Telecom company makes cash donation to Tropicana program

By Lincoln DePradine

Visiting the digital lab (l-r) are Sharon Shelton, Lisa Cotton of Freedom Mobile, and Tropicana President Jenny Gumbs

A Toronto-based social service agency, whose clients include thousands of people from the city’s Caribbean community, has received a cash donation for one of its education programs from Freedom Mobile, a subsidiary of the telecommunications company, Shaw.

Freedom Mobile has donated $25,000 in support of digital technology at the computer lab at Tropicana Community Services.

The announcement was made Monday at the opening of an art exhibition in Scarborough at the Huntingwood headquarters of Tropicana.

“At Freedom Mobile,’’ said company representative Lisa Cotton, “we’re committed to working with organizations like Tropicana that make a difference in the lives of children and youth in the communities that we call home. As a national communications company, we understand how important it is for youth to have the skills necessary to navigate digital technology.’’

Tropicana, in recognition of the cash donation, has renamed its digital facility “The Lab Powered by Freedom Mobile’’.

The exhibition, which runs until July 31, is titled “The Art of Caribbean’’. It features not just artwork but also costumes, in commemoration of this year’s 50th anniversary of carnival in Toronto; a festival that began under the name “Caribana’’, in 1967.

Among the visitors to the exhibition on Monday were CEO of Toronto Carnival, Denise Herrera-Jackson, and Chin Lee, Councillor for Scarborough-Rouge River. Lee described the exhibition as “great’’. He was particularly impressed, he said, with the “details that go into making the costumes’’.

“It’s good to see local people carrying on traditions of their heritage,’’ Lee said.

The artwork on display include photographs of carnival taken by Jamaican-Canadian Patrick Halsall and Ian Grant, who migrated to Canada from Grenada more than 35 years ago.

Tropicana took up residency at its current site three years ago, and the executive director said usage of the building has been steadily increasing.

“It is amazing what has happened in the three years,’’ Sharon Shelton said. “We rent the community room and we have people renting for next year already. It is beautiful space. Every time somebody new walks in, they are really shocked at how amazing the building is.’’

As far as the hosting of the exhibition is concerned, Shelton said:  “We felt that we had to do something to celebrate carnival in the Canada 150 Year. We just thought it would be a great way to expose some of the artists, some of the costumes from the past, to celebrate 50 years of carnival in Toronto.’’