Our Community

Calstone just adopted 100 Acres of Barnum Creek Nature Reserve

The Ecclestone family has cottaged in the Highlands of Haliburton since 1938. This is a very special place to us where we have spent our summers as a family. We are now 5 generations. Recently, we lost Ann (Ecclestone) Cherry, Jim’s sister and we wanted to honour her memory by supporting the forest and wildlife we all cherish to protect for future generations to enjoy. Barnum Creek Nature Reserve seemed like the best fit. We look forward to many hikes as a family.

Barnum Creek Nature Reserve is 500 acres in size (with a further 100 acres managed under a Conservation Agreement) and has three hiking trails, forests, open fields, wetlands, and Barnum Creek. Barnum Creek Nature Reserve is owned and protected by the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (a registered environmental charity).

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust is an independent, non-government community resource organization for land and water protection.

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust works to conserve the plants, wildlife and clean water of Haliburton County to ensure a legacy of forests, fields and wetlands, and the species they nurture. They play a very important role in protecting the habitats and wildlife of the Haliburton Highlands for current and future generations to enjoy.

Holiday Helpers

Calstone and the Ecclestone family donate every year to Holiday Helpers. We love that Holiday Helpers brings Christmas joy to our local low-income families over the holiday season.

Holiday Helpers is your one-stop full-service charity for Christmas sponsorship. Their goal is to help you bring Christmas joy to families in need with young children.

A Senior Wish Association

Calstone supports this Barrie based charity. It was founded in 2011 when Barb Richards, recognized a large sector of the senior population in her community were lonely and isolated. Realizing the personal impact of isolation and perceptions that can frame old age, Barb wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of these seniors. A Senior Wish strongly believes and promotes the idea that aging is not a problem — it is a lifelong journey that unites all of us. Since 2011, thousands of lonely and marginalized seniors in the Simcoe County area have benefited from the programs and initiatives provided by Senior Wish. Every Christmas Calstone donates so that seniors will have Christmas trees set-up, presents delivered and feel they are not alone at what can be a lonely time of year.

Centennial Scholarship Program

Calstone supports Centennial College in many ways. We chose this college as it in Scarborough and Calstone believes in supporting their local community. Cindy Cohanim sits on the Program Advisory Committee for the Environmental Technology Program and annually is a judge at the Centennial Technology Fair. We are actively looking at hiring engineering interns. Calstone offers 3 scholarships a year to deserving students. In the Environmental Technology Program, we offer one in the Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technician Program and one in the Automation and Robotics Program. In the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design we offer a scholarship in the Product Design and Development Program.

Children’s Aid Society of Scarborough

Calstone supports a local group home with the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Scarborough. Through their caring organization, they help children with protection services, adoption information and services, foster care services, pregnancy and aftercare counselling, child welfare research, training and program evaluation and it is all funded by Ministry of Children and Youth Services, and Children’s Aid Foundation. Calstone donates money and particular items that are needed all year round and especially at Christmas.

Making Hoops

Making Hoops helps kids achieve their life goals through hard work and basketball. Ken Daniels runs a non-profit basketball program out of the FH International High School. This sports program gets kids outside, teaches them endurance and builds confidence. When Calstone won the Canadian Museum of Nature Award in 2020 we were awarded a cash prize which we donated to Making Hoops. Calstone wanted to support a local charity and Making Hoops was more than worthy. Every year Calstone donates to Making Hoops which helps Ken keep children in the Malvern area out of trouble and learning life skills on the court.

2023 Update:

Calstone has continued to support the non-profit basketball program in Scarborough. They just sent us a picture of the last day of their winter program. The summer program started this week. Two of their players 6’11 and 6’8 are both playing in France and England. They had MPP Raymond Cho and also the Minister of Children and Youth to come and see what they are doing. We are so proud of this program and will continue our support.

Nebaj Hospital

Calstone contributes regularly through Impact Hope, to building a much-needed hospital in the heart of the mountains in Nebaj, Guatemala. Spearheaded by a doctor and his wife, this hospital is taking shape and Calstone has supported every phase of it’s development from the foundation to the recently added second floor. Nebaj is incredibly poor and in need of medical services. This hospital will be the centre of their community with outreach programs, dentistry, sewing classes, and an ER. Calstone’s contributions go towards labour and supplies and to enable Hector, their engineer, to spend one week a month on site to ensure building progresses on target. We have also sent down necessities like shelving, tools, tables and our desks. Juan Pablo and Carolina are grateful for any contributions either financial or physical help on a team building mission.

Planet in Focus

Planet in Focus is an environmental media arts organization with year-round programming. Their mandate is to produce cultural events that showcase engaging and artistic films that question, explore and tell stories about the world in which we live. They use film as a catalyst for public awareness, discussion and engagement on a broad range of environmental issues. Their goal is to enlighten, engage and entertain audiences of all backgrounds — through film.

Calstone is major sponsor of their annual film festival which inspires sustainability for all ages. Of particular interest to Calstone is the Planet in Focus Student Film Festival at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. This features student-made environmental films from grades K-8 and Calstone hopes to inspire the younger generation.

Pollinator Partnership

Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research. Pollinator Partnership is a registered charity dedicated to the protection and promotion of pollinators. After winning the 2019 Pollinator Advocate Award for the Tom Longboat raingarden, Calstone has been actively involved with the organization. Calstone attends the Annual conference and Cindy Cohanim participates in a vibrant task force that ensures the health of our eco system. Calstone just donated to the Communication task force to help encourage the public to fill out a survey on pollinators.

The Community Share Food Bank

The Community Share Food Bank was established in 2004 and currently serve more than 1300 individuals annually with no government support. Since the food bank is in Don Mills where the Ecclestone family live, they have become active supporters, not only financially, but with hands-on in cleaning of the building, suppling new fridges and shelving. Calstone also did extensive fundraising by contacting businesses in the Don Mills area to ensure they were aware there is a food bank in Don Mills and encourage donations.

Calstone and the Ecclestone family continue to provide financial support which allows the food bank to purchase nutritious food, in line with its Healthy Food Policy.

Tom Longboat

Calstone teamed up with TRCA (Toronto Regional Conservation Authority) and the TDSB (Toronto District School Board) to support a local school, The Tom Longboat PS, and help upgrade their outdoor space. The Tom Longboat school is drastically underfunded and Calstone financially supported the creation of a pollinator rain garden along with an outdoor education space. This transformation project, and it’s 2300 indigenous plants, has helped to mitigate storm water run off. The outdoor learning centre gives the students a chance to learn outdoors in nature about pollination and how important it is to our food supply. It allows them to get outside, watch the butterflies, learn about rainwater harvesting, storm water management, flood mitigation and appreciate the environment. This model of raingarden will be replicated at other Toronto schools and Calstone is a conduit for information and support.

Minden Community Food Centre

The Minden Community Food Centre provides fresh and non-perishable food, as well as clothing and household items to over 2500 people in the community. They provide fresh and canned or frozen meat, vegetables, fruits, cereal, eggs, bread, and a limited supply of personal care products to needy families once a month. 2 – 3 days worth of food/products is provided. Not only do they take donations, but the Minden Community Food Centre also grows fresh produce in their seasonal garden. Plans are underway for the establishment of a Community Garden at the Minden Fairgrounds this spring. Families who do not have space for a garden will be able to grow their own food to become more independent. The centre offers food for pick-up but also uses the donations to prepare meals. The Community Kitchen teaches people to cook and helps provide nutrition. They make frozen foods on a weekly basis. Financial donations allow the food centre to purchase food to supplement the nonperishable items from the community