Canadian charities with a promising educational project - iA FINANCIAL GROUP DONATES $500,000 IN ITS PHILANTHROPIC CONTEST

QUEBEC CITY, Dec. 18, 2023 /CNW/ - iA Financial Group would like to congratulate the following charities, each of which will receive a major donation of $100,000 for the seventh edition of our annual philanthropic contest: Hope for Dementia of Saint-Laurent (Quebec), I Challenge Diabetes of North York (Ontario), PLEA Community Services Society of British Columbia of Vancouver (British Columbia) and Community Care Network Society of Halifax (Nova Scotia).

"Every year, I am impressed by the quality of the projects submitted by organisations serving Canadian communities. On behalf of iA, I would like to thank them for their dedication to developing educational projects that make a real difference to individuals and communities. I would also like to thank everyone who took the time to vote," says Denis Ricard, President and CEO of iA Financial Group.

The aim of the contest is to provide charities in the health, environment, social services or education fields with considerable financial support for their promising educational project. We received many incredible proposals from across the country, each of which was carefully analyzed by a jury. The twelve finalists ran a tight race, each vying to win the public's vote for the most inspiring projects.

The winning charities are those that received the most votes from the Canadian public out of the twelve contest finalists. These charities each received a donation of $100,000. The remaining eight finalists each took home a donation of $10,000. Also, iA Financial Group's 9,000 employees were asked to select their favourite charities, four of which received an additional $5,000 in donations. 

$100,000 GRAND PRIZE RECIPIENTS

• PLEA COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA)
  PROJECT: PREVENTION WORKSHOPS
  iA employee favourite (additional donation of $5,000)
  PLEA's Our Children of the Street program works to educate young people about how to keep themselves and their peers safe from all forms of sexual exploitation while also supporting children and families already affected by this crime. This donation would support the delivery of their free exploitation prevention workshops which will reach over 30,000 youth and adults every year, including many high-risk groups.
• I CHALLENGE DIABETES (NORTH YORK, ONTARIO)
  PROJECT: DIABUDDIES SCHOOL TOUR
  I Challenge Diabetes was founded by Chris Jarvis, a Canadian Olympic rower with type 1 diabetes, to support people living with diabetes by offering them the resources necessary to lead healthy, inspired lives. This donation will go to support the Diabuddies School Tour project, a campaign that aims to raise awareness about diabetes, reaching almost 3,000 students in schools across Canada. This tour will foster a better understanding of diabetes and healthy lifestyles, promote accepting and inclusive school communities, and improve the confidence of students with diabetes.
• HOPE FOR DEMENTIA (SAINT-LAURENT, QUEBEC)
  PROJECT: INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING PROGRAM
  Hope for Dementia is a charitable organization whose mission is to support the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of dementia and other cognitive disorders. This donation would go towards Hope for Dementia's Intergenerational Learning Program, which aims to reduce the risks of dementia in seniors and raise awareness among youth about dementia. Youth volunteers will teach seniors how to use applications on tablets and iPads that promote cognitive stimulation and reduce the risks of dementia.
• COMMUNITY CARE NETWORK SOCIETY (HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA)
  PROJECT: PARKER STREET FOOD
  iA employee favourite (additional donation of $5,000)
  The Alzheimer Society's mission is to alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias through the provision of support, education, and advocacy and to promote the search for a cause and a cure. This donation would go towards creating dementia-friendly communities in New Brunswick, places where people living with dementia, their families, and care partners feel included and supported.

THE OTHER FINALISTS:

The eight remaining finalists each receive $10,000. They are:

• Every Student, Every Day (Whitehorse, Yukon)
• Stigma-Free Society (Victoria, British Columbia)
• United for Literacy (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
• Junior Achievement of Central Ontario (Toronto, Canada)
• Trails Youth Initiatives (Stouffville, Ontario) iA employee favourite (additional donation of $5,000)
• Je Passe Partout: Services de soutien scolaire et intervention familiale (Montreal, Quebec) iA employee favourite (additional donation of $5,000)
• Le Centre pour l'intelligence en ligne (Le C.I.E.L.) (Quebec City, Quebec)
• Camp Canak (Kedgwick, New Brunswick)

Remember that over 200 charities across Canada and their communities answered iA Financial Group's call last September. A jury analyzed all the projects we received from across the country and selected twelve finalists, which were submitted to a public vote. Participating charities were grouped into four major regions (Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada/the North) to guarantee a fairer distribution of donations across the country.

Our sustainable development approach

In order to be a company that contributes to sustainable growth and the wellbeing of its clients, employees, partners, investors and communities, iA Financial Group has made sustainable development a priority. To guide our achievements, we incorporate environmental, social and governance factors into our operations, as attested by our use of the iA Sustainable pictogram.

ABOUT i A FINANCIAL GROUP

iA Financial Group is one of the largest insurance and wealth management groups in Canada, with operations in the United States. Founded in 1892, it is an important Canadian public company and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols IAG (common shares) and IAF (preferred shares).

Source:

Pierre Picard, Head of Public Affairs

iA Financial Group | ia.ca

SOURCE iA Financial Group

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