Get Involved with Baycrest Foundation
Everyone has a role to play at Baycrest
There are numerous ways to get involved, and they ask for very different things. Some want a few hours a month. Some are giving communities with a set commitment. Hover or tap any card to see what it involves before you click through.
What each one asks of you:
Your time A gift Time and a giftShow me
Give your time
Direct contact with Baycrest residents and clients. No gift required, and both of these count toward high school community service hours.
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Your time
Volunteer at Signature Events
Be part of the excitement and help bring Baycrest’s signature fundraising events to life. From welcoming guests and assisting with registration to supporting event activities and logistics, there are many ways to make a meaningful impact while connecting with your community.
- What you would do
- Guest registration, event set-up and tear-down, wayfinding, participant support, cheer squad, and helping create an exceptional event experience.
- What it takes
- A positive attitude, strong communication skills, reliability, and a willingness to work as part of a team. Event shifts vary by event and training is provided.
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Your time
Volunteer on campus
Choose a role that fits your interests, from friendly visiting to music, pet therapy or research support.
- What you would do
- Friendly visiting, eating assistance, program escorting, music, pet therapy with a certified dog, or helping a research team.
- What it takes
- Age 13 and up to volunteer on your own, a six month commitment, and spoken English. Orientation, screening and an interview come first.
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Your time
Baycrest Buddies
Build a one to one relationship with a Baycrest resident or client through regular calls.
- What you would do
- Talk with your buddy each week at a time you both choose, usually by phone. You shape the topics and activities together.
- What it takes
- A six month commitment, monthly Zoom meetups with your volunteer group, and a five step onboarding: application, orientation, references, training and an interview.
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Your time
Teen Takeover
A single day where teens run activities with Baycrest residents, from bingo and board games to a talent show.
- What you would do
- Pick two activity stations to run: arts and crafts, bingo, big games, a glam station, casino games, cards, photo booth, prize booth or the talent show.
- What it takes
- One day. You register with your school and grade, name an emergency contact, and upload a signed consent form.
Raise funds your way
You set the activity and the goal. The Foundation events team gives you a fundraising page, promotional support and someone to call.
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Time and a gift
DIY for Brain Health
Host your own event, whatever it looks like: a long ride, a bake sale, a gala, a golf tournament, a game night.
- What you would do
- Set up a personal fundraising page, share the link with your supporters, and track donations in your participant centre.
- What it takes
- No minimum and no fixed date. The events team helps with planning and promotion. Call 416-785-2875 to talk through an idea.
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Time and a gift
Mitzvah Project
Mark a simchah by giving back, through tzedakah, chessed and tikkun olam.
- Choose your mission
- Join residents at Cafe Europa with Holocaust survivors or a music therapy program, volunteer at the Bike or the Pro-Am, join a Thank-A-Thon calling donors, or run your own challenge.
- What it takes
- Each participant raises or donates at least $1,000. You receive table seating cards for your simchah, personalised thank you cards, a certificate and a swag bag.
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Time and a gift
Signature events
The Foundation's marquee fundraisers. Ride, skate, or play, on your own or with a team.
- What is coming up
- Pickleball for Brain Health on 8 November 2026, all levels welcome. Pro-Am for Alzheimer's on 13 to 15 May 2027, on the ice with hockey alumni. Mattamy Homes Bike for Brain Health on 6 June 2027, with 30k, 60k and 90k routes on the DVP and Gardiner.
- What it takes
- Register as an individual or a team. Each event sets its own fundraising minimum.
Join a giving community
Groups of donors who commit together and stay close to the work. Each one carries a defined gift and a programme of events behind it.
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A gift
Neuro Network
Members fund dementia prevention research at the Kimel Family Centre and hear the findings first.
- What you get
- Five private science talks a year with leading neuroscientists, VIP tours of the Kimel Centre and Baycrest research labs, and recognition on campus.
- Where it goes
- Research into interventions that prevent or slow dementia at the Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health and Wellness, the world's first research-based community centre for reducing dementia risk.
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A gift
Founding Partners
Backers of Baycrest@Home, bringing Baycrest care and expertise into people's own homes.
- Where it goes
- Baycrest@Home 2.0, a technology platform covering three areas: smart-home safety, practical help and information for caregivers, and virtual or in-person clinical services.
- What it takes
- $18,000 over three years, paid as $500 a month. Gifts at other levels are welcome. Contact Jessica Taylor at 416-785-2500 ext. 3769.
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A gift
Women Friends of Baycrest
A ten year old community of supporters with a year-round series of cultural and educational events.
- What you get
- A minimum $360 gift covers the launch event and the full series: art exhibits, a virtual tour of the National Library of Israel, museum openings and a legacy giving talk.
- Where it goes
- New gifts this year are designated to Spiritual Care at Baycrest. Contact Ian Leventhal at 416-785-2500 ext. 3896.
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Time and a gift
Women Minds Matter
Professional women thinking deliberately about their own brain health and how they want to age.
- What it involves
- Events, education and connection built around women's brain health. Past sessions include Lisa Raitt on leadership and caregiving, and an expert panel on women's brain health.
- Where it goes
- Fundraising proceeds support the Kimel Family Centre and women's brain health research. The group is currently recruiting committee members: contact Rebecca Woods Baum.
Connect through your work or your peers
Networks built around a profession or a life stage. Expect seminars, networking and events run by and for the group.
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Your time
Professional Advisory Group
For financial, legal and accounting professionals who advise ageing clients and their families.
- What it involves
- Breakfast seminars each spring and fall, shaped by a committee that meets several times a year and chooses the topics and speakers.
- Who it is for
- Advisors, lawyers, accountants and wealth managers. Members can earn professional education credits. Contact Becki Willoughby, Planned Giving Director, at 416-785-2500 ext. 3895.
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A gift
Real Estate Professionals
Agents who commit to an automatic donation on every transaction they close.
- What you get
- A charitable tax receipt, an agent marketing kit, your name displayed on the Baycrest campus and the BREP site, a social media spotlight, and invitations to BREP networking events, the Baycrest Experts series and donor events.
- Where it goes
- The Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health and Wellness, focused on dementia prevention.
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Time and a gift
Baycrest Friends of the Foundation
A community for people in their 20s and 30s raising funds and awareness for brain health.
- What it involves
- Semi-annual BFF programming, invitations to industry group events, and teams at the signature events: the Pro-Am, the Bike, and Pickleball for Brain Health. Past socials include trivia and paint nights.
- How to join
- Fill in the sign-up form on the BFF page. Contact Jessica Taylor at 416-785-2500 ext. 3769 about involvement or sponsorship.
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Time and a gift
Generation NeXt
Professionals with a personal connection to Baycrest, behind the annual Decades Dance.
- What it involves
- Fundraising and advocacy for research, care and prevention, anchored by Decades Dance. The 2026 edition is A Gatsby Soiree, on 1 October in Toronto.
- Track record
- The event has raised more than $1.5 million since it began.
Not sure which one fits?
Tell us roughly what you have in mind and we will point you to the right group or programme.
Call 416-785-2875 or email the Foundation.
