Local Support for Canada Post Community Foundation has Pan-Canadian Impact

Local support for Canada Post Community Foundation has Pan-Canadian impact

-Lesley Dunn, Executive Director, The Dartmouth Learning Network

Between September 28^th and October 31^st, Canada Post employees and their customers rally to raise money for the Canada Post Community Foundation. Over the last three years the foundation has raised more than $4 million in assistance to help build libraries, create recreation and breakfast programs, and ensure children in need have access to crisis lines, tutoring, anti-bullying initiatives, mental health clinics and playgrounds.

Residents of Eastern Passage and Cow Bay have taken this fundraising campaign to heart, knitting, crocheting, baking, crafting, and donating items that can be sold to support their local post offices fundraising goals.  This year the remarkable partnership between Canada Post staff and community members raised over $3,000, placing them 5^th in Canada by the Canada Post Community Foundation for their fundraising efforts only marginally behind fundraising efforts of two major Canada Post distribution plants. Talk about making an impact!

Each post office is provided annually with a list of community groups and organizations they have helped support, but often do not get to connect directly with recipient groups. Not this year.  As a local resident I dropped into the post office during the height of their fundraising campaign.  One thing led to another and I suddenly realized that I could help their fundraising efforts by providing them with copies of baby and toddler rhyming and activity books that we were fortunate to be able to create for our Raising Readers and Math Thinkers program. These wonderful books were made possible through the generous support of the Canada Post Community Foundation.

Raising Reader and Math Thinkers is a collaborative effort between the Dartmouth Learning Network, Mount Saint Vincent University, First Book Canada and the Canada Post Community Foundation. It is designed to work with parents and children together to improve reading, writing, math and critical thinking skills.  In 2014 the Canada Post Community Foundation provided a grant to allow this program to get underway. Together we partnered with pre-service teachers, teachers, community members and DLN volunteers to raise awareness of the importance of early literacy for success in school.  Through our combined efforts we were able to reach close to 5,000 adults and 5,800 children.

This year 107 organizations across Canada will share a total of $1.2 million in grants.  Nova Scotia recipients include:

• Cape Breton Hospital Foundation
• Junior Achievement of Nova Scotia
• Mount Saint Vincent Student Union
• Richmond County Literacy Network
• Second Stage Housing Association of Dartmouth (Alice Housing)
• The John Howard Society of Nova Scotia – North Eastern Regional Office
• Veith House

Next time you pass your local post office, drop in and found out how your donation can make a great impact on changing a child’s life. You can learn more about the impact of the Canada Post Community Foundation by visiting https://www.canadapost.ca/