On June 13, 2010, Toronto Island Grannies in Spirit will host a tour of distinctive homes and community buildings on Toronto Island, each with its own story to tell. The tour will feature a selection of historic, renovated, original and new homes. Ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet Island residents and view historic photographs and memorabilia.

The Toronto Island community started as a “tent city” in the early 1900s. It is now a unique, year-round — and car-free — neighbourhood, with more than 650 residents living in 262 homes. There are no stores, banks, or ATMs. Some of the houses were purchased out of the Simpson’s catalogue in the 1930s. Others were floated from Hanlan’s Point when the Island Airport was built. And still others have been renovated or designed by architects to make optimal use of small spaces. The community is part of the urban landscape, yet magically removed from the city by a fifteen minute ferry ride.

Grannies in Spirit is one of over 230 grandmother groups across Canada in the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, one of the great grassroots movements in Canada. In the four years since it was initiated by the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the campaign has raised more than $7 million for projects in Sub-Saharan Africa that support African grandmothers and their grandchildren orphaned by AIDS.

All proceeds from the House and History Tour will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.