Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fred’s Walk?
Fred’s Walk is our annual fundraising walk for Fred Victor. It is an approx. 5-7 km walk throughout downtown Toronto visiting Fred Victor locations, hearing from frontline staff about our amazing work and programs. For more information about Fred’s Walk, check out our 1-pager here.
When is Fred’s Walk?
Fred's Walk is Thursday, June 5th beginning at 12 pm. There will be a light lunch served at the starting line and the walk will be from aprox. 12:30pm- 4pm with the after walk party from 4pm - 6pm
Where will Fred’s Walk be?
This year, Fred’s Walk will start and end at MaRS Discovery District, 101 College st. Different teams will have different routes and visit various locations. On the day of Fred's Walk your team will receive their route map and each team will have a designated staff or volunteer tour guide.
Why should I support Fred Victor?
Fred Victor has been a trusted organization working in Toronto for over 125 years. Every day, more than 3,000 people use our programs and services across our 25+ locations. And each person who comes through our doors is experiencing poverty and/or homelessness. Our programs and services are focused on the pillars of housing, health, and income – our ultimate goal is to help our clients rebuild their lives. Our housing model with wrap-around supports has a proven track record of getting people into housing that works for them long-term. Be a part of Fred Victor’s efforts!
Why is there a registration fee?
Fundraising events take a considerable amount of funds and resources to put on. The $10 registration fee helps mitigate those costs. We also hope that everyone who signs up plans to attend, putting in place a low registration fee helps ensure everyone who signs up as a walker will attend the walk.
How do I fundraise?
There are a lot of fun ways to fundraise for Fred’s Walk! We recommend you use this website to send out emails and texts to your friends and family asking for pledges, take advantage of social media and tag Fred Victor, and set an attainable goal for yourself to reach. All donations will receive a charitable tax receipt. There is no minimum fundraising requirement to participate in Fred’s Walk, but all participants are encouraged to fundraise at least $300. For more tips and tricks for fundraising, check out our fundraising toolkit. If you are looking for more ideas for how to fundraise, please be in touch with Ruth-Anne Seburn at rseburn@fredvictor.org.
Where does the money that I raise go?
Fred Victor has many programs and services that benefit from the funds that we raise at Fred’s Walk. While a large portion of our funding comes from the City of Toronto to operate our shelters, there is always a shortfall when it comes to other programs costs, such as our meal programs, employment and training services, and our housing access and support team, just to name a few examples. During Fred’s Walk you will visit some of the sites that your fundraising will go towards and hear about the amazing work of frontline workers firsthand. For more information about Fred Victor’s Finances check out our detailed financial reports.
How do I get to MaRS Discovery District? Is there parking?
The MaRS Centre is located at 101 College Street and 661 University Avenue in Toronto. You can enter the building either via college street, University Avenue, or underground from the TTC Queens Park Subway Station or underground parkade.
Parking: Underground paid parking is available at the MaRS Centre and can be accessed via Elizabeth Street, just south of College Street on the west side of the road. It can also be accessed via University Avenue when driving northbound, just past the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, south of College Street.
Public Transportation: MaRS is easily accessible with direct access to public transit. MaRS offers direct access to the Queen’s Park subway station. The College Street streetcar stops at the corner of Elizabeth Street & College Street at the north-east corner of the MaRS Centre.
Is Fred’s Walk accessible?
MaRS Discovery District is a fully accessible venue including accessible washrooms. Most stops on the route will be outdoors, with a few inside a building, either accesssed via elevator or on the first floor. Most stops will be fully accessible, however there is one stop with one flight of stairs. If you have accessibilty needs, or if you would like to participate in Fred’s Walk but are unable to commit to the full route, please get in touch and we would gladly work with you to arrange a route that works for you.
Do I have to create or join a team? Can I walk individually?
A team is not required to join Fred’s Walk! You are welcome to start an individual fundraising page. For the day of the walk, you will be joining in with another team on their route.
Can I bring my child to Fred’s Walk?
You are welcome to bring your children to Fred’s Walk. If you are planning to do so, please keep it mind it will be a roughly 7 km walk with 10-15 minutes stops at approximately 4 locations to hear about our programming, and there will be alcohol served at the after party at MaRS Discovery District. Topics discussed during the walk may include sensitive subjects such as drug use. In order to ensure we have enough food for all participants, please let us know ahead of time if you are planning to bring your child/children. Anyone over the age of 18 should have a registered fundraising page in order to participate.