| Pivot Gifts for Change
It's hard to believe that 2009 is already drawing to a close! It has been a busy and exciting year here at Pivot. There have been struggles, but despite predictions that 2009 would break many non-profit organizations, I am happy to report that Pivot is going strong.
We know people are already starting to plan their holiday giving so, we thought we would give you some exciting options to turn the holiday spirit into a force for justice and positive social change!
We’ve made it easy with our Gifts for Change holiday catalogue– a unique offering of high impact gifts that provide real social return. This year, honour your friends and family and give them a gift for change.
Click here to give, and have a great holiday!
John Richardson
Executive Director, Pivot
Community empowerment
The Hope in Shadows project provides hundreds of people access to low-barrier employment opportunities through sales of the Hope in Shadows calendar and book.
 Hope in Shadows license: Help people facing poverty gain new skills by funding a Hope in Shadows training session. Trainees will also get an identification badge and a free calendar to start them off in their new micro-enterprise.
Train 1 calendar seller - $25 order here
Fund a 20 person training session - $500 order here
Hope in Shadows uniform: Provide a sense of pride and incentive to top vendors by funding a Hope in Shadows uniform including hat and bag.
Give 1 person economic opportunity - $50 order here
Give 5 people economic opportunity - $250 order here
Know your rights
Everyone has rights. But if you don't know them, how can you exercise them? Pivot is taking the guess work out of the law and printing your rights on handy wallet-sized cards.
 Police rights cards: Make sure people know their rights when dealing with police officers by expanding the reach of Pivot’s successful Police Rights Card project.
100 Statement for Police cards - $50 order here
Sue the police: Give someone who has been mistreated by the police access to justice. Yes - we wrote the book on it! Send it to a friend who needs it or let us donate it to someone who does.
How to Sue the Police and Private Security in Small Claims Court - $20 order here
 Tenant rights cards: Help Vancouverites living in sub-standard rental housing understand their tenancy rights.
Empower 100 people with Tenant Rights cards - $50 order here
Sponsor a rights workshop: get a lawyer to educate people on their rights and take questions that directly relate to these issues - tennancy, policing, and legal rights for women survivors of violence. Empower 50 people - $250 order here
Help us cover the basics
All of Pivot's cutting edge campaigns start with the basics – pens, paper, computers, phones, etc... Help us keep writing, computing and talking on the phone by giving a gift that keeps us operating.
A box of pens - you would not believe how many we go through - $10 order here
A new whiteboard and markers - essential for strategy sessions - $50 order here
A week worth of photocopying - we work really hard not to waste trees - $100 order here
We also have a few bigger ticket essentials on our wish list
  Fund an intern at Pivot: Since 2004 Pivot has been running a successful summer intern program welcoming legal students from all over the world. In the last two summers, volunteer interns have provided over 5 working years of research, planning, committee work, and writing to Pivot’s legal campaigns.
Contribute 640 work hours to our campaigns - $500 order here
 Computers… We don’t need anything fancy, but some of our computers are long overdue for an upgrade
Pivot computer upgrade - $1000 order here
Homelessness is Over! (if you want it)
 We believe that an end to homelessness is possible when enough people stand up and demand it. That’s why Pivot’s launched, “Homelessness is Over” a campaign focused on ways that each of us can get involved in ending Canada’s housing crisis. This holiday season help us send a strong message to government
Demand a national housing strategy: At Pivot we believe that a key step to addressing the housing crisis in Canada is creating a national housing strategy. Right now there is a private members bill before Parliament that would ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians. We have launched a postcard campaign hoping to convince the government to support the bill.
Print 100 Postcards demanding a national housing strategy NOW! - $25 order here
Print 1000 Postcards demanding a national housing strategy NOW! - $250 order here
Send our housing campaigner to Ottawa to hand deliever thousands of postcards to the Minister responsible for housing - $1000 order here
Olympics
Help us make sure human rights are respected during the games: The Olympics are right around the corner. Along with speed skaters, bobsledders, and international jet-setters, Vancouver will be welcoming 7,000 police, 5,000 private security officers and 4,500 members of the Canadian Armed Forces to the city. We are getting ready, educating people in the Downtown Eastside about their rights, and training legal observers who will be a visible presence on the streets during the games.
Train and outfit one legal observer - $40 order here
Train and outfit a team of two - $80 order here
Host an Olympics “Know your rights workshop” - $250 order here
Represent
The holiday season is a time for giving but who says you can’t look cool doing it? Here’s your chance to show the world that you support the movement for social change.
Get some for yourself or give a couple to your friends and family.
 Stickers -2 for $5 order here
Click here to visit Pivot’s website and learn more about the on-going campaigns. |
