Anthony Lacavera doesn't just believe in donating his time and money to worthwhile charities. He is incorporating philanthropy into the operating culture of his business and into the daily lives of his employees.

Lacavera, 33, is the founder and CEO of nine-year-old Globalive Communications Corp.

With 175 employees in Toronto and another 50 in sales offices across the country, Globalive operates under two main brands: YAK Communications, which handles a full array of long-distance calling cards and cellular long-distance services to residential customers; and One Connect, which offers hosted VoIP services to 5,000 small businesses across Canada.

Lacavera founded Globalive one year after finishing a corporate engineering degree at the University of Toronto.

Catherine Farquharson photo courtesy of Globalive Communications
Globalive founder and CEO Anthony Lacavera takes a break in the space set aside for charities.

Globalive and Lacavera have a history of philanthropy.

Once, while serving as a sponsor for the Art Gallery of Ontario's "Massive Party" fundraiser, Lacavera noticed that many of his own employees wanted to help out. This incident gave him an idea that would make charitable work fun and easy for them, and make philanthropy a part of Globalive's daily routine.

Globalive's new corporate headquarters at Yonge and Wellington - in the heart of Toronto's financial district - includes a 2,500-sq.-ft. outdoor patio "Shamba Space" on its 12th floor that can be used by local charities at no cost.

Named after the Swahili word for "farm," the Shamba Space offers charities a heated, environmentally friendly cedar, bamboo and traventino stone "urban farm" overlooking Lake Ontario and the lights of downtown Toronto.

Shamba Space provides charities with a first-class venue, including catering, a full kitchen, 14-ft. glass bar, three meeting rooms, security card access and a state-of-the-art audio-visual system featuring an LCD projector, DVDs, Internet display options, a 60-in. plasma screen TV and 10 smaller television sets.

The space can be used for a sit-down dinner of 80 to 100 people, or a cocktail party for 200.

Lacavera thinks the location is one of the biggest selling points because "downtown is key."

It is a five-minute walk for tens of thousands of commuters, and it could easily attract wealthy, upwardly mobile professionals looking for an after-work destination.

As the head of a private company, Lacavera did not want to discuss numbers.

Asked about the amount of money Globalive invested in Shamba, Lacavera described it as "sizable" and reluctantly put it "well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars," adding that it would likely cost "tens of thousands of dollars" to rent out a similar venue for an event.

Lacavera said that Globalive receives "no direct financial benefit" from establishing the Shamba Space, aside from the indirect benefits of raising its corporate profile in the business community.

The first Shamba Night Patio Party will take place on July 31 with an event for Little Geeks, a new Toronto-based charity that collects, refurbishes and redistributes donated home computers to disadvantaged children.

Andy Walker, founder of Little Geeks, said that "Shamba came along at a perfect time" for his organization, which is in the process of raising money for its long-term future.

Since Little Geeks is looking to partner with local high-tech companies, "downtown space is critical" for fundraisers.

He estimated that his group would have to spend between $3,000 and $5,000 for a typical venue in downtown Toronto to hold a comparable fundraiser.

"This is magic for us," said Walker, adding his group is "trying to fill our coffers and get on our feet.”

Little Geeks can raise an impressive $200,000 by selling two hundred $100 tickets - enough to make a long-term rent commitment and become established.

Walker said his group is thinking of branching out into the Niagara region, and has spoken to individuals in Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Florida who are interested in developing similar projects.

The Shamba Space has also been booked for fund-raisers for Habitat for Humanity and POGO, a children's cancer charity.

Interested charities can call 1-877-SHAMBA-1 or visit www.shamba.ca (Eli Schuster can be reached at schuster@businessedge.ca)