BMO Financial Group to donate $1 million to Youth Fusion for Indigenous communities

MONTREAL, May 22, 2018 /CNW/ - BMO Financial Group is pleased to announce a donation of one million dollars to Youth Fusion for aboriginal programming. This substantial donation is intended to maintain and enhance existing Youth Fusion projects in aboriginal communities in Quebec and to promote the expansion of these programs throughout Quebec and the rest of Canada.

Currently, Youth Fusion projects in aboriginal communities include:

• Weekly activities for over 5,000 Inuit and First Nations youths living in more than 20 communities in Nunavik and the James Bay area.
• Support for young Indigenous students attending John Abbott College and Dawson College.

"As an active participant in Canadian communities, BMO believes in the promise of personal growth and success through lifelong learning and access to education. Education is at the heart of our philanthropy and we are extremely grateful for this valuable support, which will benefit aboriginal communities throughout Quebec and the rest of Canada," said Gabriel Bran-Lopez, president of Youth Fusion.

"Youth Fusion has implemented many innovative projects designed to engage, motivate and stimulate young people in our Indigenous communities, and to make them feel more committed to their communities," said Claude Gagnon, Managing Director, Operations, BMO Financial Group, Quebec. "We want to use this contribution to encourage young aboriginal people to stay in school. We want to give them tools to integrate into society, to become leaders in their communities and, in so doing, to contribute actively in their communities' development."

BMO and Youth Fusion have been working together for several years now to inspire youth to stay in school. This partnership contributes to reducing the dropout rate by creating projects that motivate students, providing an incentive for them to stay in school.

About BMO Financial Group
Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider – the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $728 billion as of January 31, and a team of versatile and highly dedicated employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.

About Youth Fusion
Youth Fusion is an award-winning charity that contributes to the persistence in school, employability and civic engagement of youth by developing innovative experiential learning projects that create ongoing links between school systems and the community. Every week, we work with 15,000 young people in over 250 schools in rural, urban and Indigenous communities.

SOURCE BMO Financial Group

Information: Youth Fusion: Catherine Fisette, Senior Director, Public Affairs, Communications and Events, [phone], [e-mail]; BMO Financial Group: Valérie Doucet, Manager - Media Relations, [phone], [e-mail]