Many students are concerned that they were scammed by aggressive charity canvassers on campus in the last several weeks.
Women claiming to represent the Children’s Joy Foundation, a charity aimed at raising money for children in the Philippines, have been approaching students and asking for money to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
The CJF is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency as a charity.
Robert Castle, senior executive officer for York’s vp finance and administration, says the organization never applied for a permit to use university space, and soliciting organizations are rarely granted permission to do so.
Danny Chen, a third-year economics major, says he was approached at the William Small Centre by a Filipino woman in business attire. She flashed an ID, put a pen in his hand, and demanded he sign his name and donate to typhoon victims in the Philippines.
“I was overwhelmed at the moment by many emotions. I was confused and surprised to say the least,” says Chen.
“When she handed me the pen, I looked at the list; the amount of donations ranged from $20 to $100.”
Chen handed the canvasser a $10 bill and wrote down his donation amount. However, he claims the canvasser noticed a $20 note in his wallet and crossed out his original amount, replacing it with $20. Chen reluctantly pulled out the bill and gave it to her, at which point the canvasser moved on to other students.
Feeling suspicious, Chen alerted York Security, but by the time an officer arrived, the canvasser had left.
John Kim, a first-year history major, was approached by a woman who claimed her brother had died in the disaster. Kim told the canvasser he would go to the ATM and withdraw money for her. The canvasser followed him to the TD ATM in Central Square, and before he inserted his card, she asked if he would donate $100. Then, she demanded a $50 donation. Kim explained he would only be able to donate $20. He filled out a form, handed her the cash, and walked away.
Kim then realized he had been aggressively approached for a donation by this woman a month prior at Square One in Mississauga.
The next day, Kim was approached by another woman canvassing students for donations and inquired about which organization she was representing. Upon finding out she was from CJF, he asked the woman for a letter of authorization and identification.
The woman produced a pamphlet and an photo ID from the CJF, and Kim took a photo of her ID.
Priscilla Abayon, a volunteer with CJF in Canada, verified to Excalibur that the woman in the photo indeed represents the organization.
Kim also alerted York Security, but officers were not able to find canvassers in the areas he indicated. Many students have been approached by this organization, according to posts on the YorkU Memes Facebook page.
“Had an Asian lady come up to me and [she] just flat out asked for a donation. Felt sketchy and didn’t donate. Didn’t even talk about the ‘fundraiser,’ just wanted money,” wrote David Dell’Angelo.
“I just got approached. I got asked to donate ‘from the bottom of my heart,’” wrote another student, Julian Keliar. “I got my face thrown into a laminated booklet and shown a piece of ID.”
“She gave off this vibe though, like she was rushing me to donate. I didn’t, and she briskly walked immediately on to the next person she saw.”
CJF is a registered charity in Canada and according to its website, the foundation “seeks to assist the neglected, abandoned and surrendered children and youth in achieving their dreams through better education, physical and spiritual nourishment, above all God-loving and God centred individuals.”
However, there have been complaints surrounding CJF’s canvassing tactics outside of Ontario as well.
“The complaints in [other provinces] were that these people were getting overly aggressive and to their knowledge it was a scam,” said Bruce Rogerson, director of security and traffic at the University of New Brunswick to The Brunswickian.
Similar stories have surfaced around Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Abayon says volunteers are trained and given an orientation before they’re allowed to canvass on behalf of the charity and that she was not aware that representatives were canvassing at York.
“What we do is make sure groups that are making use of university space have a permit to do so,” says Castle. “Generally speaking, we’re very limited in who we grant permits to from the external community.”
When organizations are given a permit to use York space, they are required to carry the permit with them, and students should feel free to ask canvassers to see it.
Tamara Khandaker
Editor-in-Chief
