About the author:

Laura Godfrey
Graduated with a BA from York University in 2008, where I worked as the Assistant Arts Editor at Excalibur, the university's community newspaper...

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Children's Storefront (2), family drop-in centre, fire (5), fundraiser, The Tranzac (2)

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For 35 years, toy train tracks, pillow pit reading spots and shelves of donated books characterized the Children’s Storefront, a laid-back family drop-in centre. There was no set schedule for playgroups or reading circles, and parents appreciated the flexibility of a centre that worked around their schedules.

But on Oct. 31, a fire destroyed the building, and decades of memories along with it.

Executive director Roona Maloney has been involved with the Children’s Storefront for more than 20 years. She brought all three of her sons along when they were younger – her oldest son, Sam, learned to walk in the centre’s Bathurst Street building.

“We own those memories, and I’m just sad that I can’t take my grandchildren and say, this is that spot,” she said.

The Facebook group, called “The Children’s Storefront Needs a New Home,” has over 550 members, and the community is encouraged to make donations through a charitable account set up through TD Canada Trust (transit#13602, account #05425206664).

However, the tragedy that took away the community hub has also fueled a well-organized series of fundraising events. Parents and local organizations are eager to show their support and raise the money needed to rebuild, which Maloney estimates is $100,000.

On Nov. 24, dozens of strollers lined the sidewalk outside the Tranzac – just a hint of the massive, full-day fundraising event that was organized within weeks of the fire. All three rooms of the building, normally booked by local poets and musicians, were filled with parents, children and babies.

During the afternoon, music, magic and balloon animals captured the children’s imaginations. Patricia Storms, writer and illustrator of The Pirate and the Penguin, read her book and taught the kids to draw the characters using very basic shapes.

“I read the story to them, and I’m all about the dramatic stuff,” Storms said. “They really get into it – it’s just a fun, silly story.”

In the evening, after parents brought their children home, the fundraiser continued with a silent auction and concert, featuring musicians such as The Strumbrellas and Abigail Lapell.

According to Roxanne O’Brien, a member of the board of directors who helped organize the event, it was the generations of community involvement that brought everyone together to make the fundraiser a success. O’Brien herself was brought to the centre when she was growing up.

“I think that over 35 years, everybody has somehow been touched by the Children’s Storefront,” she said. “Either they went there, or they knew people who went there. We’ve all just tapped into our respective talents and come together to create this really great thing.”

On Dec. 19, the Storefront will host its next big fundraiser, a massive garage sale at the Scadding Court Community Centre at Bathurst and Dundas. It plans to hold more events in the coming months.

Maloney says they’re aiming to open in a new location in late spring 2010. Until then, the centre has been given use of St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club on Mondays to Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.