| What is the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program? The R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Foundation is a self-funding Canadian charity with the goal of giving children the best start in life, by encouraging them to stay in school and to not smoke. The program is open to all students in Canada and is available to all students in Grades 5-12 (public, private and home schooled). They start the program at any time and stay in until Grade 12 graduation. The R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Foundation was created in 2001 and the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program was launched during Canada's National Nonsmoking Week in January 2008. We invite you to be part of the ongoing excitement. How Do I become a Sponsor? Complete the secure online Sponsor Application If you received an invitation from a student, click on the “accept” link in the email they sent you to be taken to the application form. Enter a student’s name and email on the form to invite his or her into the program. Enter the last name as “Undesignated” if you want the foundation to assign your donation to a student in need. There are two ways to participate, as a sponsor or as a donor: - An individual or company can sponsor one or more specific students with a monthly, quarterly, annual or lump-sum donation. We request a minimum of a one year commitment.
- An individual or corporation can donate undesignated funds which we will use to subsidize sponsorship for students who are at high risk of smoking or dropping out, and who do not have a network that can support them with donations. These can be one- time or ongoing donations.
Maximize your tax benefits, by consulting your tax advisor. How Many Sponsors Does A Student Need? At this time, the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program is self-funding. In the future we intend to subsidize sponsorships with additional grants, donations and revenue from investment of the grant fund. Students can get as many or few sponsors as they like. They set their own goals. The sponsorship amount determines their grant amount. There is no upper or lower limit to the amount of sponsorships a student can obtain. An individual or corporation could sponsor the full amount for one student, or the student could get more sponsors who donate a lesser amount. How Much Should I Donate? We recommend that a Grade 6 student get 4 sponsors who donate $25 per month each. 83% of the total donation amount is allocated to the grant fund, 17% is reserved to cover administrative and operating costs for the program. The monthly sponsorship amount for a $5000 grant is based on generating about $5900 over the time of the student's participation from program enrollment until graduation. At $100 per month that is the equivalent of 5 years of donations; at $200 per month only 30 months donation are required to reach the goal of a $5000 grant. Sponsors get a 30%-50% tax credit. | Total Combined Monthly Donations | Months | Total Donated | Admin* | Grant* | Tax Credit | Net Cost to Sponsors | | $25 | 60 | $1500 | ($250) | $1250 | ($450-$750) | ($750-$1050) | | $100 | 60 | $6000 | ($1000) | $5000 | ($1800-$3000) | $3000-$4200 | | $200 | 30 | $6000 | ($1000) | $5000 | ($1800-$3000) | $3000-$4200 | | $1000 | 60 | $60,000 | ($10,000) | $50,000 | (18,000-$30,000 | $30,000-$42,000 | *Approximate numbers used to simplify calculations Why should I sponsor a student? Here is what you will accomplish through the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program - Support a student to make healthy life choices
- Contribute to long term social and economic benefits resulting from healthy citizens
- Audit the life skills program to see what the students are learning
- Invite new students to join the program (optional)
- Celebrate them when they graduate smoke-free
- Receive a free newsletter
- Receive a tax receipt for your donations
(Tip: carry forward receipts for more that one year for best tax benefit)
Why was the program created? Empower success and stop smoking where it starts...in the minds of children. The strategy is to give youth a way to say "No" to smoking and "Yes" to school, and have that raise their status, because status is strongly related to self-esteem and peer influence. Our initial goal is to enroll 100,000 students in the program. That is 5% of the eligible students in Canada. Statistics show that given 100,000 children: - 20% will smoke…that means 20,000 new smokers
- 1/2 of those will die from smoking related diseases
- Therefore, we can save 10,000 lives for 100,000 students who sign up.
Also, of 100,000 youth: - 32% will drop out…that means 32,000 more students graduating Grade 12
- They will have a chance at a better life and less chance of being arrested, addicted or losing the opportunities that are available to those who stay in school.
The main activities of the program at this time are to raise awareness of the program and to help youth get sponsors so they can meet their goal of collecting their reward grant of up to $5000 or more. As a Canadian charitable organization, we issue a tax receipt for donations. What About Investing or Putting Money in the Bank for a Student? There are several reasons why the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program is more effective than putting the money in a savings account or cash investment: - Sponsors get a tax receipt
- The program creates a network of supportive adults
- A life skills program exposes students to valuable information
- The structure of the program creates a major incentive for students to stick to their goals: "I'm not giving up on my $5000!"
- A high profile program creates an atmosphere of positive peer-influence, which overcomes one of the major reasons youth choose to smoke...status. The program gives them a healthy, constructive way to raise their status.
- Investments are exposed to the variances of the market. Banks have low interest rates.
What about contributing to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) for a Student? RESPs are supported by the government, but the tax benefits are limited, especially if the child does not end up attending post-secondary education. Read the fine print carefully and get some tax advice before you open an RESP. ( See RESP analysis by Douglas Hudson ). The goals of an RESP and the REWARDS Program are different. Donations to the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program are eligible for tax credits and provide an unconditional cash reward when a student graduates. They can spend the money on whatever they choose or need to help them meet their goals. The role of the program is to help them make responsible choices. It is truly a reward for making good life decisions. Whereas, RESP funds can only be spent on post secondary education. Canada and the USA are experiencing a dropout crisis; 30-50% of students drop out of high school [USA study] [Canadian study]. If your child has an RESP, they will be more likely to be able to take advantage of it if they are also supported to graduate by the incentives and learning available in the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program. What happens to the money I donate? By law, a charity must invest at least 80% of charitable donations into direct program delivery, and no more than 20% into administration. Other, non-charitable revenue can be spent as deemed appropriate by the organization. In the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program a student’s rewards grant is 83% of the total donations received from their sponsors by the time the student graduates. 17% is allocated to administration, program development, research and promotion. How does a student become eligible for their grant To receive a grant, a student must obtain sponsorship donations, provide proof of graduation, be a non-smoker and apply for the grant. Smoking is How else can I help the cause? Support the student you sponsored by listening to them and encouraging them to meet their goals. We will send you a newsletter and other information about the program. Talk to students, parents/guardians and potential sponsors about the benefits of graduating smoke-free and of participating in the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program. Volunteer help is always welcome. I'm ready...how do I sponsor a student? More info for sponsors - FAQ |
