TK! Gives Back to the Community – December 2025
- targetkidsstudy
- Jan 20
- 3 min read
During the holiday season, the TARGet Kids! Team came together to give back to our community by collecting donations and delivering them to three Toronto-based organizations. This initiative gave us the opportunity to not only support important local work, but also to connect directly with the people and places making a difference.
The Abiona Centre supports pregnant and parenting adolescents and young families by focusing on early childhood and infant mental health. During our visit, we learned about the vital resources they provide – from parenting education to housing and life-skills support. We are proud to have contributed to a Centre that is helping young families build strong, healthy foundations for the future.
Taking Kids Out of Poverty (TKOP) empowers children and youth from low-income communities through sports, mentorship, and education, using soccer as a powerful tool for engagement and growth. Seeing their work reinforced how important accessible community programs are in creating opportunities and inspiring confidence among young people.
The Robertson House provides emergency shelter and support for women and their children. It offers a safe, welcoming environment alongside essential services such as counselling, crisis support, and housing assistance. We were honored to support a space that provides stability and care for families during some of their most challenging moments. We were especially touched to receive a thank you letter from their team, reminding us how much collective generosity can mean to the communities they serve.
Some of our Research Assistants visited each Centre to deliver the donations. In this blog post, we hear from two of them who reflect on their experience participating in the annual TK! Give Back initiative.
Thank you to TARGet Kids! for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this great initiative. I would also like to thank everyone for their generous donations.
The TK! Give Back experience was truly meaningful for me. This was my first time participating in a donation collection and distribution in Canada, and I really enjoyed being part of it. It was a new and valuable experience for me, especially seeing how much care and effort goes into supporting families during the holiday season.
When we went to the centers to distribute the donated items, the staff there were very happy to receive them. Their smiles and appreciation meant a lot to me. Seeing their positive reactions gave me a deep sense of self-satisfaction and reminded me how rewarding it is to work with and support society.
Being a part of this initiative made me feel connected to the community and proud to contribute in a small but important way. Overall, it was a positive and rewarding experience, and I truly appreciated the opportunity to be involved and to learn from it.
Durdana Akhter
Clinical Research Project Assistant
Participating in the TK! Give Back activity during the holidays was a truly meaningful experience for me. What I enjoyed most was working together as a team toward a shared purpose. Seeing everyone come together to support organizations such as the Abiona Centre, Taking Kids Out of Poverty, and Robertson House highlighted the power of collaboration and collective care.
This experience also reminded me of how fortunate we are. Having a job, a safe home, and people who care about us are blessings we often take for granted. Being part of this initiative encouraged me to reflect on those blessings and recognize the importance of extending support to others who may not have the same opportunities or resources.
Sharing with others and contributing to the well-being of children and families brought a deep sense of fulfillment. TK! Give Back reinforced the idea that giving is not only impactful for those receiving support, but also incredibly rewarding for those involved. I am grateful to be part of a team and organization that values compassion, teamwork, and community engagement.
Eveling Olivarez
Clinical Research Project Assistant
The TK! Give Back initiative is a meaningful reminder of the power of coming together to support our community. We’re grateful to the Abiona Center, TKOP, and the Robertson House for the work they do, and to our team who made this effort possible. This experience has inspired us to continue finding ways to give back – during the holidays and throughout the year.
Read the Thank You Letter from the Robertson House:
