2022 Philanthropic Contest - Twelve charities to share half a million dollars in donations

Today, following record participation in the sixth edition of its major Canada-wide philanthropic contest, iA Financial Group is pleased to announce the twelve (12) finalists. Recipients will share the considerable sum of $500,000 to develop their project or pursue their mission to support people with disabilities* and their communities. The public has until November 24 to go to donations-contest.ia.ca and vote for the most inspiring projects in four geographical areas (Quebec, Ontario, Western Canada, Northern and/or Atlantic Canada).

Philanthropy is a core value at iA Financial Group in accordance with sustainable development and tangible community support. Last year, the Group donated more than $7.5 million to various social services, health, environmental and educational organizations. This major philanthropic contest is part of our efforts to contribute to community growth wherever the company operates.

This year, iA Financial Group is committing half a million dollars in donations to be shared among twelve finalists. Four $100,000 donations will be awarded to the charities with the most support in each of the major geographical areas of the contest, and eight $10,000 donations will be given to the remaining finalists.

“On behalf of iA Financial Group, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all the charities who participated in our major philanthropic contest. Reading their entries makes us appreciate the profound difference they make every day in the lives of people with disabilities. We wish the best of luck to all finalists,” says Denis Ricard, President and CEO of iA Financial Group.

In addition, iA Financial Group’s 8,500 employees will be asked to select their four favourite charities, which will share an additional $20,000 in donations. The winners will be announced during the week of December 5, 2022.

THE TWELVE FINALISTS AND THEIR PROJECTS (FROM WEST TO EAST)

1. Food Stash Foundation, Vancouver, British Columbia
   Food Stash reduces food waste and food insecurity. We rescue over 80,000 pounds of surplus food per month (for example, imperfect produce and surplus dairy) from retailers, wholesalers, and farms. Food Stash delivers weekly customized boxes of healthy food to 110 food-insecure households with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities. It runs a “pay-what-you-feel” Rescued Food Market open to all, serving more than 100 people a week. It delivers food to 35 charitable partners collectively serving more than 14,000 people a week. A donation would go towards Rescued Food Box deliveries supporting food-insecure Vancouverites with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses that make it challenging to leave home.
2. CNIB Foundation, Edmonton, Alberta
   The CNIB Foundation aims to change perceived notions of what it is to be blind through innovative programs and powerful advocacy that enable Canadians impacted by blindness to live the lives they choose. A donation would go towards providing students living with blindness with the adequate supports they require to keep up with their classmates and succeed in school to build independence, future employment skills, and better quality of life.
3. Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation (CRF), Winnipeg, Manitoba
   The Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation (CRF) raises funds to improve the lives of children and youth living with physical and developmental disabilities living in Manitoba or Nunavut. It funds programs and offers services and specialized equipment to assist children in achieving independence and learn, play, and grow. A donation would cover the cost of a wide range of therapeutic and recreation programs offered nowhere else, including Camps, Music Therapy, and an Active Living Centre, thereby helping children and youths develop life skills and engage in social interactions and enhance their mental and physical health.
4. Table Soup Kitchen Foundation, Huntsville, Ontario
   The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation’s mission is to serve the hurting, hungry, and homeless people in its community who are dealing with food insecurity, illness, disabilities, addictions, and chronic unemployment. It provides a weekly Food Bank, Soup Kitchen, Exchange Clothing and Household items store, and a Men’s Shelter. A donation would enable the Foundation to carry out work to make its establishment more accessible to people with reduced mobility.
5. Hydrocephalus Canada (HC), Etobicoke, Ontario
   Hydrocephalus Canada’s mission is to empower individuals impacted by the complex neurological conditions, hydrocephalus and spina bifida, to ensure they experience the best life possible. A donation would support a multi-tiered program that provides direct support and resources to individuals and families impacted by hydrocephalus and spina bifida, including a helpline, peer networking services, a scholarship and bursary program, community outreach, an online resource centre, and more.
6. March of Dimes Canada (MODC), Toronto, Canada
   March of Dimes Canada (MODC) is a national organization committed to championing equity and empowering ability whose objective is to create real change to help the more than six million people living with disabilities across Canada. A donation would go towards the purchase of, and training on, key accessibility tools for people with a disability who are experiencing financial challenges. Through the Tech for Impact fund, MODC covers the costs of accessibility applications, tablets, artificial intelligence (AI) media, laptops, smartphones, switches, smart home devices, text readers, and more. Trained assistive technology specialists will provide one-to-one training to participants on how they can use their technology to meet their particular needs.
7. Maison Lémerveil Suzanne Vachon, Québec City, Québec
   Maison Lémerveil Suzanne Vachon provides youths living with multiple disabilities and children with severe illnesses with respite care and pediatric palliative care throughout their life. A donation would help provide more specialized daytime respite and tailored activities for children with severe illnesses and youths with multiple and severe disabilities. The cash donation would also be used to support families so that members can pursue their professional life and take a well-deserved rest.
8. Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques (AQPA), Montréal, Québec
   AQPA is an organization that supports people with aphasia and their relatives by responding to their needs. Its mission is to create a community of belonging where people with aphasia receive services that promote their inclusion in society and where their loved ones receive assistance in their support role. A donation would help people living with aphasia to overcome the isolation they too often face due to their disability and re-enter community life.
9. L’Arche Lanaudière, Joliette, Québec
   L’Arche Lanaudière offers programs that enable people with intellectual disabilities to get involved in their community. A donation would help bring people with intellectual disabilities out of their isolation by enabling them to contribute to the well-being of their community. As part of a mixed squad of workers, volunteers, and practitioners, people with disabilities perform a truly useful and rewarding task that focuses on their strengths, not their limitations.
10. Upper Valley Autism Resource Centre Inc., Perth-Andover, New Brunswick
    The Upper Valley Autism Resource Centre’s mission is to support individuals, families, caregivers, and professionals with autism in this rural region of New Brunswick. It offers activities, programs, and events for children, youth, teens, and adults with autism and for small, inclusive common-interest afterschool groups. A donation would go towards the purchase of a sensory-equipped vehicle that would be used to ensure that children, youths, teens, and adults with autism (including families without transportation facilities) have the resources they need delivered to them.
11. Alzheimer Society, Fredericton, New Brunswick
    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. A donation of 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.
12. LakeCity Works, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
    LakeCity Works supports people living with mental illness to build on their strengths, take on responsibilities, and access education and employment opportunities. It offers support-based programs and services designed to assist people living with mental illness, based on the belief that employment represents a crucial step in recovery. A donation would be used to expand LakeCity’s Helpers, an inclusive, multi-service social enterprise staffed by individuals living with mental illness that provides lawn care and home-support services, with a sliding-scale rate for low-income individuals.