Community
Engagement
Villa Charities recognizes the value of community and stakeholder engagement as an essential part of project planning and decision-making.
Community engagement enables better outcomes for our organization, users & stakeholders, and the community at large. It provides a process to identify opportunities, concerns, options and potential solutions that surround an issue, leading to more informed decision-making and mutual benefits.
Villa Charities is committed to ongoing engagement with our valued patrons, visitors, residents, tenants and staff. We provide opportunities and forums for these groups to meet and discuss issues, share experiences, and expand their understanding of how Villa Charities and our affiliates function.
There are many ways that you can get involved with Villa Charities and our affiliates:
- Join a Board or Committee
- Participate in a Community Open Forum, Town Hall or Friday Chats with Marco
- Volunteer at Villa Charities or one of our affiliate organizations
If you’re interested, contact us to find out more.
Plus, sign up here for the Villa Charities newsletter or follow us on our social media for all the latest news and project updates.
Community Open Forums
Join us for these public meetings that include brief presentations and a Q&A session with the Executive team and Board Directors, to keep our community up to date on the latest projects and plans for Villa Charities and our affiliates.
Annual General Meeting
- Monday, May 26, 6:00 – 7:30pm
We invite all members of the community to join us for the Villa Charities Annual General Meeting. The meeting will include brief presentations to share highlights from the past year and Q & A sessions with Villa Charities Inc. and each of the Affiliate organizations.
The meeting is free to attend but advance registration is required.TO RSVP: Please email iusic@villacharities.com or call 416-789-7011 Ext. 240 by Friday, May 17, 2024.
Location: Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery, Columbus Centre
Friday Chats – Connect With Our CEO!
Friday Chats with Marco
You can have a meeting with Marco DeVuono, President and CEO of Villa Charities Inc., for a one-on-one conversation to answer any questions or to share your thoughts on our programs and services.
These informal chats will be held once a month, at 11:00am or 2:00pm. Appointments are 20 minutes each and must be scheduled in advance.
Upcoming Dates
- Friday, April 4, 2025
- Friday, May 2, 2025
- Friday, June 6, 2025
Please contact iusic@villacharities.com or call
416-789-7011 Ext. 240 to schedule in-person or virtual meeting. Virtual meetings will be held using GoToMeeting and a link will be provided.
Columbus Centre Name Review Project
From January through April 2022, we conducted a research project through a third-party firm to examine the use of the name ‘Columbus’ from multiple perspectives in an objective, thoughtful, meaningful, and balanced manner. The research gathered feedback from over 990 participants from a broad range of stakeholders including our patrons, staff, Board, founders, donors, partners and the community at large, with representation from Indigenous, Black and Italian-Canadian populations. Based on the research findings, the Villa Charities Board has decided to maintain the Columbus Centre name for our community centre.
We thank everyone for sharing their views and helping us to move forward in a way that we believe will best meet the needs of the multigenerational and multicultural communities we serve, now and in the future.
Please read our full statement here.
To request a copy of the Columbus Name Review Research Report, please contact:
Ingrid Usic, Executive Assistant
Email: iusic@villacharities.com
Phone: 416-789-7011 Ext. 240
Virtual Town Halls with the CEO
Join other Villa Charities patrons and members of the community for our Virtual Town Halls with the CEO, where our CEO will share the latest news and updates on Villa Charities and our affiliates.
We look forward to hearing your questions and thoughts on our programs, services and activities. Stay tuned for details on upcoming meetings.