about us

ThinkFirst Toronto is engaged with working within the community providing information about preventing brain and spinal cord injury. The Toronto Chapter is very dynamic - working with partners across the city to engage the public, raise awareness and keep children and youth active and healthy. Our volunteers are often joined by ThinkFirst VIPs (Voices of Injury Prevention). Our VIPs have sustained a brain or spinal cord injury and can communicate the importance of thinking first first hand.

In conjunction with the school presentations, the Toronto Chapter has several injury prevention partners to help spread its message through workshops, Brain Day, and Helmet Clinics. ThinkFirst Toronto aims to help encourage individuals to take part in safe and healthy activities, wearing the right gear and thinking first before they play. We are pleased to be able to help those who are at higher risk for injury. We would like to thank the MLSE Team Up Foundation, as well as Medtronic Foundation for their generous support of ThinkFirst's activities in the Greater Toronto Area.

We are always looking for volunteers committed to spreading ThinkFirst's messages. Please email Paula, if you would like more information about how to get involved in Toronto.

our work includes

Community Education: We are able to provide information communities across the GTA about the importance of helmet use and proper fitting. Through Helmet Clinics and resources such as Which Helmet for Which Activity and 2V1 Helmet Fitting Cards, we are able to support Toronto Communities and build the capacity for individuals and families to keep their helmet properly fitted.

TIPSY: The ThinkFirst Injury Prevention Strategy for Youth (TIPSY) at St. Michael's Hospital is an injury prevention program that is offered to high school students in the Greater Toronto Area. The program is taught by an inter-professional team of nurses, physicians, and representatives from the Toronto Police Services, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and a Voice of Injury Prevention (VIP) and includes tours of the Trauma Unit and Emergency Room. To learn more about TIPSY, click here.

Brain Day: The University of Toronto St. George Campus site for Brain Day was not only the pilot site for the entire Brain Day program, but is the largest Brain Day site across Canada. Brain Day in Toronto is run by students at the University of Toronto, including St. George, Scarborough, and Mississauga Campuses. In 2010 Brain Day Toronto reached over 7000 elementary students in the GTA.

success stories

• Calling all Hockey Coaches! ThinkFirst Toronto will be attending the MLSE Coaches Open House, on October 1st, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre. Pick up your copy of the ThinkFirst Smart Hockey Video and our new concussion resources. For more information and to register, click here.
• We look forward to attending the Kellsie Memorial Hockey Day on September 24th. We will be sharing our messaging and resources about ThinkFirst Smart Hockey and Concussion Education with the Kids Skills Hockey Development Sessions during the morning. For more information about the 8th Annual Kellsie Memorial, visit http://kellsiememorial.com.
• ThinkFirst Toronto will be attending the Donald Sanderson Memorial Symposium on Monday, September 26th from 7pm-9pm at York University. Register now to attend and learn more about the discussion of the occurrence and treatment of concussion and sport.
• On June 25th ThinkFirst Toronto attended the MEC BIKEFEST. There were helmet fittings, giving away helmets to children and youth in need as well as providing great information on sports safety for the summer! Special thanks to OARA for helping us be a part of this event!
• ThinkFirst Toronto had a blast attending the U of T Family Residence Summer Safety Fair on June 18th. We helped parents learn how to pick out the best helmet for their child, fit many helmets properly and taught families about the 2V1 rule!,
• Our Toronto Chapter joined forces with groups like Bicycle Commons, MEC among others to be a part of the St. James Town Community Festival on Saturday June 4th from 10AM to 4PM!
• ThinkFirst Toronto was thrilled to be a part of the Spring Bike Clinic on April 9th, 2011 alongside partners at It's Chez Nous, Bicycle Commons, Bike Sauce, My First Wheels, MEC and many other partners. This event drew out 280 visitors, saw 207 bicycles fixed as well as 36 bikes donated. ThinkFirst Toronto was there to help out by fitting helmets for kids who received bicycles through the My First Wheels program!
• TF Toronto was pleased to take part in the Bike Clinic, presented by BICYCLE, The City of Toronto and the Toronto Community Foundation as part of the Recipe for Community Project on Friday, September 17th. Thanks to a generous grant from MLSE Team up Foundation, TF Toronto was able to give away 400 helmets at the Wellesley Community Centre in St. James Town.
• U of T Student Family Residence Summer Safety Fair invited ThinkFirst Toronto to have a booth on June 5th, 2010. TF Toronto gave away stickers and tattoos and helped kids have the right fit for their helmet.
• On June 4th, 2010, as part of Safe Kids Week, ThinkFirst Toronto held a community booth at Sick Kids hospital and helped visitors properly fit their helmets.
• Together with EMS, ThinkFirst Toronto provided important injury prevention messages to children at the Ontario Science Centre on May 21st, 2010. (Pictured below: Paula talks to a class about helmets).
  
• 586 helmets have been given away in 2010!
• On May 8th, 2010 ThinkFirst was at the 19th Annual Visions of Science and Technology Symposium. We had hundreds of people come by and visit our booth.
• Since 2002 The Toronto Chapter volunteers have presented to over 30,000 students and saved countless lives from injuries.