Villa Charities 2018 Annual Report VC19_AnnualReport_Interiors_Apr29_FNL2 | Page 10

about
villa charities
Villa Charities Inc. (VCI), established in
1971 as the Italian-Canadian Benevolent
Corporation (ICBC), is a registered
charity that cultivates, promotes,
supports and celebrates our culture
as Italian-Canadians. • Villa Colombo Toronto, a provider of
culturally sensitive long-term care and
community support services to seniors;
VCI fulfills this mandate through a broad
range of activities, programs and
facilities, both directly and in conjunction
with its affiliates and independent Italian
organizations. • The Columbus Events Centre, which
hosts and caters weddings, family
events, meetings and corporate
functions;
Affiliates of VCI include Columbus
Centre/Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery,
Villa Colombo Homes for the Aged Inc.
(Villa Colombo Toronto), Villa Colombo
Seniors Centre (Vaughan) Inc. Di Poce
Centre (Villa Colombo Vaughan) and
Villa Charities Foundation. Each of these
organizations is an integral part of the
Villa Charities family with separate legal
status and its own governance Board.
Key community assets owned and
operated by VCI and its affiliates include
the Lawrence/Dufferin campus in
Toronto that is home to:
• The Columbus Centre, a social,
recreational, cultural and athletic
complex that also includes the Joseph
D. Carrier Art Gallery and Ristorante
Boccaccio, and where a wide array of
dance, visual arts, music and culinary
programs is offered;
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• The Caboto Terrace and Casa Del Zotto
independent seniors’ apartments;
• Child care programs;
• Summer and March Break day camps;
• Numerous special cultural events and
presentations such as Italian Heritage
Month celebrations, Cultural Tuesdays
and more.
Also located on the campus is Villa
Charities Foundation, which raises funds
in support of Villa Charities’ programs
and services to our community, and VCI
family-owned facilities. Beyond the main
campus, the VCI family also includes a
third independent seniors’ apartment in
Toronto, Casa Abruzzo, and the Villa
Colombo Vaughan/Di Poce Centre
long-term care facility in Vaughan.
Villa Charities is a hub for the Italian-
Canadian community and is a champion
of Italian heritage, culture, language,
arts, food and family values. It carries
out these functions by:
• Investing in Culture – through the
development and presentation of
high-quality events and exhibitions.
During 2018, this included:
› The world premiere theatrical
production of “If on a Christmas
Night…”
› The groundbreaking multimedia
exhibition “MAMMA, In the
Meantime”
› An exhibition of Federico Fellini’s
drawings of Italian culinary dishes
› The inaugural Librissimi Toronto
Italian Book Festival
› The implementation of weekly
cultural events with Cultural
Tuesdays
› The enhanced celebration of Italian
Heritage Month with a calendar of
diverse free events
› The Diaspora Series on
Multiculturalism and Cultural
Identities in the 21st Century
• Investing in Facilities – through
significant capital projects to improve
and repair aging buildings and
infrastructure on the Lawrence/
Dufferin campus. During 2018, more
than $2M in projects were approved or
completed including:
› Replacement of HVAC equipment
(boilers and chillers) at the
Columbus Centre
› Hydro vault repairs at Columbus
Centre
› Generator retrofits at Villa Colombo
Toronto and Columbus Centre
› Asphalt repairs throughout the Villa
Charities campus
› Replacement of fire-rated doors at
Villa Colombo Toronto
› Fire panel upgrades at Columbus
Centre
› IT infrastructure upgrades at
Columbus Centre and Villa Charities
campus
› New interactive culinary workshops
and literary-themed dinners with
engaging cultural presentations
› Upgrading of the Villa Colombo
Toronto main common room and
painting of all patient rooms, nurses’
stations and common rooms › Mississauga ITALFEST
› Painting of various interior spaces in
other buildings and of outdoor
statues and fountains › Mississauga Italian Canadian
Benevolent Association (MICBA)
• Supporting and Collaborating with
Other Italian Organizations and
Events – In 2018, this included financial
and other support for:
› The Italian Fallen Workers Memorial
Project and the Italian Fallen
Workers Memorial Wall, which is
located on VCI’s main campus and
for which VCI was awarded the
Medaglia d’Oro al Merito Civile, one
of the highest honours given by Italy
› The book “Land of Triumph and
Tragedy: Voices of the Italian Fallen
Workers”
› Castello Italia at Casa Loma
› Centro Scuola’s annual “Mostra Dei
Presepi” exhibit and Christmas
concert
› Committee of Italians Living Abroad
(Comites)
› Canadian Italian Business
Professional Association (CIBPA)
› Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto
› Italian Contemporary Film Festival
(ICFF)
› Italian Chamber of Commerce of
Ontario (ICCO)
› Consolato Generale d’Italia a Toronto
• Generating New Revenues – through
third-party leases to other Italian
organizations that will call Columbus
Centre home in 2019
To learn more about Villa Charities and
the entire family of organizations, please
visit our website at villacharities.com.
› Friday Movie & Pasta Series at Caffè
Cinquecento
VILLA CHARITIES
ANNUAL REPORT
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