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Jason Shim believes everyone has something to share when it comes to the charitable non-profit sector.
“Whether it be as a staff member, donor or volunteer, there are so many opportunities to support non-profits that are doing some really important work in our communities,” he says.
Shim’s opportunity to give back came in 2009 when he joined Carizon Family and Community Services as a staff member working with the Pathways to Education Program in Kitchener. During this time he also volunteered as a board member for the Volunteer Action Centre of Kitchener-Waterloo and Area.
“In those days, I helped youth with finding volunteer opportunities and part-time jobs,” says Shim, who several years later took on the role of director of digital strategy for the organization and now works in Toronto.
Founded in 2001 at the Regent Park Community Health Centre in Toronto, Pathways to Education is dedicated to helping youth in vulnerable communities to graduate from high school and achieve full potential. According to Pathways to Education, which has offices nationwide, the high school dropout rate in low income communities can exceed 50%. Today, more than 73% of students involved in the Pathway Program not only graduate, but go on to post-secondary education or training.
Shim enjoys his work at Pathways to Education Canada and enjoys making a difference.
“This work combines two things that are important to me; youth education and technology,” he says. “There continues to be a lot of change in the world, particularly with regards to technology and non-profits benefit when they are able to harness technology to achieve their missions.”
Besides technology, Shim says non-profits also benefit from ongoing support. This is why since 2013 he has regularly donated to Capacity Canada.
“It’s an organization that has been really thoughtful about building capacity in the non-profit sector,” he says.
Capacity Canada CEO Cathy Brothers says donors like Shim are vital to allow the organization to succeed.
“Without this type of support we would find it nearly impossible to continue with our work of ensuring non-profits can be the best they can be,” she says.
It’s a sentiment Shim agrees with.
“I think Capacity Canada does great work around their Manulife Board Governance BootCamps and they’ve been really innovative about the kinds of programs they’ve developed,” he says.
To learn more about Pathways to Education and to hear from Pathways students, visit www.pathwaystoeducation.ca.
