News Releases
BMO Fountain of Hope, BMO Financial Group's Employee Foundation, will host a Celebration of Giving this evening, to announce the donation of $1.2 million to 48 greater Toronto area charitable organizations.
BMO Financial Group employees and representatives from the various charities will gather at First Canadian Place in Toronto tonight to celebrate the culmination of a year of fundraising efforts by BMO Fountain of Hope. The 2004 Campaign reached a record total of $7.2 million of which $4.9 million was raised in Ontario.
"This significant donation demonstrates BMO employees' generosity and strong support for the communities in which they live and work. I am proud of their unwavering commitment to fundraising and volunteering with community and not-for-profit organizations across the province," said Gilles Ouellette, President and CEO, Private Client Group, BMO Financial Group. "By supporting and working with these charities, our employees show us that we can make a difference."
"An evening like this gives us a feeling of great accomplishment. I am so proud of the employees that made this happen. This provides us with an even greater incentive to raise even more funds for the upcoming year," said Kathryn Brown, Chair of the FOH Ontario Board of Directors.
Zubeda Nanji, Manager of the Toronto Children's Breakfast Club, expressed her gratitude to BMO Fountain of Hope; "Your important financial support will allow us to continue to provide food to our 20 locations throughout the GTA and our two locations in Mississauga, and thus feed a growing number of children who sadly come to school without breakfast."
"BMO Fountain of Hope's contributions help over 250 women and children every month to escape violence, poverty and homelessness. This donation helps us to provide emergency shelter, food, clothing, and the essential supports and services needed to directly improve the quality of life for a woman or child in need," said Wendy Sung-Aad, Manager of Development at Nellie's.
Nellie's is a non-profit, community-based women's organization that operates a 36-bed emergency shelter, community support and outreach programs for women and kids facing crisis due to violence and poverty. "Since 1973, Nellie's has helped to rebuild the lives of over 10,000 women and kids, through the support of community-minded organizations like BMO," added Ms. Sung-Aad.
"BMO Fountain of Hope's remarkable support through the past years has helped Casey House provide exceptional and compassionate end-of-life and supportive care to more than 2,500 men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS in our hospice residence and through our home hospice program," said James T. Bratton, Executive Director, Casey House Foundation.
"Dixon Hall is very appreciative of the support that BMO Fountain of Hope has shown over the years for our Out of the Cold program. We coordinate the Out of the Cold contract for the City of Toronto and assist some 20 faith groups to provide shelter and food to an average of 110 individuals a night during the winter nights, from November to April. BMO has generously supported the program and Dixon Hall has used the resources to purchase basic necessities, like socks and underwear, for the guests of the Out of the Cold program. These are individuals who are sleeping rough, living on the streets or in ravines, rather than living in emergency shelters. The generosity of BMO Fountain of Hope enables us to provide opportunities for these individuals that they would not otherwise have," said Kate Stark, Executive Director, Dixon Hall.
Not-for-profit organizations that have received financial support from BMO Fountain of Hope include children's charities (12%), community service organizations (52%), hospitals (10%), medical and health care organizations (22%) and various other organizations (4%).
Listed below are some of the recipient organizations of this donation:
AIDS Committee of Toronto
Alzheimer Society - Ontario Division
Arthritis Society - Ontario Division
Autism Society Ontario
Bloorview MacMillan Children's Foundation
Boys Scouts of Canada
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Chapter
Canadian Cancer Society - Ontario Division
Canadian Diabetes Association - Ontario Division
Canadian Mental Health Association - Metro Toronto
Casey House Foundation - Toronto
Child Find (Ontario) Inc.
Children's Aid Foundation
Children's Wish Foundation - Ontario Chapter
CNIB - Ontario Division
Community Outreach Programs in Addiction - Toronto
Covenant House - Toronto
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada - Ontario Division
Daily Bread Food Bank - Toronto
Dixon Hall - Out of the Cold Program - Toronto
Good Shepherd Ministries
Heart and Stroke Foundation - Ontario Division
Hospital for Sick Children Foundation
Humber River Regional Hospital - Apotex Challenge
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - Ontario
Kidney Foundation of Canada - Central Ontario Branch
Kids Help Foundation - Ontario
Macaulay Child Development Centre - Toronto
Markham-Stouffville Hospital Foundation
Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation of Toronto
Multiple Sclerosis Society - Ontario Division
Nellie's
North York General
Ontario SPCA (Humane Society)
Parkinson Society Canada
Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada
Rape Crisis Centre - Toronto
Royal Victoria Hospital
Salvation Army - Ontario Central division
ShareLife
St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation
St. Michael's Hospital Foundation
Sunnybrook Foundation
Toronto Children's Breakfast Club
U of T Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases
United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto
United Way of Greater Toronto
Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation
BMO Fountain of Hope is the national association of the employees and pensioned employees of BMO Financial Group, dedicated to supporting registered charities in their communities. Founded in 1999, BMO Fountain of Hope raised in Ontario $4.9 million of the $7.2 million raised across the country during Campaign 2004, through the efforts and generosity of BMO Financial Group employees and customers.
Photos of this event will be available on www.bmo.com.
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