The Children's Storefront Needs A New Home

Since posting Saturday about an unknown fire on Bathurst south of Dupont, I've learned that it was the building that housed The Children's Storefront that burned down and that a firefighter was injured while fighting the blaze.
Sad, sad news.
As a mother new to the neighbourhood with two young children I spent countless hours at the storefront with my kids in tow. The kids played, I chatted with other parents and volunteers and any necessary parenting resources were at my fingertips.
It was a special, happy, nuturing place and it helped to keep me on track as I struggled to raise two active children who were born less than 14 months apart.
And mine is just one of the countless stories about the Storefront, which has been operating for decades. This Toronto Star story sums it up nicely.
On the bright side, I'm happy to discover that talk of rebuilding has begun already. There is a Facebook page entitled The Children's Storefront Needs A New Home.
I'm hopeful that this neighbourhood institution will continue on, though in a new form, and continue its vital work. If you're not a Facebook member and you want to help, try sending an email.
Vanessa
NB Since posting this, someone asked me about the state of the very active and much-loved Annex Art Centre, which is just south of the Children's Storefront. I just had a face-to-face chat with Nusa and the Annex Art Centre is open for business as usual. It appears that most businesses are though, as of this morning, a stretch of Bathurst is still blocked off to cars, which might make access difficult.
I also posted an article online at the Examiner.com.