(OTTAWA, ON) – Community organizations working closely with Syrian refugees in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal will soon be getting a boost thanks to a $100,000 contribution from HSBC Bank Canada (HSBC) to Community Foundations of Canada (CFC).
The contributions will be distributed by the Vancouver Foundation, Calgary Foundation, Toronto Foundation, and Community Foundation of Greater Montreal to local organizations already active in welcoming and settling refugees. The funds will have an immediate impact by providing life skills, language training and vocational programming to Syrian newcomers.
“The leadership of companies like HSBC plays a critical role in ensuring those joining communities across Canada have access to the skills and programming they need to feel welcomed and to successfully settle in their new home,” says JP Bervoets, Vice President with Community Foundations of Canada.
COSTI Immigrant Services in Toronto and La maison des Parents de Bordeaux-Cartierville in Montreal are among the community organizations receiving contributions in four designated cities. In Toronto, COSTI will offer life skills training for up to 120 women through a five-part workshop series covering topics such as parenting, financial literacy and employment supports.
In Montreal, the priority for many Syrian newcomers will be learning French. La maison will offer language classes to 250 people in Bordeaux-Cartierville where many refugees from Syria have settled. Adults referred to the program by local partners can participate in language training with their children or take advantage of on-site childcare. La maison is one of two organizations in Montreal receiving funding.
Additional organizations in Vancouver and Calgary will also receive funding to support life skills, employment and language programming, widening the impact for Syrian refugees.
This work will build on the efforts of the Welcome Fund for Syrian Refugees, which earlier this year mobilized organizations in 27 communities to distribute more than $6 million in contributions, investing in everything from rent subsidies to emergency loan funds to mental health care.
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About Community Foundations of Canada
Community Foundations of Canada is the national network for Canada’s 191 community foundations. Together we are a philanthropic movement working across sectors to help Canadians invest in building strong and resilient communities.
Media Contacts:
David Venn
Director of Communications
Community Foundations of Canada
Email: dvenn@communityfoundations.ca
Twitter: @CommFdnsCanada