Taking inspiration from the their hit Syfy series, Sanctuary, Amanda Tapping and Damian Kindler have launched a new not-for-profit foundation called Sanctuary for Kids (S4K). “The mission of Sanctuary for Kids is to improve the lives of children around the world who need protection and are in crisis – those who are exploited, dispossessed and threatened.” To that end, the foundation will start raising funds on November 12th with some nifty auctions, such as:
• A twenty minute personal Skype chat with Amanda Tapping, Damian Kindler, and Martin Wood via Skype.
• A behind the scenes tour and lunch with Amanda Tapping, series star and executive producer, on the set of Sanctuary in Vancouver.
• Sanctuary Memorabilia Stun Gun
• The rare opportunity to choose the name of a character in the third season of Sanctuary.
Details of each auction can be found here and we will have the links for them as each one is announced.
S4K was founded by Tapping, Kindler, and teacher and social worker Jill Bodie through their connection to the television series Sanctuary and was born out of a desire to help children and a realization that the incredibly supportive sci fi community would love an opportunity to give. In a test auction last February a group of four women helped launch S4K with an incredible bid which gave them a set tour of the television series, Sanctuary, and lunch with Amanda. In a message posted on the foundation’s website Amanda Tapping says, “We all feel very lucky and honoured to be able to do jobs we love with people we love. Jill, Damian and I all felt a very strong desire and responsibility to do something with the reach and audience we have through the show Sanctuary and the sci-fi community. We didn’t want to waste the influence that the series has, or the meaningful connections we personally have made with so many people around the world. In this industry, it can be easy to get caught up in the work and not look outside the studio. But we really wanted to start something different. Something grassroots and personal. An initiative based on relationships and community. And we ask you to join us in making that difference. We ask you to help us create Sanctuary for Kids.”
The two charities initially supported by Sanctuary for Kids are:
Nepal Orphans Home
Established in 2005, Nepal Orphans Home attends to the welfare of children in Nepal who are orphaned, abandoned, or not supported by their parents. The foundation currently cares for 150 children in 4 separate homes, each of which are known as Papa’s House. Many of these children have been removed from situations where they had been sold into indentured servitude. Papa’s House provides for the children’s basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing, as well as schooling and health care, and administers to their emotional needs with love and compassion. Papa’s House allows children to grow up in a nurturing environment. The mission of Nepal Orphans Home is not just to rescue children from abject poverty, but to enable the children to develop and realize their potentials.
Watari’s Transitioning to Independence Program(TTIP) and the Transitioning to Independence Program for Parenting Youth (TIPPY)
These two programs work with the homeless youth population in Vancouver, BC. The goal of each of the programs is to assist youth, 16 – 24, to master skills required to maintain market housing while supporting them to continue to receive support for mental health/substance misuse. By removing the barrier of homelessness youth can put energy and focus towards other life areas such as educational, vocational and social goals. The purpose of TTIP is to provide 20 units of supported independent living for youth with addiction and or mental health issues. It is a transitional housing program with an expected stay of 18 months. The program consists of two components a rental supplement to enable youth to rent safe market housing and support services from a housing worker. It was the success of the program that allowed for TIPPY to be established, with 10 additional subsidies for pregnant and parenting homeless youth.
Please visit the Sanctuary for Kids website and link to it, Twitter about and do whatever else you can do to help this great foundation.
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