Centraide’s 50th campaign: over $68 million to take action for an inclusive and poverty-free Greater Montreal
Montreal, February 7, 2024 – Centraide of Greater Montreal’s 50th campaign was a tremendous success, with a record amount raised of $68.2 million that will go toward action for an inclusive and poverty-free Greater Montreal. The generosity of donors, companies, public and parapublic institutions, and unions will support 375 community agencies and projects that help one in five people in Montreal, in Laval and on the South Shore.
“For 50 years, Centraide has been synonymous with solidarity, social impact and generosity. Today caps off an anniversary campaign that stood out in many ways despite a difficult economic climate,” said Claude Pinard, President and Executive Director of Centraide of Greater Montreal. “Not only did thousands of volunteers redouble their efforts to reinforce Greater Montreal’s social safety net, but Centraide’s campaign also raised a record amount.”
Janie C. Béïque and Guy Cormier, the 2023 campaign co-chairs, were delighted with this exceptional result. “We congratulate the thousands of people who poured their energy and creativity into organizing engaging fundraising activities. When we all work together, we can make extraordinary things happen,” said Janie C. Béïque, President and CEO of the Fonds de solidarité FTQ. “The Fonds always gives 110% to Centraide, and I want to acknowledge how the team redoubled its efforts this year. I also sincerely thank the broader business community for uniting to support Centraide.”
“This year, donors showed remarkable support and generosity despite difficult economic times,” said Guy Cormier, President and CEO of Desjardins Group. “For me, Centraide has this incredible ability to unite people who want to make a real difference. Centraide’s vision for solidarity brings together all of the different actors in an ecosystem designed to help people, and this year’s campaign was yet another great example of that. Once again, donors, agencies and volunteers worked together not only to help those in need but also to make a long-term positive impact on our society.”
Solidaires awards
At the announcement of its 50th campaign result, Centraide took the opportunity to hand out its Solidaires awards to companies, organizations, unions and individuals who showed it exceptional support in 2023.
The winners are:
- Solidaires Corporate Commitment (1000 plus employees): Behaviour Interactive, CAE, Desjardins Group, Pharmascience
- Solidaires Corporate Commitment (999 employees or less): Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Nortera, Searchlight Pharma
- Solidaires Mobilization (1000 plus employees): ABB, HEC Montréal, Ville de Longueuil
- Solidaires Mobilization (999 employees or less): ADM Aéroports de Montréal, Groupe Dynamite, Levio, PCL Construction
- Solidaires Citizen Involvement: Robert Leblanc, Mercer Global Investments, Carole Pageau, retired STM staff member, Geneviève Renaud
- Solidaires Collaboration: Syndicat des Métallos, ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada
In addition to the Solidaires awards, the Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire Award was given to Marc Gagnon, a member of Centraide of Greater Montreal’s board from 2013 to 2021. This honour is presented annually to a volunteer who has shown an outstanding commitment to Centraide. Marc Gagnon also served on a number of its committees, such as the Executive Committee, Governance Committee, and the Human Resources Committee, the latter of which he chaired from 2014 to 2021. He also helped further Centraide’s thinking on sustainable development and acted as a volunteer representative with Centraide United Way Canada and the Centraides of Quebec.
About Centraide of Greater Montreal
A true agent of change, Centraide of Greater Montreal is a public foundation whose mission is to bring people together and take action for an inclusive and poverty-free Greater Montreal. To achieve this goal, it supports a network of 375 community agencies and projects in Laval, in Montreal and on the South Shore that improve the living conditions of vulnerable people. Centraide works with the Greater Montreal population and with communities, businesses, institutions and philanthropic organizations. Its history dates back 50 years, when five charities merged into one entity. In 2023, Centraide invested $61.8 million in the community, which represents over 86% of the money raised. Every year, nearly 800,000 people benefit from the help of the agencies that it supports.
Centraide of Greater Montreal will celebrate its 50th anniversary until August 2024. A full range of activities have been planned in the coming months to mark the occasion. For more information, visit centraide-mtl.org/en/50th