Our Community Impact
Driven By… Co. accepts the Sam McCallion Community Involvement Award
The Sam McCallion Community Involvement Award, named after notable community volunteer and husband to former Mayor Hazel McCallion, is presented to an individual or business based in Mississauga recognizing their outstanding dedication and achievement in volunteering within the community. They extend community support beyond their business or professional responsibilities.
2023 Holiday Hamper
This year we support the Boys & Girls Club of Peel Holiday Hamper Initiative with a Buy One GIVE One Socks Campaign! Every pair of socks purchased resulted in a pair being sent to BGC Peel!
It puts a smile on my face knowing there are families and children who will have beautiful gifts to open with personalized encouraging messages from all of you who supported the campaign!!
Back 2 School Bingo Night
On August 24th, 2023 we hosted another Virtual Bingo Night! We partnered with local small businesses to donate bingo prizes to help raise money for BGC Peel Back to School Youth Programming!
With support from many local businesses, we were able to donate nearly $400 to support the youth in our community!
Earth Day Clean Up 2023
On May 28th, 2023 we teamed up with Open for Business Hub and Brampton Flower City Pageant to do a Park Clean Up in honour of Earth Day at Chinguacousy Park!
With an incredible team of volunteers we were able to remove 66lbs of garbage from the park!
Driven By Love Campaign 2022
In December of 2022 we supported the children and families of the Boys and Girls Club of Peel with our Driven By Love Campaign!
We sold Driven By Love sweaters where with each hoodie we sold, we committed to purchase Christmas gifts for 3 children! We are proud to report that we purchased toys for 60 children !
Thanksgiving Giveback 2022
Driven By… & Love ‘Em Co came together for our second annual Thanksgiving Giveback Campaign!
We sold Thanksgiving Giveback boxes and collected donations to purchase food for the Mississauga Foodbank! The Mississauga Foodbank supports over 13,000 monthly visits or 2100 people and this number is rising.
With your support you’ve helped us feed more families with over 150lbs of food!
Back 2 School Bingo Night
On August 25th, 2022 we hosted another Virtual Bingo Night! This time to raise money for BGC Peel Back to School Youth Programming!
With support from many local businesses, we were able to donate nearly $200 to support the youth in our community!
Adopt-A-Park Clean Up (June 26th, 2022)
On Sunday June 26th, we headed out to Erin Mills Twin Arena Park with an incredible group of volunteers for our first Park Clean Up of 2022.
We were joined by our local Member of Parliament Iqra Khalid and her Youth Council to have an awesome day as a team!
Together we collected 120lbs of garbage from our local park, and we couldn’t be more proud! One cigarette butt at a time, one wrapper at a time, we’re making the environment healthier and having fun while doing it!
Bingo Night For Ukraine
On Thursday, March 25th, 2022 the community came together.
We had a wonderful night of Bingo games all to raise funds for humanitarian aid for the crisis in Ukraine. Many people are in desperate need of food and medicine and we wanted to come together to help support our fellow humans.
I was absolutely overwhelmed by the small businesses in our community who volunteered their time and items from their small shops to share in this incredible initiative. PLUS, we had overwhelming support from bingo players near and far who were dabbing for a great cause. And a special thank you to the donors who contributed extra to our fundraiser, helping us exceed our goal and bringing us to a final total of $476, which has been donated to the Ukraine Conflict Response Fund as part of the Global Medic Charity.
Driven By… Love Campaign
In December 2021, we partnered up with Love ‘Em Co. to bring you our Driven By… hoodies! And with the purchase of each hoodie, we purchased Christmas gifts for 3 children to contribute to the Boys & Girls Club Holiday Hamper.
With your support, we were able to purchase gifts for 72 children in addition to giftcards for Food Basics and Dollarama for the families!
We are so grateful to have been able to come together to spread love and make an impact during this wonderful holiday season!
Thanksgiving Giveback
Thank you for participating in our October 2021 ThanksgivingGiveback initiative where we supported the Mississauga Food Bank with 405 lbs of non-perishable food items so that those in our community could also enjoy a meal with their loved ones this Thanksgiving.
We teamed up with @loveem.co to make this happen! For two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving we donated a percentage of clothing sales and collected donations to purchase food for the Food Bank.
This Thanksgiving, we are grateful for YOU. Whether you donated directly to the cause or purchased Driven By... or Love Em apparel in the last 2 weeks, you contributed to putting a meal on someone's table.
Adopt A Park Initiative Clean Up (Sept 19, 2021)
Sunday September 19th, we headed out for our final Adopt-A-Park Clean Up for 2021!
We are proud to announce that the park was very clean, which shows the progress we have made over the last couple of years. Each clean up we find less and less garbage and litter and on Sept 19th, we collected a grand total of 43 lbs of litter!
We want to take this time to express how grateful we are to all those who have participated in a clean up over the years and have contributed their time to make our community a little better in a small way!
Not all heroes wear capes! Some of them wear gloves and pick up litter!
Adopt A Park Initiative Clean Up (Aug 22, 2021)
On Sunday August 22nd, 2021, our team got together on a hot day and were on a mission to help make a difference in our community by cleaning the litter in our local Erin Mills Twin Arena park.
One hundred and forty seven pounds 147lbs of litter and garbage is what we removed from Erin Mills Twin Arena Park with a little bit of team work and a whole lot of drive!
Virtual Bingo Night
On April 9th, 2021, we held our very first Virtual Bingo Night with prizes donated from local businesses. On this fun evening, we raised $120 for the Boys & Girls Club of Peel.
Black History Month 2021 Black T-Shirt Initiative
During a global pandemic, racialized communities have been hardest hit. That is why we wanted to help support the Black Health Alliance in improving the health and wellbeing of black communities across the GTA. Through T-Shirt sales, we were able to donate $50 to the cause!
2020 Holiday Food Drive
2020 was a turbulent year! We weren’t sure if our annual food drive was going to be possible, however our community was excited to help out! With contactless curb-side pickups and financial donations, we were able to purchase non-perishable food items and grocery store gift cards to donate to the Mississauga Food Bank, Armagh House Shelter and the Boys & Girls Club of Peel!
We collected a grand total of 112lbs of non-perishable food items which was donated to the Mississauga Food Bank. Due to unforeseen circumstances and the Covid-19 pandemic, Armagh and the Boys & Girls Club were unable to accept food items, and so we donated some grocery store gift-cards to each of these organizations.
Christmas Ornaments in Support of SickKids Hospital (December 2020)
We partnered up with KristinaKreates to make personalized Driven By… Christmas ornaments where 100% of the profits were donated to SickKids Hospital.
On behalf of Driven By… we are proud to announce that we raised over $300 to contribute to this cause!
Kristina’s eldest son was born in SickKids Hospital having to undergo open heart surgery, so for her son and for the many SickKids who need care, we are so grateful for your support!
Adopt-A-Park Initiative Clean Up (October 18th, 2020)
As the weather got colder as we entered Fall, on October 18th, 2020 our team went out to clean up Erin Mills Twin Arena Park one last time for the year! Although there have been many shutdowns this year, there was still lots of litter left in the park. Our participants found broken furniture, scrap metal, old clothing, hundreds of cigarette butts and so much more left behind polluting our environment.
In total, our team worked hard and collected a whopping 502lbs of trash from this park! We couldn’t be more proud of the contributions of our volunteers and we thank them for helping to make a difference in our community!
Driven By… Tree Planting
On Saturday September 26th, 2020 the Driven By… team took to Brickyard Park in Mississauga to plant trees! In partnership with Credit Valley Conservation and the Mississauga One Million Trees Initiative, we learned the proper way to plant trees and shrubs to create flourishing wooded areas.
Although it was a hot day, and wearing face masks made it even warmer, our volunteers worked hard to dig holes and get as many trees in the ground as possible! With a grand total of 81 trees planted, our volunteers definitely made a big impact on the environment in only 1.5 hours!
This goes to show that it just takes a little effort from all of us to make a big impact! At Driven By… we are so incredibly proud of the selfless work that our volunteers do to make the community a better place.
Adopt-A-Park Initiative Clean Up
(Sept 13th, 2020)
During a difficult year with many shutdowns due to a global pandemic, many of our events for the Summer had been cancelled. After Stage 3 of re-opening, the City of Mississauga asked if our group of volunteers wanted to clean up the park with additional Health & Safety measures in place, including using litter pickers, sanitizers and Covid screening.
With no obligation, our volunteers jumped at the chance to help clean up the park and together we removed 122 lbs of litter from Erin Mills Twin Arena Park. Our youngest volunteer Sofia and her partner Stephanie collected 18lbs of litter on their own!
Black Lives Matter Donation Initiative 2020
Upon the tragic murder of George Floyd and the BLM movement finally getting the attention that it deserves, we announced that we would be donating 100% of the profits of these T-Shirts to the BLM organization.
Immediately we had messages across all platforms in support of this initiative, leaving us quite overwhelmed with the response.
It is so wonderful when people can come together for a common cause and make a difference. We are all in search of a better tomorrow and we THANK YOU for taking action and being part of the change. With your help we raised a total of $352.90 to contribute to the organization.
Thank you for supporting this initiative and we hope that you are proud as you wear your T-shirts knowing that you had a hand in change.
Driven By… Holiday Food Drive 2019
This was our 3rd annual food drive in support of Armagh, and it was very successful thanks to your help! We brought the food donations to the shelter on December 12th, 2019 and we were met with nothing but excitement from the administrators.
In total we collected over 7 large boxes of food and together we have helped these families put food on the table for Christmas during a very difficult transition period of their lives. Armagh is a shelter for women and children fleeing from domestic violence and conflict homes. Therefore the identities of the residents at the shelter are kept confidential because they often have difficulty carrying out the regular day to day tasks that we take for granted because they are constantly looking over their shoulder. We are so glad that together we helped to ease that burden.
Merry Christmas!
Driven By… Community Book Drive 2019
Our 2019 Community Book Drive was an incredible success! Again, we collected gently used fiction books from our community to put them back into our library system and enrich our library system for all to enjoy. We graciously thank all those who supported the cause this year and donated their books! You have helped to improve the Mississauga Library System! This year, we donated 6 full boxes of books to the Mississauga Central Library and we couldn’t have done it without you! It doesn’t take much to change a community, it just takes a little change from a lot of great people. Stay Driven.
Adopt-A-Park Initiative Clean Up (August 18th, 2019)
Despite how impossible a task may seem, it is important to take a step forward and make an effort! This year Driven By... decided to adopt Erin Mills Twin Arena Park and tackle a small portion of the litter crisis and have fun while doing it! While cleaning the park throughout the Spring and Summer, we have seen a major reduction in the amount of litter in the park!
On August 18th, we had our final park clean up for 2019 and collected a total of 160 lbs of garbage. This makes for a grand total of 704 lbs of trash collect from Erin Mills Twin Arena Park this year!
We cannot thank our volunteers enough for their time and effort in such a great accomplishment! Through both rain and shine, our volunteers worked hard to leave our park spotless, picking up the smallest cigarette butts to large pieces of plastic, we have certainly improved the health of the environment in our park!
We must also thank Athletic Eatery and Pillar of Health for attending our final park clean up and keeping our participants hydrated and free of aches and pains!
Driven By… Charity Soccer Tournament 2019
On July 7th, 2019 we had our very first Charity Soccer Tournament.
Our 5 team captains, James, Nikki, Marise, Daevon and Ericka brought their teams to play and have a great time! All teams left their hearts on the field! The championship team won a prize basket valued over $1200 donated by several local vendors.
At 3:00pm, over 20 children of the Boys & Girls Club of Peel arrived by bus to attend the tournament! Several athletes and volunteers took time to run soccer workshops with the children to help develop their soccer skills! After their workshops, the children got to cheer on their favourite team in the semi-finals!
All participants had nothing but positive feedback to share about our event and our volunteers! Together we raised a final total of $660.38 for the Boys & Girls Club of Peel.
Boys & Girls Club of Peel Soccer Workshops
Teaching children a new sport is a great way to build character and enhance their ability to work in teams!
Driven By... was able to attend and teach alongside Brampton Soccer Club and the Boys & Girls Club of Peel at Oxford's Grand Opening of the new soccer field at Brampton Towers. All the children of the Boys & Girls Club came out received their very own soccer balls and had a blast as we ran soccer drills with them!
Driven By… also runs biweekly soccer workshops with the children (ages 3-12) of the Boys & Girls Club of Peel teaching them the fundamentals of the sport!
Lakeside Park Clean Up
On Sunday June 23rd, we were all Driven By... making a difference! Matthew Brz from Clarkson Secondary School recognized the overwhelming amount of litter polluting Lakeside Park in Mississauga. He reached out to Driven By... to organize a Park Clean Up and our volunteers came out to clean!
274 lbs of litter was what was collected by our amazing crew! Smiles all around, it was incredible to see how dedicated our team was! These special people are making our world a more beautiful and clean place! Thank you to each and every one of you!
Adopt-A-Park Initiative Clean Up (June 9th, 2019)
Our Second Park Clean Up for our Adopt-A-Park Initiative was a major success! Since our last clean up, the park is flourishing with plants and trees, making it a bit more difficult to see the litter.
Although you may not see the litter at first glance, it was definitely there! This time around we collected a total of 145 lbs of litter!
Thank you to all our volunteers who helped remove litter from Erin Mills Twin Arena Park!
Driven By… Adopt-A-Park Initiative
Our first park clean up as part of the Driven By… Adopt-A-Park Initiative was a great success! On April 28th, 2019, our team of volunteers met at Erin Mills Twin Arena excited to clear the park of litter! Put into teams of two and spreading out to cover the park, we were surprised at the objects we found! From full sets of tires, plastic buckets, hundreds of cigarette butts, plastic poles, food wraps, beer bottles, styrofoam and so much more! This reminded everyone to be more conscious of disposing of litter properly. As a team, we collectively picked up 399lbs of garbage! Everyone was shocked at how much garbage there was and how much we were able to collect in a short period of time! Thank you to everyone who came to help make a difference! We will see you at the next park clean up day!
Ball 4 Change (Samantha’s 25th)
There comes a time in our lives when we begin to look at things greater than ourselves, where we celebrate ourselves by celebrating others. This came true for Samantha Hallig as she turned 25 years old. Samantha Hallig of Mississauga wanted to celebrate her birthday by giving to back to others, so she partnered with Driven By… Co. to create “Ball 4 Change.” She came up with the idea knowing that she wanted to do something significant, and with her love of basketball, she came up with the perfect event.
Ball 4 Change on February 17th, 2019, was a basketball tournament where instead of paying to play, players made a donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Peel through Driven By… Co. Split into 4 teams, each team played a total of 4 games. With a variety of skill levels across the room, it was great to see how everyone made each game very inclusive for all players. Everyone left their hearts on the court and the winning team walked away with gifts from the birthday girl herself! MVP awards were given to Joelle and Kyle, who gave 110% effort! We also raffled off a Driven By… hoodie and 2019 planner to raise extra money for the Boys & Girls Club of Peel.
Everyone had such positive feedback for the event and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Together we raised over $300 for the Boys & Girls Club of Peel between player donations and raffle ticket sales. It was an incredibly successful event that we hope inspires others! Happy Birthday Samantha! Thank you for Balling 4 Change!
DrivenBy… Holiday Food Drive 2018
The 2018 DrivenBy... Holiday Food Drive has been a great success. With the help of many generous and caring individuals we have delivered the gifts to Armagh on December 18th. The directors and child & youth works at Armagh were overjoyed to see that we were back again for another year with even more to give! This year we raised $220 that was used to purchase 5 boxes of non-perishable food items! In addition, some individuals kindly donated toys and books as gifts for the children. In total there were over 10 boxes filled with donations! Thank you so much to everyone who donated, thank you for making a difference in the community and for helping to rebuild lives. We don't have to walk our journey alone, and you proved that!
Project Sunshine YPC Event:
“Shine On! A Metropolitan Affair”
On November 9th, 2018, we had the opportunity to donate some DrivenBy... clothing to the silent auction at the Project Sunshine YPC Event. “Shine On! A Metropolitan Affair” a fundraising event to support the mission of Project Sunshine to transform medical centres into cheerful places for paediatric patients and their families. With our support and the support of many other generous individuals, the event raised over $20,000! Thank you to the organizers and especially to Liz Wood, co-chair, for inviting us and all her work to make a difference.
DrivenBy… Community Book Drive
The DrivenBy… Community Book Drive of 2018 was a great success! Thank you to everyone who took the time to gather books off of their shelves and donate them to the cause! On October 24th, 2018, the books were dropped off at South Common Library, where the books enter a library book sale. The proceeds from the book sale go to purchasing brand new books for the library!
Be proud that you have been a part of improving the quality of the Mississauga library system!
DrivenBy… School Supply Drive
The DrivenBy... School Supply Drive was a major success! Thank you to everyone who made a contribution and thank you for being a part of the solution. Four large boxes of school supplies were taken to the Boys and Girls Club of Peel on August 23rd, 2018. The Boys and Girls Club of Peel is a non-profit organization that works with youth of all ages to teach leadership and inclusiveness. This organization fosters long term relationships with the youth who find themselves returning to volunteer and help those younger than them grow into DRIVEN individuals.
DrivenBy... Beach Clean-Up
Working as a team, we collected over 50lbs of trash on Burlington Beach on May 27th 2018. We made a huge statement on the beach as many sun bathers asked questions and commended us for what we were doing. We really don't realize how our waste is all around us!
All the volunteers who were involved, explained that doing this exercise was really eye opening for them. They felt accomplished and energized, that they were able to make a tangible environmental impact.
DrivenBy... Holiday Food Drive 2017
The Holiday Food Drive in 2017 was a major success. Together we filled over 8 boxes of non-perishable foods and donated them to Armagh, a local shelter for women and children in crisis.
Donations Tracker (Boys & Girls Club & Other Charities)
Organizations We Have Supported:
2018: Boys & Girls Club of Peel
2019: Boys & Girls Club of Peel
2020: Boys & Girls Club of Peel, Black Lives Matter, Indigenous Women’s Fund of Canada, SickKids Hospital, Cure For Claire
2021: Boys & Girls Club of Peel, Shelter Movers, Love Without Limits, Black Health Alliance, The Mississauga Food Bank
2022: Boys & Girls Club of Peel, Global Medic (Ukraine Conflict Response Fund)
2023: BGC Peel