Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba brightens the lives of children with special needs.
Let your best self shine brightly and join us for an unforgettable evening of philanthropy, inspiring hope, and enriching lives for children in Manitoba.
This year, Variety’s Illumination Ball will remember and posthumously recognize the remarkable contribution of Wayne Rogers.
For 25 years, “Mr. Variety” devoted his time and energy to improving the lives of special needs children and their families as a former Executive Director, volunteer and board member.
Get your tickets before the early bird deadlines to be entered into MORE DRAWS — 5 chances to win Early CASH and 13 chances to be a Grand Prize winner sharing half the jackpot!
You can select Variety Manitoba for proceeds at checkout!
Every ticket supports participating charities across Manitoba, so it’s a win-win
Kali Dyck Foundation Donates $50K for Autism Supports
The Kali Dyck Foundation is helping Variety Manitoba fill an underfunded need.
Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba is a registered charity that provides equipment, programs, and services for children living with special needs and economic disadvantage. Jeff Liba, Variety CEO, said support for the organization allows Variety children to have the same ability to grow and learn as other children around them. The Kali Dyck Foundation has donated $50,000 to the organization to support the needs of children living with autism.
The Kali Dyck Foundation was created in memory of Kali Dyck, Lloyd and Jackie Dyck’s daughter and Erik and Chad Dyck’s sister. Chad is living with autism and has a language disability, and with him, Kali found her cause. She believed strongly in supporting special needs causes and had a lifelong interest in the rights and support for people with disabilities. Kali never said no to Chad and spent much of her time volunteering with numerous organizations that support people with special needs until her tragic passing at 25. Kali, at the end of her life, was in the process of entering psychiatric nursing, just one of the many ways she gave back during her lifetime.
“Variety Manitoba is a unique organization that supports people with special needs by assisting them to access the supports they need,” said Lloyd. “It is filling a gap where there are solutions, but people cannot obtain services because of a lack of funding and other issues.”
Liba said the generous donation of $50,000 will support the needs of children living with autism – specifically for Speech and Language Pathology, autism-specific tutoring services, autism-specific social skills development, and respite. Their gift will support approximately 25 requests.
The Kali Dyck Foundation has supported Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba with several donations over the years, with the funds going toward the same cause.
One Great City’s homage to Sidney Farmer’s holiday display that has overlooked St. James for over 50 years! The playful yet heartfelt message of this iconic sign truly captures the spirit of the holidays.
This year, One Great City Brewing Company has teamed up with Variety Manitoba with proceeds from this beer helping spread the same love and joy this beloved Winnipeg sign has brought to our city for so many years. You can be apart of Sidney and One Great City’s giving spirit by making a donation below!
All donations are entered to win some great prizes from One Great City!
Grand Prize: A keg rental, on One Great City! That’s a lot of beer.
Runner Up : a $100 gift card for One Great City’s merch store
Other: Ten $10 gift cards to the restaurant will also be given out to people who donate
Variety Manitoba is thrilled to partner once again with One Great City Brewing Co. For each can of this new ale purchased, 50 cents will be donated to Variety’s kids living with special needs and economic disadvantage. Visit their location at1596 Ness Ave, Winnipeg, your local beer vendor or or find a Manitoba Liquor Mart location near you to purchase.
Small Beer with a Big Heart
Session Tropical Pale Ale
4.5% ABV, 15 IBU
Ingredients: Barley, Oats, Lactose, Hops, Yeast
“A Small Beer with a Big Heart“ – Born from a unique collaboration between Variety the, Children’s Charity of Manitoba, Yakima Chief Hops and OGC Brewing Company, this low-ABV tropical pale ale proves that big things really can come in small packages. Bursting with delightful hop flavours of honeyed tangerine, floral peach and creamed coconut, this beer was brewed with Yakima Chief’s innovative DynaBoost hop extract for an incredibly flavour forward beer experience. Even more meaningful, proceeds from every pint help support Variety Manitoba, aiding Manitoban children living with special needs and economic disadvantage. This beer isn’t just delicious — it’s brewed with heart!
*Please enjoy responsibly.
Alex suffered a seizure shortly after birth resulting in a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy and tight muscles on his right side that affects both his leg and arm. To help reduce tightness Alex received a surgery called selective dorsal rhizotomy. In order to maximize the effects of the surgery, intensive physiotherapy is recommended.
Uros is a 6 year old boy in grade 1. He regularly seeks sensory movement input and uses a variety of methods to find it during his day. He has 2 educational assistants that spend the day with him due to the impulsive nature of his sensory seeking. To help keep Uros safe and lessen some stress on the family, they requested a GPS tracking system so they could find him no matter when and where he went.
Aurora is a happy little girl who loves going to the library for storytime. Aurora and her family have been waiting a year to access public speech therapy services. Aurora currently has about 20 words that she uses and requires consistent therapy to help her gain language skills, interact with peers and express her needs and wants.
Malaki is a sweet 3 year old that struggles with self regulation when he is out in public. He likes to have a safe space where he can go. He has outgrown regular strollers and can be impulsive leading to him running off. With a stroller wagon, it would help give Malakai a safe space to go, along with the safety of a 5-point harness to ensure he is unable to get out. The wagon has a larger capacity size allowing Malakai to use it for long term.
Special thank you to Kinsmen Jackpot Bingo and the community for generously supporting Variety’s kids this past summer 🌞
Funds raised from the bingo cards sold online in August helped support Variety’s Special Needs Program. Because of them, Alex received 3 months of physiotherapy, Uros received a GPS device, Aurora received 3 months of speech therapy and Malakai received a stroller wagon.
You can support more Variety kids and help make a difference by making a donation. Click the ‘GIVE‘ button above or click here.
Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba knows first-hand how the holiday season can be an incredibly stressful time of the year for families experiencing economic disadvantage. This is why we created our annual Winter Wonderland event – A Variety Holiday Celebration – which provides a meaningful outing for children in our community living in situations of economic disadvantage.
This year’s event presented by the RBC Convention Center WAS THE BIGGEST EVER! 1400 children from 9 schools experienced Variety’s Winter Wonderland on November 19th at the RBC Convention Centre.
We are extremely thankful for everyone who supported this event with continued generosity towards Variety’s kids living with economic disadvantage. Everyone went above and beyond to help us make this a huge success. Every single child who attended felt special due to the love and care put into this event and we are so thankful.
All the deserving children who attended our Winter Wonderland event from Victoria Albert School, Norquay School, Crestview School, Donwood School, Faraday School, Shaughnessy Park School, Weston School, James Nesbit and Champlain School had an incredible day filled with a warm meal sponsored by Pratts Wholesale & Food Service, autographs, face painters, glitter tattoo artists, a magic show and a visit from Santa.
THANK YOU to all our event supporters, donors and volunteers who showed a lot of kindness to make this event possible.
Thank you Domino’s for once again stepping up to support children in Manitoba living with special needs and experiencing economic disadvantage!
For the entire month of September, select Manitoba Domino’s Pizza franchises once again ran 2 charity specials in support of Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba.
Domino’s Pizza’s two specials were:
1 medium 5-topping pizza, 1 order of cheesy bread, and a 2-litre of pop for $20.99 with $5 from every purchase being donated to Variety!
2 medium 3-topping pizzas and 1 order of cheesy bread for $27.99; $10 will be donated to Variety Manitoba every time this special is ordered.
Manitobans had the option to purchase either of the two charity specials from all Domino’s Pizza’s Manitoban stores in Winnipeg, Selkirk, Steinbach, Niverville, Portage La Prairie and Winkler for the entire month of September 2024.
About Domino’s Pizza® of Canada
With over 540 Stores in Canada, Domino’s Pizza of Canada is the recognized industry leader in QSR pizza. Domino’s Pizza of Canada Ltd. (DPC) is a privately held company and is the Canadian Franchisee of Domino’s Pizza International Franchising, Inc. of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza ranks among the world’s top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 17,600 stores in over 90 markets. Winnipeg is home to the first international Domino’s located today at 980 Portage Avenue.
Thank you to all our donors, volunteers and sponsors for once again supporting Variety’s Drive “Fore” the Kids Golf Classic which was held on September 3rd, 2024 at Glendale Golf & Country Club. We are so grateful for everyone’s generosity towards Variety’s kids.
This year’s tournament was filled with caring golfers and sponsors, our online silent auction and 50/50 raffle. Because of everyone we can continue to make a difference in the lives of Variety’s kids living with special needs. On behalf of the board of directors, our staff and most importantly the children we serve, THANK YOU for supporting our event!
Special Thanks to our Sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor:
Official Insurer of Variety’s Drive Fore the Kids Golf Classic:
Cart Sponsor:
Lunch Sponsor:
Tournament Sponsor:
Hole Sponsors:
TIPI Insurance
The Keg Steakhouse & Bar
Bell Media
Freedom Concepts
One Great City Brewing Company
Woodman Wealth / Fidelity Investments
Caci Wealth Management
Terracon Development
PlayNow
Domino’s Pizza
Ticket sales have now ended.
Congratulations to our winner: TRACY BALAK!
Thank you to everyone who purchased for your support of Variety’s kids.
Variety’s Bike Camp teaches children ages 8 and up living with a disability how to ride a 2-wheel bike independently. Over the course of camp riders transition from roller bikes to a 2-wheel coaster bike as they learn the skills needed to balance and steer a bike on their own. Over the course of the camp, 80 individuals will learn the amazing skill of independently riding a bike.
Variety’s Bike Camp teaches children ages 8 and up living with a disability how to ride a 2-wheel bike independently. Over the course of camp riders transition from specialized equipment to a 2-wheel coaster bike as they learn the skills needed to balance and steer a bike on their own. 80 individuals will learn the amazing skill of independently riding a bike during these 2 weeks.
Volunteer spotters are needed to follow behind the riders, encourage them, and help them not to fall.
Please see more details below in regards to assisting us with this great program!
Volunteers must be at least 15 years old (reach out to us to inquire about some exceptions)
Volunteers will provide encouragement and physical support, as needed.
Volunteer spotters are asked to walk/jog/run alongside a rider as they are learning to ride a bike during a 75-minute session (with short breaks).
Volunteer spotters will walk/jog approximately 2-3 miles during each 75-minute session. Keep this in mind if considering volunteering for multiple sessions.
We encourage volunteer spotters to commit to attending all 5 days of camp for the same session(s) if possible. These children bond with their assigned volunteers and rely on the same person to be there to support them each day of camp
Please feel free to share this will all your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors!
We have 800 volunteer session timeslots to fill so the more the merrier!
We will provide letters to document volunteer hours.
We will also have some snacks and lunch for people who stay all day.
Water refill stations positioned throughout the arena.
Watch this from last year’s Bike Camp:
Any questions or for more info feel free to contact Ashley via email atavares@varietymanitoba.com or call/text 204-999-7973.
With the use of customized adapted equipment, trained professionals, and over 160 volunteers, approximately 80% of riders living with a disability will learn to independently ride a 2-wheel bike, the remaining 20% make tremendous progress towards that goal! Our Bike Camp in Winnipeg has become the largest of its kind in North America.
Many children living with a disability are unable to ride a two-wheel bike. For example, recent research shows that over 80% of people with Autism and 90% of people with Down syndrome never learn to ride a two-wheel bicycle.
Parents may have tried to support and teach them in doing so but lack the specialized equipment and training to support them in this skill building process. Children may feel excluded and embarrassed because they are unable to ride a bike with their friends and family. By giving these children the opportunity to learn the necessary skills, Bike Camp increases the rates of participation, opportunity and independence for children living with a disability.
Bike Camp consists of five 75-minute bike-riding sessions per day, Monday to Friday each week, with eight riders per session. When families register for week 1 or week 2, you can choose your preferred session time. A parent or guardian is required to stay with their rider during camp session.
Watch this from last year’s Bike Camp:
Interested in volunteering? Visit this page: www.varietymanitoba.com/bikecampvolunteersand sign up today.
This week we have kids from Westman Volt Hockey (Brandon) coming for a mini tournament! Please arrive on time.
We can’t wait to see you at Winnipeg VOLT Hockey!
Details:
Arrival time: 3:00 pm
Location: Dakota Community Centre-Fieldhouse
Please bring a spare change of shoes and a water bottle
If you are unable to make it for 3pm, please let Coach Dustin know ahead of time.
Please see below for volunteer schedule.
Coach Dustin’s phone number is: 431-343-0259
Participant Info:
Please contact Coach Dustin via phone or text if your child cannot participate on one of the scheduled dates.
Additionally you can contact our Samantha from our office, with your availability should you know ahead of time. Call her at 204-982-1050 or email her at sanderson@varietymanitoba.com.
Volunteer Info:
Please contact Coach Dustin via phone or text if something happens and you can no longer attend on one of your scheduled dates.
Please try to arrive 30 minutes early, in order to assist with setting up the rink boards.
Bring a change of shoes, as outdoor shoes are not allowed on the court.
If you have any questions or concerns, or schedule changes please don’t hesitate to contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Ashley at 204-999-7973 or atavares@varietymanitoba.com.
We are always looking for sponsors! Know anyone who may want to sponsor Winnipeg VOLT Hockey, let us know. You can also download our Sponsorship Brochure and share it.
We are thrilled to have Brady Oliveira as our Hometown Champion! The Hometown Champion campaign is sponsored by Monopoly Realty and an anonymous donor.
Brady Oliveira’s 2024 season amounted to an amazing 2072 yards, 6 touchdowns, translating into a whooping $16,360 to be donated to Variety’s kids!
The objective of Variety’s Hometown Champions is to have a local professional athlete act as a brand ambassador and role model for Variety children to help motivate and inspire them to reach their potential. Brady and Monopoly Realty’s contribution last year made a huge difference in the lives of Variety’s kids.
Variety is proudBrady Oliveirais one of our Hometown Champions in Manitoba. In addition to all the accolades he has received during his high school and college careers, Brady has faced his share of adversity along the way; eventually becoming the starting running back for his hometown football team. In 2024 Brady became CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian.
His kind and caring nature makes him a natural with children and an obvious choice to become our a Variety Hometown Champion.
“I could not have asked for a better person for my son, Jaxon to look up to. Brady’s name is mentioned many times a day in our house. Jaxon comes home from school and watches games on YouTube. So grateful Brady has gifted Jaxon so much confidence within himself.” – Kristyn, Jaxon’s Mom
Are you interested in sponsoring Variety’s Hometown Champions campaign?
Thank you Brady Oliveira and Monopoly Realty for your generous support.
Variety Manitoba is committed to providing critical life-saving medical equipment and services, healthcare and well-being; life-changing equipment and services for mobility, independence and social inclusion; crucial life-enriching communication equipment and services, education and self-esteem to individual children and children’s organization. Variety is proud to be 100% privately funded through the generosity of many donors and supporters.
Typically, our most sought-after auction packages which launch in conjunction with our signature events, are our “Wine Trees” which comprise of 12 bottles of amazing wines donated by our generous friends and supporters.
Are you interested in supporting our “wine trees” for our auctions by donating a bottle or 2 of your favourite wine ($25+ value)? We would be happy to make arrangements for pick up at any time. Contact Ashley at atavares@varietymanitoba.com or 204-999-7973.
Alternatively, you can make a donation to our Wine Tree Campaign and we’ll do the shopping for you! Make a donation below and the funds will be used to purchase wines for the auctions.
Thank you for your generous support!
Join us at Variety’s 22-23 AGM, on January 17th, 2024, 5-7PM.
440A Don Ave, Wpg, MB, R3L 0S4
Please RSVP at admin@varietymanitoba.com or call (204) 982-1050
Thank you to Rainbow Stage for gifting Variety with 40 tickets for our families to get out and experience ‘the hockey sweater’! The Hockey Sweater is a timeless Canadian story that has charmed generations. Now it comes to life on the Rainbow Stage as a spectacular, new family musical! Our families are so excited to see this classic story coming this June 30th to July 17th!
This past June, Variety families also had the pleasure of getting out to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory thanks to a gift from Showtime Productions! 100 golden tickets were given out to Variety families to see the wonderful show.
Take a look at the fun our families have been having on their nights out to these two amazing shows below!
Stay tuned this coming August for when our Variety families head out to see the Wonderful Wizard of OZ thanks again to Rainbow Stage!
The 2022 Gold Heart Gala, presented by Pratt’s Wholesale & Food Service, was one for the record books. Thanks to our amazing donors, sponsors, and guests, we were able to raise a fundraising record of one million dollars! Thank you for your continued support, each dollar received will directly help fund Manitoba children living with special needs.
Congratulations to Louis Trepel on being awarded Variety’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award! Thank you for a lifetime of hard work and dedication to Variety and countless other community organizations.
The memories created this evening will last a lifetime, be sure to watch the highlight videos below:
The Gold Heart Gala achieved the mission of raising funds, honouring Variety kids, and of course honouring Louis Trepel. Watch Louis’s Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance below:
Want to see more from the 2022 Gold Heart Gala? Click the links below to view the photo galleries from the event:
Thanks to the help of the Winnipeg Ice, 6 Variety families had the opportunity enjoy an incredible night out and to watch the Winnipeg Ice contest the Calgary Hitmen in a 4-0 win for the Ice. Our Variety kids also had the chance to interview players and ask them some questions about their favourite movies, pastimes, and more! These interviews were displayed on the jumbotron during the game. Well done to our reporters Sul, Jayce, Ahmed, Brooklyn, and Ivanette!
Watch their interviews here:
Two of the Variety kids were also involved in the pre-game events, Ivanette and Jayce! During the Ice pre-game Ivanette skated as an ambassador for her sister Ianess who is living with global developmental delay. Jayce, who is living with ADHD dropped the puck for the ceremonial puck drop ahead of the match!
Look at these stars steal the show and more of this amazing experience in the gallery below:
Thank you again to the Winnipeg Ice for giving these families an opportunity for a fun night out!
Join us for Variety’s Annual General Meeting
Wednesday January 18th, 2023
440A Don Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3L 0S4
5-7pm
Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba began a new partnership with the St. James-Assiniboia School Division in 2018, to assist them in expanding the reach of their Adaptive Swim Program for students living with special needs.
The St. James Assiniboia Adaptive Swim Program provides students with the opportunity to learn the lifelong skills of being safe and comfortable in the water. This program not only teaches children how to swim but allows for increased confidence and self-esteem, improved strength and coordination and the ability to actively participate.
The Adaptive Swim Program consists of weekly swimming lessons with a specialized swim instructor. At the start of the year, a detailed swim assessment is preformed and a program of swimming skills is created for each student. Each week for 1 hour, students head to the St. James Centennial Pool to work on their skills with one-on-one support from their educational assistant.
With Variety’s help the program is now working with 50 students living with special needs so they can improve on critical swimming skills like floating, kicking, breathing under water and more!
Henry was born with a condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC). Early and consistent intervention and care is really important for Henry’s development and continued physiotherapy, occupational therapy and a series of surgeries will help Henry be as independent as possible. Both of Henry’s parents work to make sure he can access all the services and specialized equipment to help with his development. In late fall 2018; Henry began an intensive surgical intervention plan in order to maximize his response to treatment with a goal of being more closely aligned with his same-age peers by the time he is of school-age.
Unfortunately, because these surgeries could really help Henry, he was deemed not eligible for publicly funded supports until such time as the outcome of his surgical interventions is known and it can be determined whether his mobility needs meet program criteria.
Due to this barrier his family is not able to access respite support which they are in need of to ensure Henry can receive all of his intensive therapies after each surgery and his parents can make ends meet for their family.
Variety’s Special Needs Program has supported Henry and his family for the last several months by covering the cost of respite care which has made a huge difference!
“We were able to find a wonderful respite worker and the family is thrilled with her support and are so thankful! Henry is already showing more progress in his development and openness to exploring new things, and having new experiences with her. Mom and Dad have had a bit more time for self-care and to better manage their schedules, and Henry’s needs.” – Family’s Rehab Counsellor
What is a community event or community fundraising?
Community fundraising is an event or activity organized by an individual, company or community organization; it is not an official Variety Manitoba event but benefits the work, kids and families of Variety.
Be a leader in your community and raise funds for Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba! We would be delighted if you would chose to partner with us.
It is people like you that make our purpose strong and vibrant. Whether you are a Variety staff member, fundraising ambassador, volunteer, grateful child or family member, your support will deliver a meaningful impact.
Acting independently and with Variety Manitoba’s approval, community events are an important resource for raising funds to help us fund important programs in our community.
When you organize a community event, you’re not only raising money to support Variety – you are also raising awareness about us and the important work we do.
Please download our Community Events Fundraising Tool Kit to help you get started. It also contains lots of information on how to run a community event and gives you very helpful templates to do so.
To learn more or get help planning a Community Event for Variety’s kids, contact Ashley by email or call 204-982-1050.
“Ethan is 7 years old and living with autism. He was fortunate enough to have support from Variety in gifting him with a communication device that he uses at home and school. He requests all his food items from there and he loves exploring the device itself to discover new things/words.
One day, he kept requesting canoe on the device, and I asked him what do you mean canoe? He then input minivan canoe, (we drive a mini van), so I asked if he wanted to go out in the minivan? He then input canoe again. I finally realized that he wants to go to tobogganing. We had just went tobogganing last weekend, and I guessed he was not able to find toboggan on the device so he found something that he thought that’s what it called.
He practiced a lot too during the summer holiday. Pictured below is an example that on a weekend morning, he showed me that he wanted to see his respite worker.
It is actually amazing he now has the tools to express himself and is able to and trying to communicate the best he can using the device. Thank you for giving him a voice and letting him share his thoughts to us.” – Ethan’s Parents
WAY TO GO ETHAN – YOU’RE AWESOME!
Winnipeg, MB. – Variety – The Children’s Charity of Manitoba today announced that it is the recipient of a 2018 Heart Award – being recognized globally as the best operating mid-sized Tent by Variety International. This represents the second time in the last three years that Variety Manitoba has been bestowed this prestigious honour.
“We are absolutely thrilled to share this honour with the children and families we serve” stated Jeff Liba, CEO. “By allowing us to share their stories and how Variety Manitoba was able to assist them, it inspires us as staff, volunteers, and supporters to create a brighter, more inclusive and accessible future for Manitobans. Thank you to everyone who believes in the value of our organization for making this possible. ”
The Heart Award represents the pinnacle of achievement within Variety International. It recognizes consistent growth and excellence over a three year period in programming as well as diversity and sustainability of funds raised. An independent judging panel including a representative from a global accounting firm adjudicates the selection process.
Variety Manitoba is an organization dedicated to meeting the unmet needs of children living with special needs or impacted by economic disadvantage. It is 100% reliant on the community to deliver its programs and services and does not receive operational funding from government or the United Way.
For further information contact:
JEFF LIBA
Chief Executive Officer
(204) 292-9811
jliba@varietymanitoba.com
“I could not have asked for a better pers
