NEWS
What's new at SPRINT?
NEW: Summary of SPRINT 2010-2011 strategic plan (pdf)
NEW: The House Calls team, based at SPRINT, was recently featured in the Toronto Star. Also, please click ROM for more information about the photo exhibit featuring Dr. Mark Nowaczynski's art work.
NEW - July client newsletter posted below
Client bills of rights - Pdf
Vision and Mission statement - pdf
Client newsletter (pdf): March 2010, May 2010, June 2010, July 2010
NEWSPRINT. A SPRINT newsletter for clients, donors and friends. Fall 2009; Spring 2010
Annual Report - 2009
About SPRINT (Senior Peoples’ Resources in North Toronto)
 SPRINT provides a basket of practical and low-cost community support services to help seniors living at home in North Toronto stay safe, connected and as independent as possible. We provide a range of home care services for seniors.
Our compassionate staff and volunteers help elderly seniors stay in their own homes and out of acute care, emergency rooms and nursing homes. Our staff are the frontline of Ontario’s health care system.
SPRINT is a collaborative community support services agency committed to working closely with like-minded partners to expand and diversify services for seniors through integration and resource sharing.
We rely on funding from the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network. (LHINs are agencies of the province of Ontario and work with local health providers and community members to determine the health service priorities of their regions. www.torontocentrallhin.on.ca). SPRINT also receives funding from other sources such as the City of Toronto, the United Way of Toronto, foundations and private donations.
>> Back to top
SPRINT early history
The Early Years of SPRINT
by Charlotte Maher (SPRINT History Committee)
 Perhaps everybody does not know that SPRINT is truly a grass roots organization. It did not just land in North Toronto as it is today. SPRINT began with Joe Brown and Les Davis who were both concerned about a lack of affordable housing for older people. With help from Paul Bedford, at the North Toronto Planning Office, they formed an organization called HINTS (Housing in North Toronto of Seniors). Along with POINT (People and Organizations in North Toronto) and City Councillor Anne Johnston, they advocated for affordable housing and produced a survey and report highlighting this as an important issue. Their hard work paid off and today we can attribute most, if not all, the subsidized seniors’ housing in North Toronto to their efforts.
 The HINTS report also identified supportive housing services as an important need. With this in mind, POINT, with the help of many volunteers, established SPRINT in 1981. Its mission was to provide home support services to allow people to stay at home and remain active. Initially, there was a reporting structure between POINT, HINTS and SPRINT. Micki Bregman, who was hired by POINT to work on related initiatives, quickly became the first Executive Director of SPRINT, with Sally Perkins as the first Board Chair.
Everything happened quickly and in 1983 SPRINT became incorporated. The office was at St. Clement’s Church and then it moved to St. George’s Church. There were only four paid staff, including the Executive Director, and most of the work was done by volunteers. The first services were information and referral, counseling, friendly visiting, security check and transportation. Two new positions were added in 1984 and this allowed for counseling and case management services to expand.
 In 1985, SPRINT moved to a more permanent home at 641 Eglinton Ave. W. The building was the old Forest Hill Village Police Department and there were jail cells in the basement (which were used to store walkers and other assistive devices for clients). At this time, the budget was $127,103 and there were 174 clients.
Are you wondering how SPRINT got from the old jail to 140 Merton Street? What happened in the next 20 years as SPRINT grew to an organization with 170 employees, 370 volunteers, a $7,000,000 budget and 4,000 clients? The SPRINT History Committee of Charlotte Maher, Freda Finley, Sally Perkins and Joan Osler (all SPRINT founders) is working on producing a small publication with all the interesting details. Stay tuned!
Why not help SPRINT continue to thrive into the future? You can make a donation online today!
>> Back to top |
