We’re pleased to release two 2012 dates for Enterprising Non-Profits Alberta “Building Your Social Enterprise” workshop.

Our goal in 2012 is to broaden our reach throughout Alberta to offer these workshops and funding for technical assistance for building social enterprises.

You can now register for February workshop in Calgary and our March workshop in Sylvan Lake.

If you are interested in bringing our Building Your Social Enterprise workshop to your community, we are looking for a Partner for April 2012 and as we set dates for Fall 2012.

Attending the workshop provides you with the basics on social enterprise, the framework on how to proceed, and an opportunity to apply for our Technical Assistance Grants.

If you’ve been following along this year, you’ll have noticed that our social media wiz, Stephanie, came up with a great concept to recognize social enterprises from around Canada.

Each Friday, since February, she’s profiled a social enterprise (who also has a Twitter account) with a Follow Friday (#FF).  Stephanie has searched across Canada, all of the provinces and the territories to come up with some amazing examples of Canadian social enterprise.

Since our launch, that equal 30 weeks & 30 profiles of social enterprises.  As a holiday treat to you, here’s our 2011 Canadian Social Enterprise #FF Round-Up.

Thank you for a great idea & great dedication, Stephanie!

• #FF: Follow Friday @battleharbour from Battle Island, Labrador When is the last time you took a vacation that included: - exploring a historic fishing village - whale and bird watching - sleeping in a heritage home lit by oil lamps - witnessing a parade of massive icebergs If your answer is never, I ...
• #FF: Follow Friday @calgarystampede from Calgary, Alberta Visions of bull riders, cowboy hats, mini donuts, and chuckwagons most often come to mind when people think of the Calgary Stampede. But the Stampede is so more than the world’s richest outdoor rodeo and an excuse to wear jeans to work. It’s also a ve...
• #FF: Follow Friday @CommonThreadVan from Vancouver, British Columbia Have you ever been to a conference that handed out tote bags made out of repurposed Olympic banners? What about book bags created from recycled vinyl building wrap? If you can't answer yes to these questions, it's likely because you haven't yet attend...
• #FF: Follow Friday @Cornerstoneyyj from Victoria, British Columbia Where would you go tonight if you had the urge to hear live music at a café that gives back to the community? If you live in Victoria, that’s an easy craving to satisfy. All you need to do is head down to The Cornerstone Café! Not only does this café ...
• #FF: Follow Friday @EMBERSGR from Vancouver, British Columbia Now that school zones are back in effect, and the sun is setting a little earlier each day, it’s time to start preparing for the cold months ahead. If you’re located in Vancouver, and are already worried about how much it will cost to heat your home t...
• #FF: Follow Friday @FHSNL from St. John’s, NL Does your family have links to Newfoundland and Labrador that you’re interested in exploring? Perhaps you’d like to find out about your great-grandparents, who were married in Corner Brook. Or maybe you need to know what year your great aunt was born ...
• #FF: Follow Friday @FortWhyteAlive from Winnipeg, Manitoba If you live in Winnipeg, and want to escape to the country this weekend, why not take a trip to FortWhyte Alive? Located just 20 minutes from downtown, FortWhyte Alive is one of Canada’s premier privately owned, non-profit outdoor education and recrea...
• #FF: Follow Friday @Good_Foot from Toronto, Ontario Have you ever looked around a crowded city bus and wondered where exactly everyone was going? Well if you've done that in Toronto, one of the passengers could have been working for an environmentally-friendly social enterprise that provides them with ...
• #FF: Follow Friday @havecafe from Vancouver, British Columbia I don’t know about you, but I find that food tastes better when I dine at a restaurant that’s a social enterprise. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of satisfying your hunger and making a social contribution all on the same tab, you should see what ...
• #FF: Follow Friday @HollyhockLive from Cortes Island, British Columbia Saving all your pennies to attend an inspirational workshop in paradise? Want to go kayaking, get a massage, and eat gourmet food on your next trip? Convinced the best vacations involve airplanes, cars, floatplanes and ferries? If you answered...
• #FF: Follow Friday @HungryHeartCaf1 from St. John’s, Newfoundland Falling into a lunchtime routine can lead to tired taste buds, dull conversation, and uninspired afternoons.  But if you live in St. John’s, this doesn’t have to be your fate!  The next time you’re looking to enjoy a nutritious and delicious lunch tha...
• #FF: Follow Friday @InspiredPottery from Toronto, Ontario While it’s still too early to be thinking about putting up decorations, the holiday season is just around the corner. If you live in Toronto and are in the market for unique gift ideas that benefit members of your community, why not pay a visit to Ins...
• #FF: Follow Friday @MegaphoneMag from Vancouver, B.C. Sick of buying magazines full of nothing but ads? Fed up with lining the pockets of the Oprah Winfreys and Martha Stewarts of the world? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you should check out Vancouver’s Megaphone Magazine the next tim...
• #FF: Follow Friday @MP_Enterprises from Vancouver, British Columbia What’s worse than finding graffiti on your property? Having to clean it up yourself, of course! If you live in Vancouver, and find some unsolicited artwork on your home, you should call MP Enterprises to take care of the mess for you. Their graffiti r...
• #FF: Follow Friday @nkmipcellars from Osoyoos, British Columbia If you’re looking for something special to toast Canada’s 144th birthday, I highly suggest you pick up a bottle of Nk’Mip (pronounced in-ka-meep) Cellars wine. Not only is Nk’Mip North America’s first Aboriginal owned and operated winery, but they’ve ...
• #FF: Follow Friday @PromiseofaPearl from Halifax, Nova Scotia Visiting a mall in the next few weeks is bound to be a trying experience. If you’re looking to skip the hassle this year and purchase gifts from the comfort of home, you should take at look at The Promise of a Pearl’s online store. There’s sure to be ...
• #FF: Follow Friday @swap_team located across North America Have you ever been involved in a clothing swap that includes 200-400 participants and benefits charities, the public, and the environment? If not, you must have missed the last Take off Your Clothes event hosted by your local S.W.A.P  Team chapter. Bu...
• #FF: Follow Friday @theSoupBee from Winnipeg, Manitoba On Twitter, there’s a phenomenon called Follow Friday that allows people to recommend their favourite tweeters to all of their followers. Follow Friday is a great way to spread the word about people and/or groups in a realm where it can sometimes be diffi...
• #FF: Follow Friday @unitedwecan from Vancouver, B.C. Since 1995, United We Can has been operating self sustaining urban enterprises to create community, income, and job training for people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. As their extremely well chosen motto states, United We Can is a street charity th...
• #FF: Follow Friday @VCNwebteam from Vancouver, British Columbia Do you work at, volunteer for, or know of a nonprofit in the Vancouver area that could benefit from a boost to their online presence? If so, you should let them know about VCN | webteam, a social enterprise located in Gastown that provides professiona...
• #FF: Follow Friday @WFGCinematheque from Winnipeg, Manitoba Everyone loves going to the movies, right? Well if you’re a Winnipeg-based film aficionado, you have yet another reason to take in a flick because you have access to the Winnipeg Film Group’s Cinematheque. In operation for the past 30 years, this arti...
• #FF: Follow Friday Beadworks (via @ochottawa) from Ottawa, Ontario Historians believe that humans have been adorning themselves with jewellery for at least the last 75,000 years. I’m willing to bet you are taking part in this long history by wearing at least one piece of jewellery right now. But are you wearing a pie...
• #FF: Follow Friday Cosmos Bottle Depot (via @CosmosCDSF) from Red Deer, Alberta Although the white stuff isn’t flying yet, it will be soon enough. Rather than waiting until you have to scrape an inch of ice off your windshield, now would be a good time to take in all those bottles you’ve been stockpiling over the past few months....
• #FF: Follow Friday Cycle Salvation (via @CausewayWork) from Ottawa, Ontario Did you know that June 5 – 11, 2011 is Environment Week in Canada? No matter where you live, this would be a good week to put away your car keys and use an environmentally-friendly way to get to wherever it is you need to be. If you're in the Ottawa are...
• #FF: Follow Friday EcoStore (via @greencalgary) from Calgary, Alberta Looking to extend your Earth Day celebrations past today (April 22)? You should check out the wares on sale at Calgary’s EcoStore. Operated by Green Calgary, this environmentally-focused social enterprise carries an array of green items for use in you...
• #FF: Follow Friday Free Geek (@freegeekvan & @FreeGeekToronto) from Vancouver and Toronto My inner tech-nerd got so excited when I stumbled upon Free Geek for this week`s Follow Friday.  Started in Portland in 2000, Free Geek has expanded to a dozen cities around North America.  Lucky for Canada, we`ve got two in Vancouver and Toronto. Free...
• #FF: Follow Friday Hope Blooms (via @NorthEndCHC) from Halifax, Nova Scotia Well all know that eating salad is good for the waistline, but did you know that it can also be good for your community? In Halifax, a youth-driven social enterprise called Hope Blooms makes it easy to eat your greens and support grassroots philanthropy...
• #FF: Follow Friday Hull Psychological Services (via @hullcalgary) from Calgary, Alberta We live in a fast paced society, and a multitude of responsibilities need to be juggled on a daily basis. While dealing with the pressures of life can be an overwhelming experience, finding a psychologist to help you cope doesn't have to be. If you ar...
• #FF: Follow Friday My Sister’s Closet (via @EndingViolence) from Vancouver, British Columbia Ever had one of those days when your closet indicates that you need something new to wear, but your bank balance doesn't quite agree?  If you’re a Vancouver-based fashionista, you don’t need to have such bank-closet disputes! Be good to both your wall...
• #FF: Follow Friday Windfall Brides via @WindfallBasics from Toronto, Ontario What do you do if you're a bride-to-be, and you must have the wedding dress of your dreams, but your budget only has room for a veil at best? Well, if you live in Toronto, you check out Windfall Brides, a boutique that offers brand new, high-end weddi...

The Trico Charitable Foundation was established in December of 2008 as an evolution of Wayne and Eleanor Chiu’s philanthropic endeavours.  Our focus is promoting the development of effective and successful models, concepts and principles related to the national advancement of social enterprise.

One of the programs within the Foundation is the Social EnterPrize.  This program provides awards funding and education through a national conference and Social “EnterPrize”.  The Social EnterPrize recognizes Canadian leaders and non-profit organizations that are effectively using social enterprise to deepen their community impact. Up to four awards can be granted to organizations and individuals.

Announced recently at our Enterprising Spirit: Creating Value and Social Good Conference, the 2011 winners of the Social EnterPrize are:

Organizational winners:

The mission of Potluck Café & Catering is community employment and community nutrition and a commitment to sustainable environmental practices in its café and catering business.  The social enterprise was founded in 2001 and it is a neighbourhood café and professional catering services to corporate, government and clients in Vancouver.  Their impact includes 30,000 meals prepared and served annually to 100 most vulnerable downtown east side residents (DTES), job training for 10 – 24  DTES community residents, four to six internships – all to people with barriers to employment, and an additional 500 to 1000 DTES free meals for residents of the DTES.  They are a unique model of social enterprise because they generate 85 – 90% revenue from their catering business, they receive no government funding, they have strong grass roots connection to their community and it is a replicable food training model for other non-profit organizations to consider as a revenue generating model.

Mission Possible is a Christian humanitarian agency that transforms lives by helping people experiencing homelessness and poverty achieve a renewed sense of dignity and purpose through meaningful work.  Their social enterprise is MP Maintenance, founded in 2009 and it is a property maintenance business that includes services such as graffiti removal, exterior property cleaning services and site cleanup.  Since their creation of the social enterprise in 2009 they have helped 36 people and employed 23 people, with 8 people currently servicing 60 customers in the Vancouver area.  They are a unique model of social enterprise as they have strong business acumen complemented by charismatic leadership, with a strong group of dedicated volunteers resulting in significant impact in a short time.  They are also poised for substantial growth with a recent contract from BC Hydro to install smart meters.

Individual winner:

Caroline Arcand, Groupe Convex Prescott-Russell

Caroline Arcand is the instigator of 10 social enterprises, a prominent speaker, coach and leader.  Witnessing the increase in self-esteem of disabled people at work inspires her.  The mission of her non-profit, Groupe Convex Prescott-Russell, located in Hawksbury, Ontario, is to generate meaningful jobs through business projects for residents who face employment challenges.  One of their successful social enterprises is Recycle Action, a sorting facility, industry collector, and receiver of recyclable products from BlueBox, commercial and industrial sectors.  The impact in their community is significant with the development of multiple community partnerships, serving over 30,000 households, 41 schools, 159 businesses and 5 municipalities.  They are unique as their work successfully blends social, economic, environmental issues while creating jobs and generating revenue.  They have a proven track record, and address a need in their rural community.  Caroline Arcand is a strong leader and social entrepreneur driving the organization.