A Noble and Needed Gesture For Jane & Finch

But I wonder how much we spend at all three levels of government dealing with "the gangs" that could be re-allocated to helping honest, hard working families. Let's stop recycling the problems.

Helping out Jane-Finch

Want more witnesses to come forward? Spend some money to keep them safe

$3M for kids

Jane-Finch area gets boost from youth fund

By JAMIE NGO, SUN MEDIA

Kids in Toronto's troubled neighbourhoods were given three million more reasons to steer clear of guns and gangs.

Mike "Pinball" Clemons yesterday announced a third round of funding -- $3 million -- from Toronto's Youth Challenge Fund (YCF), a provincial fund announced in 2006 to help keep kids away from gangs.

"Our country's most precious resource are its people, and the most precious of its people are young people," the Toronto Argonauts coach said yesterday at Firgrove Recreation Centre.

"Jane and Finch is a thriving community that is extremely multicultural and has really different people who come to this country looking for a better opportunity," Clemons said.

This year, 13 organizations will share $1.3 million and another $1.65 million between 2008 and 2010.

YCF has so far handed out $11 million to 58 youth-led groups across Toronto.

The Young Diplomats was one of several organizations that received a first-round grant from the YCF to help communities in Canada and Ethiopia in health and education.

"It started as a collaboration of Ethiopian youth leaders, who were doing things in their own community -- it's non-profit, led by youths for the youth," said Helena Shimeles, 22, executive director of Young Diplomats, located in the Crescent Town area.