will suite your every occasion!

(423 Danforth Avenue / 416-469-2223)

4. Taste the 4^th Sense

Featured in The Toronto Star, Taste the 4^th Sense has the largest selection of hot sauces in the city. It also houses oils, vinegars, and zests from all over the world.  Not sure if you’ll like it? Every bottle is available in sample size and they normally have samples available at the cash desk.

(375 Danforth Avenue / 416-649-0024)

5. The Big Carrot

Filled with a wide variety of organic fruits, vegetables, breads, ready-made soups, salads, and hot meals. The Big Carrot also offers free weekly lectures and cooking classes about health, nutrition, and the environment.

(348 Danforth Avenue / 416-466-2129)

6. Re: Reading

Won NOW Magazines 2009 Award for BEST BOOKSTORE. Re: Reading offers CDs, comic books, and over 15,000 book titles including fiction, non-fiction, coffee table books, and many others.

(548 Danforth Avenue  / 647-347-8733)

7. Athena Bakery

Athena Bakery offers a wide range of Greek pastries, cookies, tarts and cakes. They also supply products imported directly from Greece, such as coffees and spreads. Heather Griffin of East York claims, “Don’t leave the Danforth without trying the chocolate covered baklava!”

(598 Danforth Avenue / 416-462-1411)

10 Tips for making Spring Cleaning Green & Fun

By Jennifer Moore

1.  Out with the old. Most cosmetic products have a shelf life of less than a year. Can’t remember when you bought it? There’s a good chance it should be tossed.

2.  Make it fun. Put on some upbeat music and enjoy yourself!

3.  Go Floral. Spring is all about fresh growth. Add some hanging plants or fresh-cut flowers to your space.

Photograph by Sanja Gjenero

4.  Lighten up. As award-winning decorator Nate Berkus suggests, “put winter wools and heavy blankets in the linen closet and replace them with crisp white sheets and a lightweight duvet in your favorite color.” This is sure to make your entire mindset lighter and brighter.

5.  Rally the troops. Spring cleaning can be a daunting task when you go it alone. Recruit the family for big tasks or divide and conquer.

6.  Clean green. Use eco-friendly cleaning products or make your own. Check out “Green Baggin’ it,” for a list of green products in your neighbourhood.

7.  Reuse. Throwing away the old stuff doesn’t mean breaking your budget buying new stuff. Find new uses for things you already have around the house.

Photograph by Sanja Gjenero

8.  One step at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed by how much you have to do. Instead, break it down into manageable tasks day by day.

9.  It’s a workout. Cleaning can sometimes feel like a triathlon and the same rules apply.

• Stretch. It’ll increase your energy level and ensure you don’t strain yourself.
• Keep hydrated. This is a great time to get those 8-10 glasses a day.

10.  Take time for yourself. Plan something in the evening you can look forward to. It’ll help budget your time and feel rewarding after your hard work.