TORONTO — The Canadian economy might be in a downward spiral, but two young Jewish businessmen are adamant about giving back to the community, and to do so, they’re allocating a portion of their companies’ profit to causes they hold dear.

Aaron Kaufman, left, and Jared Golberg

Aaron Kaufman and Jared Golberg of 5th Element Events, a corporate event company, launched the “We Give Back” campaign last month to benefit Centre Camp, which operates out the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre, and the Sunnybrook Foundation’s Grant a Wish program for war veterans.

As of last month, the company has been putting aside two per cent of its profits from this year in a separate account. At the end of the year, Kaufman and Golberg will personally match the funds they raised and split the money between Centre Camp and the Sunnybrook Foundation.

Golberg, 5th Element’s 30-year-old marketing manager, is a Centre Camp alumnus who spent 12 years building specialty programs for campers of all ages, and he said he doesn’t want to stop now.

The camp, which provides specialty programs in dramatic arts and sports for more than 1,200 campers each year, has a scholarship fund to give less fortunate kids an opportunity to experience a summer at camp.

“When I was there, we created the scholarship fund to help children in need go to camp, so I wanted to give back to that scholarship fund,” Golberg said.

Kaufman, 31, who owns 5th Element, chose to contribute to the Sunnybrook Foundation because he wanted to improve the quality of life of war veterans through the Grant a Wish program.

He also said he has a personal connection to the organization.

“Both of my wife’s grandfathers are war veterans. One is still living. The Jewish chapel at Sunnybrook is called the Harvey Lister Chapel, and it was named in honour of my wife’s grandfather,” Kaufman said.

“This is the kind of place where people and veterans deserve to be given something back. People fought for a good portion of their lives for us.”

Golberg added that both he and Kaufman wanted to make a point of giving back in spite of the economic situation.

“We thought of something we wanted to do in 2009 that focused on the community, and as most people can see with what’s going on in the news, what’s going on financially across the globe, we wanted to show that we’re a company that gives back, even in a time of uncertainty.”

Under the umbrella of the 5th Element Group, Kaufman launched another company called Vintage Entertainment, which provides entertainment for functions such as bar and bat mitzvahs and weddings.

“With Vintage, we will also be giving back by planting a tree in Israel for every family who books our service. We want to stay connected to Israel and its rich heritage by giving back as a company and in the name of our clients,” he said.