Luso Canadian Charitable Society

10/13/2025

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Luso!

Today, we celebrate the spirit of gratitude, but in the past few days, Luso participants in Peel, Toronto and Hamilton have been celebrating the season in the best way: preparing decorations, themed snacks and having tons & tons of fun! And our thanks to Luso Peel participant Cody’s mom for adorning our Centre once again!

Today, we show gratitude for our loved ones, the blessings we've received, and the ongoing support from our community. Your generosity continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals living with disabilities and their families! 🍂

10/10/2025

Today, we were pleased to welcome Diane Campos from Campos Immigration Consultancy Group Inc., who, along with a wonderful group of ladies, raised $1,000 in support of Luso’s programs and services for individuals with special needs.

Our sincere thanks to Diane, her team, and the many generous people who supported the Campos Immigration Consultancy Raffle Fundraiser, continuing to raise funds to boost this year’s Volta donations.

This year’s Volta was truly incredible. The community once again stepped up in every way possible.

And while the walk & bicycle ride may be over, the "Donate" button on our website (www.lusovolta.ca) remains open until October 31.

As we celebrate the Thanksgiving season, we are truly grateful to everyone who helps make our mission possible and who makes a real difference in the lives of families and individuals living with disabilities! Thank you, from all of us at Luso!

10/10/2025

This past Saturday, Luso Support Centre Toronto hosted a community BBQ lunch for Luso participants and their families. The event was a way to show appreciation for the families we support and to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving season.

It was a special day for everyone involved. For participants, it was a chance to return to their second favorite home and enjoy a meal with friends and family; for families, it was an opportunity to connect with one another and share meaningful conversations.

This lunch was made possible thanks to the generosity of Mr. John Branco of , who donated all the chicken for the event.

A huge thank you to Mr. John Branco for his kindness and support, and to all the volunteers who helped on the day!

10/07/2025

Yesterday, we celebrated World Cerebral Palsy Day, standing in solidarity with the 17 million people around the world living with CP, and with their families and caregivers.

For over two decades, Luso has been committed to building a more inclusive, accessible, and empowering community for individuals of all abilities and backgrounds, including our own participants living with CP.

With the continued support of our community, we are building brighter future for people with disabilities.

Thank you for Moving Forward with Luso!

10/01/2025

🧡Yesterday, Canada marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and — a time to honour the children who never came home, the survivors, and their families and communities.

At Luso, our participants & staff wore orange to show their support and raise awareness of this important day. They reflected on the history of residential schools, learned about Indigenous culture, and expressed solidarity through meaningful art projects and activities.
Together, we remain committed to learning, reflecting, and walking the path of reconciliation.🧡

10/01/2025

09/30/2025

This year's 11th Annual Volta Luso Charities, presented by LIUNA Local 183, was a true testament to the strength and generosity of our community. We welcomed over 1,000 participants from across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, all united in support of individuals living with disabilities and their families!

With the help of everyone, we surpassed our fundraising goal, raising over $500,000 (with donations still coming in!). These funds will directly support Luso’s Day Programs; Day & Overnight Respite Care; and the development of 24/7 supportive housing for aging adults with disabilities.

We consider that this was a special year, for several reasons. We saw more teams and individuals stepping up and “competing” for top fundraiser spots, and we registered a record number of walkers who enjoyed the beautiful routes in both Hamilton and Mississauga, and displayed unparalleled camaraderie.

One of the many highlights in Mississauga was that we were honoured to be joined by Mr. Mike Trauner - Veteran & Para-Athlete, a highly decorated military veteran and world-class Para-athlete, along with his wife Leah. Mike led our 80 KM cyclists and had the honour of cutting the first ribbon of Volta. His presence was incredibly inspiring: a true Canadian hero reminding us that no matter what life throws at you, never give up, always strive to be the best version of yourself and be generous towards others.

In Hamilton, Volta carried its own special magic. Many families and supporters gathered to share a joyful and peaceful Sunday together. We think a new tradition was born when one of our Volta walkers, in her 80s, fulfilled her lifelong dream of riding a motorbike! Thanks to the various groups of moto riders who organized a ride in support of Volta once again, one rider made her dream come true. We are curious to see what other dreams we will be fulfilling at the 2026 edition!

Throughout the day, the positive energy was through the roof, and people left Volta with a sense of fulfillment. When you support a worthy cause, you leave uplifted. And your support uplifts the lives of our participants and their families!

𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐓𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫, 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫, 𝐋𝐮𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟, 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 – 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔! 𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. Special thanks to our venue hosts and their respective staff and volunteers: the Portuguese Cultural Centre of Mississauga and the LIUNA Station.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫’𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐭! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 “𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞” 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟏𝐬𝐭. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞: www.lusovolta.ca

📸 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝! 𝐖𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬. 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬!

From all of us at Luso, on behalf of the participants and families we support, THANK YOU for being part of this unforgettable event and for making a real difference in the lives of individuals living with disabilities.

Together, we are moving forward and building a brighter future!

09/28/2025

September 28th… the day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! The 11th Annual Volta Luso Charities, presented by LIUNA Local 183, kicks off today and will be yet another incredible show of community spirit! We're expecting an estimated 1,000 participants across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, rallying together to support vital programs and services for individuals living with physical and/or developmental disabilities.

To help start the day, we're honoured to share a message of best wishes from The Hon. FordNation for this incredible community event.

To everyone walking, cycling, donating, volunteering, or just celebrating with us: THANK YOU for being part of a cause that truly changes lives! Your support helps Luso continue to be a lifeline for so many families and individuals striving to live fully, independently and empowered to reach their true potential.

🚴‍♂️🚶‍♀️ We’re ready to welcome you at the and in Hamilton!

Can’t make it in person? You can still support online at www.lusovolta.ca, and follow the through the many social media stories Luso will be tagged in and sharing throughout the event!

Let’s make this one the greatest Volta yet!

09/28/2025

From Toronto (where Luso was founded over two decades ago) comes a heartfelt message of support from Alejandra Bravo, City Councillor for Ward 9 (Davenport) and a longtime Luso friend, ahead of the 11th Annual Volta Luso Charities, presented by LIUNA Local 183, happening in just a few hours!

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 in either Mississauga or Hamilton and receive a Free Volta T-shirt* (*limited to available quantities). It’s not too late to get involved!

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞, by visiting www.lusovolta.ca, registering as a participant and making a donation!

All funds raised will go directly toward Luso’s day & overnight programs and services for individuals with disabilities, and to help establish residential housing for aging adults with disabilities.

𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 with your family, friends, and colleagues!

Let’s unite and show our support for the amazing individuals in our community living with disabilities.

09/28/2025

𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲. The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area will gather for one of the most noble causes in our community at the 𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐚 𝐋𝐮𝐬𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, proudly presented by LIUNA Local 183.

In this collection of videos, you’ll hear comments from families who benefit from Luso’s essential programs and services. These families count on your support. We all invite you to join Volta!
If you can’t attend in person at Portuguese Cultural Centre of Mississauga or LIUNA Station, you can still make a difference:

💻 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞:
At Volta's Website: www.lusovolta.ca

Alternatively, at Luso’s main website: www.lusoccs.org

🫶 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞:

𝐞𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫: donations@lusoccs.org
(Include a memo: "Your Name – Volta Donation")

𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭/𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐭: Online or by phone at 905-858-8197 (during business hours)

𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐡: Drop off at any of our Luso Centres

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞: Due to the Canada Post strike, we recommend delivering cheques in person or using a courier service.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐋𝐮𝐬𝐨’𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

Thank you for being part of this incredible cause. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for the greatest Volta ever!

09/27/2025

The 11th Annual Volta Luso Charities, presented by LIUNA Local 183, is almost here! Tomorrow is shaping up to be a fantastic day filled with camaraderie, support, and fun, all thanks to the incredible efforts of wonderful members of our community, including our event participants!
We’re excited to share a day of community spirit 100% dedicated to supporting the lives of persons with physical and/or developmental disabilities.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 in either Mississauga or Hamilton. It’s not too late to get involved!

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞, by visiting www.lusovolta.ca, registering as a participant and making a donation!

All funds raised will go directly toward Luso’s day & overnight programs and services for individuals with disabilities, and to help establish residential housing for aging adults with disabilities.
With over 1,000 participants expected tomorrow, we’re getting closer to our fundraising goal of $450,000! We ask for your help in reaching (and surpassing!) this goal. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a huge impact on the 300+ families we support each year.

Thank you for being part of this important cause and we do hope seeing you tomorrow for a great community celebration!