Mississauga.ca - Residents - Jerry Love Children's Fund

Administered by Mississauga Recreation & Parks, the Jerry Love fund raises thousands of dollars each year to help hundreds of children enjoy the benefits of participating in recreation programs.

The funds are raised through the support of individuals, city staff, local business, service clubs, community groups, and other funding bodies such as the Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund.

All donors to the fund share a belief in the value of recreation and in the need to ensure that no young person is deprived of it. These donors are the only source of revenue for the fund. The more they give, the more children the fund is able to assist.

Donors will be happy to know that 100% of their contributions, every dollar, goes towards program registrations, with the City covering all administration costs. Donations of $20.00 and up are also tax deducible and donors receive a receipt for income tax purposes.

Fund background
Kids To Jerry Love, Mississauga's former Director of Recreation, making recreation opportunities available to all of the community's children was literally a labour of love.

Before retiring in 1991, Jerry spent 35 years offering Mississauga's children the recreation programs that best met their physical and social needs. He also realized that many families, due to financial constraints, couldn't afford to enrol their children in municipally operated recreation programs.

Jerry was a major advocate behind a charitable fund that let children, despite their family finances, participate in the City's wide range of recreation programs. When Jerry retired, Mayor Hazel McCallion honoured his efforts by renaming the fund after him: the Jerry Love Children's Fund, a truly appropriate designation.

How to make a donation
Please make donations payable to City of Mississauga - Jerry Love Children's Fund, Recreation Division Customer Service Centre, 301 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Mississauga ON L5B 3Y3

NEW!!! Now you can make a secure online donation to the Jerry Love Children's Fund. Click on the button below to Donate.

How to apply
Only Children's recreation programs that are operated by the Recreation Division are eligible for subsidy. The subsidization program is restricted to residents of Mississauga 15 years of age and under. Subsidy does not apply to H3O, Semi Private or Private Lessons.

Eligible children may receive a subsidy for 1 course code per calendar year, or a 1 or 3 month Swim/Skate Pass. The maximum amount of subsidy for any program or session is $160. Since funds are limited, the agency or parent/guardian will be required to pay the difference for any program exceeding the $160 maximum. Subsidy does not include extra costs associated with program.

Applicants in receipt of the Jerry Love Children's Fund cannot receive benefits from the ActiveAssist fee assistance program in the same calendar year.

Procedure

The child's school social worker or a social worker from a Community Agency can assess the family situation, and if they qualify, will fill out a "Jerry Love Referral for Subsidy" form, which then must be attached to a completed Registration Application Form. The Referral form is to be completed by the Social Worker for the client. If an additional payment is to be made by the parent/guardian or agency, then it must be submitted with these forms, or placed on the Family Account at any Mississauga Community Centre; registrations will not be processed until additional payment is received.

All completed subsidized registration information is to be forwarded to Dana Clarke, Recreation Division Customer Service Centre, Ground Floor, Central Library building, 301 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Mississauga ON L5B 3Y3. Phone (905) 615-3200 extension 4274, FAX (905) 615-4101.

Program Registration

All referral documents and registration information must be submitted to the Recreation Division Customer Service Centre well in advance of the program start date to allow time to send the Registration Confirmation to the parent/guardian via Canada Post; we are unable to telephone families to confirm registration. Registrations are first come, first served, and you may check the status of a program at any time via Connect2Rec, which is a live database.

If funding is unavailable, or the registrations cannot be processed for any reason, the parent/guardian and/or Agency will be contacted by telephone.

Program Cancellation

If a child who has received subsidization is unable to attend a program for any reason, the agency or parent must cancel the registration with the Recreation Division Customer Service Centre at 905-615-4100; all withdrawal/transfer policies are applicable. By informing us at least one week in advance we can ensure that the funds are made available to another needy child. The customer's registration account will not be credited with the subsidy amount due to cancellation. Cancellation for program registrations that are over the $160 maximum will be charged the regular administration fee of $10 + HST.