On May 12, Little Voice Books joined over 700 walkers in the #WalkForDementia! Walking for the fourth year in a row, the team was excited to be joined this year by friends and family to walk in honour of Little Voice’s author’s grandmother, Teresina Bernardo. This year, the team was able to fundraise a total of $470 dollars to support the programs and services making a difference in the lives of those living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.
The Walk for Dementia raised over $220,000 (and counting) – you can still donate to the Little Voice team until June 30, 2018, donate here! The success of Ottawa’s Walk was made possible through the generosity of all those who participated, donated and raised awareness for this cause! Thank you, as always, for standing behind us! You made our steps count!
All funds raised in the Walk for Dementia stay in the local Ottawa/Renfrew County communities to provide support, education, navigation and resources.
And just like that another year has come and gone…
2017 was a BIG year! We celebrated three years in business, with a growing audience of 4,000+; published our newest book The Lighthouse; established the Be the Light Campaign in support of the National Canadian Mental Health Association; continued our fundraising efforts in support of Alzheimer’s research by participating in the 2017 Walk For Alzheimer’s; hosted eight book signings in our hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; launched our brand new website; made it on Indigo.ca; and supported three new movements in our community. While all of this was pretty big, something even bigger happened in 2017.
By taking the leap from one book title to two, Little Voice decided it was time to grow! While Amanda and Samantha originally created Little Voice with the goal of publishing one book, they realized with the launch of The Lighthouse that they had the passion and drive to publish many more! And so, Little Voice became Little Voice Books – a local Ottawa publishing house with the goal of creating awareness for causes and initiatives through the power of literature and illustration.
Little Voice Books is so thrilled to be able to fill a gap in literature by creating children’s books that trigger a meaningful conversation, whether it is through the words on the page or the illustrations that accompany them.
2016 has been an amazing year for Little Voice and we couldn’t have done it without you!
Each year, Little Voice sets a number of goals that will enable us to plan for the future and make a difference in our community! This past year, Little Voice aimed to increase our outreach, launch our movement, and increase our donations to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Here’s a look back at 2016 and how we managed to reach our goals:
Outreach
Thanks to our community, Little Voice was able to increase our outreach efforts through a number of media outlets:
We were also able to meet many more of our readers at a number of our local Indigo, Chapters and Coles events:
Meeting our readers in person has always been a great opportunity for us to answer your questions and see the impact our book has had in your homes and schools. We hope to put on many more events this upcoming year and to meet many more of you at our local events.
The Little Voice Movement
This past Summer, Little Voice launched our official movement. The movement was our way to give back, not only to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, but to all those searching for a way to fundraise in their communities.
Thanks to CTV and Upfront Ottawa, we were able to share our movement with all of you:
By registering to become an Little Voice Ambassador, you can create your own inspirational movement in your community. Whether you choose to support your school, an important cause, or your future, Little Voice will donate $5 dollars from every book sale you’ve made to support your movement.
You can learn more about our movement on our website and sign-up today … for free!
The Forget Me Not Project
Every year, since publishing Little Voice, we have challenged ourselves to grow our donations to the Alzheimer Society of Canada through the Forget Me Not Project. By participating in the Walk for Alzheimers, Little Voice has been able to work with our local Alzheimer Society chapter and with YOU to fundraise in support of Alzheimer’s research, programs and services! This past year, through your generosity, Little Voice was able to raise $1, 875 dollars.
Little Voice was also very proud to put on the Dream Big Dream, Girl Luncheon that successfully raised $2,000 dollars in support of the Alzheimer Society. Together, we were able to not only get together and feel inspired, but we were also able to empower the next generation of dreamers to make a difference in their own communities.
A BIG thank you to all those who attended and to our guest speakers, sponsors and the Dream, Girl film, which made the event possible!
The New Year is an amazing opportunity to look back on all the little moments that made up the sum of our entire year. It’s a chance to be grateful for all the positivity that came in to your life, to examine where you can grow, and to challenge yourself to reach new heights in the year ahead.
For Little Voice, a new year is an opportunity for us to set new goals that will allow us to reach more readers and support many more causes. It’s an opportunity to say thank you for believing in our message and vision and sharing our book with your students, children, family and friends.
But more importantly, it is a perfect reminder for each and every one of us to listen to our little voice and to not let another year go by where we ignore it.
We wish you all a very Happy New Year and cannot wait to share what we have planned for 2017 with all of you!
For the second year in a row, Little Voice was extremely excited to participate in the #WalkForAlzheimers in support of the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County!
This year, not only did we fundraise for this important cause, but we also worked closely with the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa as part of the organizing committee behind this event! We were blessed to work with such amazing people, hear from so many who are affected by this disease, and ultimately contribute to a successful walk!
The #WalkForAlzheimer’s raised $370,329.00 dollars, had 130 teams and over 1000 walkers!
Since Little Voice first set out to share its story, it has also set out to fundraise behind a cause extremely close to their heart…
Little Voice was very excited to meet with the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County this past week to learn more about the organization’s team and how they use donations to support a variety of programs and initiatives.
“I am so honoured to work with the Alzheimer’s Society and to be able to use the Little Voice platform as a means of creating a positive impact in my community, specifically with those living with Alzheimer’s disease or a form of related dementia. I know my grandmother would be extremely proud of me if she were able to comprehend all that I am doing in her name.” – Amanda Bernardo, author of Little Voice
The month of October always reminds me of when I first set out to publish Little Voice.
Two years ago, I was looking for the inspiration and motivation to set me on the path I am now fortunate enough to be on today. I never would have imagined that I would have transformed the same inspirational poem that got me chasing my dreams into a children’s book that would encourage others to chase their own.
Almost a year later since we officially released Little Voice on December 2, 2014 … I am overwhelmed by how many lives my story has been able to touch, and more importantly, thankful for all the support I have received to get me here today.
Thanksgiving reminds us to be thankful for our family and friends but also for the small accomplishments that make up the sum of our lives, the memories that shape who we are and yes, even the difficult times that have allowed us to evolve into who we needed to become.
Today we celebrate the newest addition to the Little Voice family, our first ever Reading Companion!
Little Voice is very excited to announce our partnership with The Whimsical Tot, a small business run from home that is commited to bringing customers one of a kind quality handmade and custom cloth dolls!
Little Voice has certainly come a long way from its initial start as a poem on a mere scrap piece of paper. It was a story born out of the need to inspire and developed into an inspiration of its own.
As Little Voice has grown, so to has our journey. This all started as a project to publish a message but over the last few months, our message has transformed itself into a movement where acts of kindness, motivation and inspiration have touched not only our readers but both Samantha and I as well.
No words can express how it makes both Samantha and I feel to know that a child, teenager or adult were inspired or moved by what we have created. It is a reward like no other.
With your messages, you remind me personally of why I started Little Voice. I started writing this poem because I too, like many of you, needed to be inspired. I needed to start believing in myself and stop doubting my own dreams.
People always ask what age Little Voice is intended for, and most of the time I answer saying “between the ages of six and twelve”; but that, however, is in the context of our genre not necessarily our message.
Our message was born out of a time when I was 24 years old kicking myself to believe in my passion. It was born out of a need for inspiration that can touch any person, regardless of age. It will continue, I hope, with your support to find its way in the hearts and homes of all those who need reminding that they too can accomplish anything in life and that they too, regardless, should believe in themselves.
Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for your continued support. We would not be here today without you!
Join thousands of Alzheimer’s advocates who are making a difference!
Did you know that women are doubly affected by Alzheimer’s disease? They outnumber men living with the disease and more often than not shoulder the responsibility of caring for a family member with it.
You know these women. They are the special women in your life – mothers, wives, sisters, grandmothers, and friends.
That’s why this January during Alzheimer Awareness Month, the Alzheimer Society is joining our colleagues across the country to launch a nationwide campaign to get Canadians talking about Alzheimer’s disease. We want women to take action, be Alzheimer’s savvy, know the warning signs and take steps to reduce their risk – not only for themselves but for those they care about. – Alzheimer Society of Canada
Every year, since publishing Little Voice, we have challenged ourselves to grow our donations to the Alzheimer Society of Canada through the 
