History

Cebu Children's Shelter Society of Canada

Arvid and Ruth Olson, short-term missionaries from the Canadian Free Church, were working in Cebu when they were introduced to the Children's Shelter of Cebu (CSC). After their time in Cebu, they returned to Canada with a desire to support CSC's ministry. Arvid and Ruth gathered a group of friends, including Harry Schmidt (whom they attended church with), to continue supporting CSC. Over the years, this group became more formalized and organized, eventually establishing the Canadian board in the 1980s. In 1991, they registered the Cebu Children's Shelter Society of Canada (CCSSC) as an official Canadian charity.

In 1990, after a visit to CSC in Cebu, Harry Schmidt, through the Schmidt Foundation, generously built two homes for the children at CSC. These homes have provided stability, care, and healing to the residents of CSC for over 30 years. 

For 33 years, CCSSC has continued to raise funds and send short-term missionaries to support CSC's ministry in Cebu. All funds raised by CCSSC are sent directly to the Children's Shelter of Cebu, as everyone volunteers their time, resulting in minimal overhead costs.

In 2019, CSC built a multi-purpose building at the main campus with offices, a conference room, a garage, and a space for employees to use between shifts. (Sometimes our child care employees work multiple shifts with a break between, so this building helps provide a space for them to use!) The building is called the Gleddie Building, named after the late Trevor Gleddie. Trevor was a huge CSC advocate and a long-time board member for the Cebu Children's Shelter Society of Canada.