MONTREAL, Dec. 18, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Centraide of Greater Montreal's 2013 campaign ended today with a $56.7 million result. Thousands of donors contributed to this collective effort to help vulnerable people and fight against poverty in the community. Thanks to all these donors, some 500,000 people in need will receive much needed support from Centraide via its network of 369 agencies throughout the coming year.
The money donated to Centraide makes it possible to improve living conditions for families (food, housing, budget planning), promote the development of young children, prevent delinquency and encourage academic perseverance among youth, facilitate the integration of newcomers, and break the isolation of seniors and people with mental health problems.
In 2013, among its social investments, Centraide allocated $4.5 million to 34 agencies that improve food security for some 338,000 people. It also granted $2.6 million to 28 agencies that promote academic perseverance—thereby contributing, with other partners, to improving the graduation rate on the Island of Montreal, which increased from 67.7% in 2009 to 72.5% in 2012. These investments are important when we consider that, in Greater Montreal, one person in eight lives under the low income cut-off; on the Island of Montreal, where poverty is more concentrated, the proportion is one in four.
The result of this great annual campaign was announced this morning at Marché Bonsecours in the presence of many donors, volunteers and community agency representatives who work every day with people in situations of poverty or exclusion. "The amount unveiled today is the fruit of several weeks of hard work on the part of 23,000 volunteers who organized the workplace campaigns and put the fight against poverty at the heart of their priorities," said Marc Parent, President and Chief Executive Officer of CAE and co-chair of Centraide's 2013 campaign. "On behalf of Centraide, I would like to thank each and every person who made a donation; it is the aggregate sum that allows us to support these agencies."
"The agencies supported by Centraide in Laval, Montreal and on the South Shore are paving the way every day by reducing the gap between rich and poor, and by ensuring that no one, from child to senior citizen, is left behind," added Michael E. Roach, President and Chief Executive Officer of CGI and also co-chair of Campaign 2013.
"I raise my hat to our volunteers and donors for all the work they accomplished, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their trust and their generosity. While visiting the companies, I was able to appreciate the extent of their engagement. I want to assure them that the volunteers on Centraide's board of directors and allocations committees will make sure that all the money raised is managed and invested judiciously for maximum impact in each of the territories of Greater Montreal," concluded Lili-Anna Pereša, President and Executive Director of Centraide of Greater Montreal.
About Centraide
Centraide of Greater Montreal is an independent organization managed by a board of directors that is representative of the community. It serves Laval, the Island of Montreal and communities on the South Shore. More than 140,000 people contribute financially to the campaign, which is supported by some 1,800 companies, institutions, and public and parapublic organizations as well as by large trade unions. Centraide of Greater Montreal supports community agencies and projects that help half a million people. There are 18 autonomous Centraides in Quebec, each managed by an independent board of directors that is representative of the community it serves.
SOURCE: Centraide of Greater Montreal
Annick Gagnon, Public Relations Coordinator
Tel.: 514 288-1261, ext. 242
[email protected], www.centraide-mtl.org
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