Centraide of Greater Montreal raises over $65 million to fight poverty and social exclusion

The commitment of organizations and the community sector recognized by the Solidaires awards

MONTREAL, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW Telbec/ - Centraide of Greater Montreal's 49th campaign was supported by an exceptional outpouring of generosity that led to a record result of $65.3 million. This success was made possible thanks to the commitment of donors, organizations, companies, and unions. Their support will sustain a network of over 350 agencies and projects that lighten the burden of poverty and social exclusion for nearly 800,000 people in Montreal, in Laval and on the South Shore.

Increased donations

"We saw an increase in donations over last year thanks to everyone's incredible efforts in very uncertain circumstances. Organizations and businesses came up with very creative fundraising events and activities that increased their employees' participation rates," explained Claude Pinard, President and Executive Director of Centraide of Greater Montreal. "I sincerely thank our 98,000 donors from the general public, companies and workplaces as well as Major Donors for their show of solidarity. I also want to acknowledge the exceptional commitment of our volunteers. Today's result will let us keep working with community agencies and do even more. While we will of course continue to take care of the essentials and address urgent needs, we will also strive to delve deeper into the causes of poverty, such as housing issues. Our goal is to create a lasting impact."

"As co-chair of the 2022 campaign, I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish," said Paul Desmarais III, Chairman and CEO of Sagard. "People heard our message of hope for this campaign. We were able to rally together so many people to support Centraide. Everyone's involvement assured our collective success and once again showed that we can count on each other to create a strong social fabric to help vulnerable people. We are individuals, families and businesses that are all interconnected and that are working together to build a more equitable and inclusive society."

"In our current economic climate, providing ongoing support to community workers is essential and makes all the difference," said Laurent Ferreira, President and CEO of National Bank of Canada, who co-chaired Centraide's 2022 campaign with Mr. Desmarais. "Social disparities are growing, which means we have an even bigger responsibility to help people in need. Our entire community needs to make a concerted effort to tackle social challenges. I want to acknowledge the work of the Major Donors cabinet, whose efforts secured the donations of 850 Major Donors, including 130 new ones. I also want to express my appreciation for the generosity, collaboration, and commitment that I witnessed during the campaign."

Commitment, involvement, support and generosity recognized by Centraide

Centraide also used the closing event for the 2022 campaign to hand out its Solidaires awards to companies, organizations, unions and individuals who have shown it exceptional support. Agencies and projects in its network as well as individuals who have shown outstanding dedication to community action were also honoured.

The winners of the Solidaires to Agencies are:

• Solidaires Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Racine Croisée Solidarité Sawa for its Food Integration Baskets
• Solidaires Impact: Organisation d'Éducation et d'Information Logement de Côte-des-Neiges (ŒIL) and Corporation de développement communautaire de Côte-des-Neiges for their Safe Housing Roundtable and Brigade
• Solidaires Resource Sharing: Maison de la famille de Saint-Léonard for its L'Allée Léo Toy Library
• Solidaires Digital Transition: Centre d'intégration à la vie active (CIVA)
• Solidaires Supportive Communities: Réseau alimentaire de l'Est de Montréal (RAEM) for La Grande Boucle Solidaire
• Solidaires Citizen Involvement: Citizen Organizers, a group of volunteer citizen organizers at La Maison des familles de Mercier-Est

The winners of the Solidaires to Companies are:

• Solidaires Corporate Commitment (1,000 plus employees): National Bank of Canada, Groupe Dynamite, Hydro-Québec, METRO
• Solidaires Corporate Commitment (999 employees or less): ADM Aéroports de Montréal, Moment Factory, Resolute Forest Products
• Solidaires Mobilization (1,000 plus employees): CAE, iA Financial Group, Polytechnique Montréal
• Solidaires Mobilization (999 employees or less): St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, Hatch, Solotech
• Solidarity Union Leadership: Syndicat des Métallos, ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada, Canadian Union of Public Employees CUPE - Quebec
• Solidaires StartUp: PCL Construction, Nortera, Searchlight Pharma, Sagard

In addition to the Solidaires, the Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire Award was given to Karen Macdonald, News Director and Station Manager at Global Montreal. This honour is presented annually to a volunteer who has shown an outstanding commitment to Centraide of Greater Montreal. Ms. Macdonald served on its Board of Directors from 2010 to 2016 and has sat on its Executive Committee, Human Resources Committee, and the Jury for the Solidaires Awards. She is currently involved with its 50th-Anniversary Celebration Committee. A long-time volunteer with Centraide United Way, she served as Chair of the Board for Centraide Québec et Chaudière-Appalaches and co-chaired its campaign. She also sits on the Board of Directors of Centraide United Way Canada.

Centraide of Greater Montreal will release its report to the community, its full list of investments in agencies and projects thanks to this generous fundraising campaign, as well as its latest March 31 financial statements on its website in June.

About Centraide of Greater Montreal  

A true agent of change, Centraide of Greater Montreal takes action in the territories of Laval, Montreal and the South Shore. It regularly supports a network of over 350 agencies and collective projects every year. Centraide is supported by businesses and organizations as well as the general public. It invests the money it raises through a needs analysis done in each of the territory's neighbourhoods and communities. It implements strategies and actions to break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people. Over 800,000 people are helped each year by the agencies supported by Centraide of Greater Montreal. To learn more: centraide-mtl.org. 

SOURCE Centraide of Greater Montreal

Annick Gagnon, Public Relations Advisor, Centraide of Greater Montreal, 514-437-3672, [email protected]