The Lynn Factor Stand Up For Kids National Award

Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids logo

Thank you for taking the time to submit nominations for the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada 2022 Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award. The submission period is now closed. Read more about the 2022 National Award Winner and Finalists.

The Award recognizes recipients’ dedication, effort, service, contribution, impact and extraordinary measures taken to improve the lives of children, youth and families involved in the child-welfare system. The award shines a spotlight on leaders and amplifies their stories to inspire and encourage others to “Stand Up For Kids”.

In the summer we share the four to six short-listed candidates whose efforts have improved the lives of vulnerable children and youth currently living in or who have transitioned from the child welfare system. The Award winner will be announced at our Stand Up For Kids Night in Toronto in September. As part of the Award, the short-listed candidates will be given the opportunity to direct up to $75,000* in grants to enable and/or advance child welfare initiatives**.

The short-listed candidates and winner are evaluated and chosen by the Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award Committee. Committee members were selected for their passion and/or dedication to making a difference in the lives of kids in the child welfare system and are leaders drawn from such sectors as child welfare, business education/academic, community, media, entertainment, sports, public service, health and wellness and social justice.

Previous Years’ Winners and Finalists

About Lynn Factor

With 35 years of experience on the front-lines of child welfare, Lynn Factor has dedicated her life to ensuring vulnerable children and youth involved in the child welfare system have the chance to build a brighter future.

As a former Chair of the Board and long-time Board member, Lynn’s has brought Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada together with many like-minded child- and youth-serving organizations across the country to build highly impactful programs that provide vulnerable children and youth with the supports they need most. In her current role as a Child Witness Advocate, she is faced with navigating the complexities of working with children who are dealing with trauma every day. In 2018, Lynn was appointed to the Order of Canada for her work serving Canada’s most vulnerable kids.

There is no person better than Lynn Factor to represent this award, which celebrates, funds, and raises the profile of some of the most innovative work in child welfare.

Donate in honour of Lynn Factor

More About The Award

Selection Criteria

Eligibility: To be eligible to win the Award, a nominee must be a resident of Canada and if an individual, must be at least 12 years of age at the time of application and cannot be an officer, director, employee or consultant of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada. Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award Committee Members may be nominated one year after serving on the committee.

To be eligible to nominate an individual for the Award, applicants must be residents of Canada and at least 12 years of age at the time of application and cannot be an officer, director, employee or consultant of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada or Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award Committee Member. Should the applicant or nominee be under 18 years of age, a parent or legal guardian must provide consent for the applicant to nominate/apply, and travel and be accompanied to Toronto, Ontario, to accept the Award (should the nominee be selected as a finalist).

How to apply or nominate: To apply and/or nominate a candidate for the 2022 Award, eligible applicants must submit the application form between January 24, 2022, 12:01 AM EST and March 25, 2022, 11:59 PM EST. While not mandatory, applicants are encouraged to submit relevant documents to support their applications (e.g. video, photos, etc.) during the eligibility period. These supporting documents can be submitted online using wetransfer and the email address [email protected] or sent to:
ATT: Lynn Factor Stand Up For Kids National Award Administrator
Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada
25 Spadina Road, Toronto, ON M5R 2S9
and must include the applicant’s and nominee’s full name.

Application

There are only three (3) essay questions requiring a response of 300 words or less on the application:

  1. Please tell us about the nominee and why he/she/they are making a difference in the lives of children, youth or families at risk in the community, and/or children and youth who are in or transitioning from Canada’s child welfare system. Please provide examples, of concrete actions the nominee has taken and the results of these actions, if possible including evidence based and qualitative perspectives.(300 word limit)
  2. Please tell us what challenges the nominee has faced in their effort to make a positive impact in the lives of children and youth in and/or transitioning from the child welfare system. How were these challenges overcome?(300 word limit)
  3. Identify and tell us the impact the nominee has had on one population group of those we support using quantitative and qualitative examples:(300 word limit)
    • Families at Risk – fewer children and youth entering or growing up in care
    • Kids in Care – improved high school graduation rates
    • Youth in Transition – increased educational attainment and employment outcomes
    • And/or has Lived Experience

Additionally, we ask you to provide a secondary letter of support for the candidate. Other supporting documents are welcomed.

Criteria: Applicants will be evaluated by Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award Committee. The members of the committee will adhere to and complete the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award scorecard when considering each application, and any relevant incremental supporting materials.
Selection Criteria will include:

  • Scope of relevant service/action/initiative/impact/effort/perseverance
  • Quality and/or quantity of societal change/impact or potential for societal change/impact as a result of activities
  • Extent of innovation incorporated and/or evident as part of impact/change
  • Demonstrated passion
  • Shown to have an impact on a minimum of one population of those we support:
    • Families at Risk – fewer children and youth entering or growing up in care:
      • Kids in Care – improved high school graduation rates
      • Youth in Transition – increased educational attainment and employment outcomes
      • And/or Lived Experience in the child welfare sector
  • The Award recipient must agree to participate, or the legal guardian/parent of the Award recipient (if the Award recipient is under the age of 18) must consent to the participation of the Award recipient, in Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award Ceremony at the 2021 Stand Up for Kids Night in September 2022.
  • To attend, the National Award Recipient and, if under 18, a chaperone, will receive flights and accommodation.
  • Nominee must confirm their agreement with the Consent provided below.

Award details: The Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award will consist of one (1) national award and three to five (3-5) short-list finalists’ awards totaling $75,000*. Award recipients will be honoured with the following recognition and opportunities:

  • The Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award
  • Highlighted in marketing and publicity efforts related to the Award (in Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada communication channels and earned media)
  • The National Award recipient will be given the opportunity to direct $50,000 to child welfare/child rights/child or youth serving agency in Canada of their choice*.

*Qualified child welfare, child rights, or child and youth agency organizations must be:

  • Be a registered charity, qualified donee or partnered with a registered charity or qualified donee who can act as Trustee
  • Serve Canadian children, youth and or families involved with the child welfare sector or those at risk of becoming involved with the child welfare sector

Consent: By submitting the application, the applicant (and parent/legal guardian if applicant is under 18) agrees (and successful nominees will be required to agree):

  • Information contained in the application may be made accessible to the public on the website and promotional items produced by Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada and sponsor.
  • Information about the applicant, including without limitation, their name, school/place of employment and region may be made accessible to the public on the website and promotional items produced by Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada and sponsor.
  • Should the applicant be a Crown Ward or in permanent care, the Foundation will work with the applicant’s Case Worker/Social Worker on their behalf.
  • For promotional purposes, in perpetuity and in any form of media worldwide now or hereafter devised without additional compensation or permission, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada may copy, reproduce, use, reuse, licenses, exhibit, display, distribute and create works of a) any creative submissions provided by the applicant, b) the applicants likeness, photograph, or voice and c) statements made by the applicant about the Award.
  • To be fully bound to this Consent.
  • To accept the decisions of the members of the committee as final and binding as it relates to the Award.

2022 Committee

Robert Sedran headshot

Robert Sedran

Senior Vice-President, Enterprise Strategy, Planning & Corporate Development, CIBC
Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award Chair

Robert Sedran is Senior Vice-President, Enterprise Strategy, Planning & Corporate Development at CIBC. He has been with CIBC for more than 10 years and has more than 20 years of experience in Canadian financial services. Mr. Sedran has also served on the Donations Committee of the CIBC Children’s Foundation for six years and acted as the Chair of that committee for five years. He holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a B.Sc. in Mathematics from McMaster University.

Lynn Belzberg headshot

Lynn Belzberg

Social Worker, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada Board Member

Lynn Belzberg was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and later moved to Toronto, Ontario, where she now resides. After attending the University of Toronto, she launched her career as an educator, followed by a sabbatical to focus on raising her children. Lynn returned to Yeshiva University where she received a Master’s degree in Social Work, before opening a private practice in eating disorders.

Lynn has actively volunteered at: Baycrest Hospital, Casey House and AIDS Hospice, Out of the Cold (shelter for the homeless), Zareinu Professional Advisory Committee (day school and treatment centre providing special education and therapies to children with a wide range of physical and developmental challenges), University of Toronto, John H. Moss Scholarship Major Gifts Selection Committee, United Jewish Appeal, Jewish Family and Child Services, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University of Toronto, School of Social Work.

She is married and the mother of three married children and grandmother of seven grandchildren.

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Dr. Barbara Fallon

Professor; Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare; Ph.D., Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto

For the past 25 years, Dr. Barbara Fallon has worked to bridge the knowledge gap by collecting reliable national and provincial child welfare data across Canada, and mining it with innovative statistical techniques to help policymakers determine what works and is needed to best help children based on evidence, not perceptions.

Throughout her career, Dr. Fallon has received over $17 million in research grants and contracts as a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator. These research grants, including provincial-wide studies such as the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse & Neglect (2018) as well as several knowledge mobilization grants, have allowed her to capitalize on the analytic potential of child welfare’s administrative data. She is a Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare.

Dr. Fallon has an exceptional publication record with over 140 peer-reviewed publications and 185 peer-reviewed conference presentations. She has widely disseminated her research child welfare agencies, government bodies, and other related organizations.

Dr. Fallon has given plenary presentations about the importance and utility of using child welfare administrative data to inform and shape effective policy and practices in Germany, Kenya, and Japan.

Anna Amy Ho headshot

Anna Amy Ho

Commercial Real Estate Advisor (JLL), Non-Profit Consultant and Speaker

A Hong Kong native and fluent Cantonese speaker, Anna Amy Ho is a commercial real estate advisor at JLL, a global real estate firm operating in more than 80 countries. Working with an experienced team (50+ years) and a blue-chip client list, Anna helps companies develop and implement real estate/workplace strategies that reduce occupancy costs and facilitate recruitment and retention of employees. Serving numerous non-for-profits to Fortune 500 companies on their global real estate portfolios, her clients include: UNICEF Canada, ABB, Ticketmaster, and MedicAlert.

But you would never guess how she got here.

Orphaned at 13 years old and subsequently living on her own at 16, Anna’s life experiences shaped her ability to translate challenges into solutions, on both a personal and organizational level. Her first job out of university was providing crisis counselling to victims of crime/trauma, and later leading a violence prevention outreach program.

After 4 years, Anna became a trusted advisor to the non-profit and child welfare sector. In that capacity, she co-led the renowned ‘Our Voice Our Turn’ project, winner of the Child Rights Trailblazer Award and instrumental in improving outcomes for youth in care. Notably, she also assisted in launching the National Stand Up for Kids Campaign, successfully raising over $68 million.

After working on an occupancy planning project with a large post-secondary institution, Anna was hooked on real estate. Problem-solving and being able to influence how people live, work, and play was energizing.

Real estate, notwithstanding, Anna remains passionate about social impact and leaving the world better than we found it. That is why you will still find her engaged in motivational speaking and moderating events. As a lifelong volunteer/advocate, Anna has been awarded the Attorney General’s Victim Services Award of Distinction and Ryerson University’s Alumni Achievement Award.

Outside of the office, she enjoys climbing aerial silks and travelling.

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Roberta Jamieson, O.C., I.P.C., LL.B., LL.D. (Hon)

Past President & CEO, Indspire

Roberta Jamieson is a Mohawk from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory who has achieved many firsts in Canada. She was the first First Nation woman in Canada to earn a law degree; the first woman Ombudsman of Ontario; and the first woman elected Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. As Past President and CEO of Indspire, Roberta has overseen an eightfold increase in the bursaries and scholarships awarded to Indigenous students. Since 2004, Indspire has distributed more than 42,500 scholarships and bursaries, valued at over $132 million to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students. She is the Executive Producer of the Indspire Awards, which each year honours ten outstanding Indigenous individuals in multiple categories, including three youth recipients who serve as role models to other First Nations, Inuit, and Métis youth.

Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award winner 2020

David Johnston headshot

The Right Honourable David Johnston, C.C.

Governor General of Canada, 2010-2017
Chair of the Rideau Hall Foundation

The Right Honourable David Johnston was Canada’s 28th governor general. During his mandate, he established the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), a registered charity that supports and amplifies the Office of the Governor General in its work to connect, honour and inspire Canadians.

Today, he is actively involved as Chair of the RHF Board of Directors. In 2018, he was appointed Colonel to the Royal Canadian Regiment. Prior to his installation as governor general, Mr. Johnston was a professor of law for 45 years, and served as President of the University of Waterloo for two terms, Principal of McGill University for 3 terms. He was president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and of the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec. He was the first non-U.S. citizen to be elected chair at Harvard University’s Board of Overseers from which he graduated in 1963 magna cum laude and was twice named all-American in hockey and was named to Harvard’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He holds degrees from Harvard, Cambridge and Queen’s and has received more than three dozen honorary degrees or fellowships. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 books. He was named Companion of the Order of Canada in 1997. He has chaired or served on many provincial and federal task forces and committees, and has served on the boards of more than a dozen public companies.
He has been married for 56 years to Sharon and they have 5 daughters and 14 grandchildren.

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Susan McIsaac

President & CEO, Right To Play International

Susan McIsaac joined Right To Play International on June 17, 2019 as the Chief Philanthropy Officer and was appointed Chief Executive Officer on January 4, 2021.

Prior to joining Right To Play Susan was the Managing Director, Strategic Philanthropy at RBC Financial where she provided strategic advice and guidance to RBC’s ultra-high net worth clients in developing their family philanthropic and legacy plans.

In the previous two decades, Susan was a senior executive with United Way Greater Toronto as the organization’s Chief Development Officer and then as President and CEO. With her leadership, United Way mobilized people and resources to help address many of the regions most pressing challenges including income inequality, housing, precarious employment and youth success. During her tenure, the organization grew from $58-million in 1998 to $118-million in 2015.

Susan has been involved in the community throughout her life as a volunteer and director of numerous organizations and was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012 in recognition of her efforts. She was named by WXN as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2014 and won Toronto Region Board of Trade’s Region Builder Award in 2017.

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Paul Rosebush

CEO, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto

Paul Rosebush has had a broad leadership career in health care and social services. He commenced his career in the Canadian Forces as a Social Work Officer and participated in deployments to Bosnia and Rwanda. Over his twenty year career in the CF Paul was posted to numerous bases across the country where he developed expertise in individual and family counselling as well as expertise in Suicide Prevention, Critical Incident Stress, and PTSD.

Following his career in the CF Paul began a career in the private and non-profit sectors with leadership roles at Durham Family Services, and Community Living Ajax-Pickering and Whitby followed by CEO roles in three hospital corporations including the Hay River Health Authority in the North West Territories and the Haliburton Highlands Health Services in Central Ontario and the South Bruce Grey Health Centre in South Western Ontario.

Paul is adept at providing leadership to complex multi-sited organizations that deliver a variety of health and community services. With a clear focus on client and patient centred care Paul has worked with his teams to build service capacity and to develop services that are highly effective and highly regarded by clients and patients. Paul has supported the development of a strong continuum of health care and social services throughout his career and has a reputation for excellent stakeholder management and forging innovative partnerships that benefit clients and patients. Paul approaches leadership from a servant-leader perspective and supports his teams to be high performing and effective.

As a fortunate cancer survivor Paul knows how important it is to make a positive impact on the world and for those we engage with while we can. Paul also strongly believes that there is no higher responsibility for society than to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children. He is proud to be a CAST team member and it’s CEO.

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Jennifer Tory

Past Chief Administrative Officer, RBC

Jennifer Tory held responsibility for Brand, Marketing, Citizenship, Communications, Procurement and Real Estate functions globally. As part of Group Executive, Jennifer helped set the overall strategic direction of RBC.

Previously, Jennifer was Group Head Personal & Commercial Banking, leading RBC’s banking businesses of more than 13 million clients and 40,000 employees in Canada and the Caribbean.

Jennifer sits on the board of Allied Properties REIT and currently serves as Chair, Toronto International Film Festival Board and as a director on the Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation Board. A recipient of the 2011 Catalyst Canada Honour for championing women in business, Jennifer was inducted into the Women’s Executive Network Hall of Fame in 2017. For her efforts to advance diversity, Jennifer received a Harry Jerome Award in 2013, and the Leading Executive Ally Award by Start Proud in 2016. In December of 2019, Jennifer was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada for her commitment to advancing women and minorities in the banking industry and for her extensive community work.

Jennifer has her ICD.D designation from Rotman. She has two daughters and resides in Toronto.