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 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.
