Andrew Lutfy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Dynamite and Carbonleo (Co-chair of the 2019 Centraide Campaign), Robert Dumas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sun Life Financial Quebec (Chair of Centraide’s Board of Directors), Lili-Anna Pereša, President and Executive Director of Centraide of Greater Montreal, Éric Martel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro-Québec (Co-chair of the 2019 Centraide Campaign) and Sterling Downey, Verdun Borough Councillor and representative of the Mayor of Montreal.
We can’t let social issues become #UNIGNORABLE
Montreal, October 2, 2019 – Today, Centraide of Greater Montreal announced the launch of its 2019 Campaign with the theme #UNIGNORABLE to raise awareness of social issues, which often go unnoticed. Centraide wants to draw attention to issues such as school dropouts, food insecurity, social isolation and homelessness.
Kicked off at noon today during Centraide’s March of 1,000 umbrellas, which was attended by tens of thousands of participants, this campaign reminds people of the importance of supporting Centraide. Thanks to the generosity of donors, nearly 350 agencies can provide services to vulnerable people and make concrete and lasting changes in these people’s lives.
“The 615,000 low-income people who live in Montreal, in Laval and on the South Shore would fill the Bell Centre 29 times. Yet social issues can be easy to ignore. That’s why we are launching the #UNIGNORABLE major awareness campaign. We want to draw attention to poverty-related issues and to how people can get involved. When we show our local love, we can break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion,” said Lili-Anna Pereša, President and Executive Director of Centraide of Greater Montreal.
“Poverty affects too many people and has repercussions now and for future generations. It is essential for everyone to contribute to Centraide’s great movement of generosity for the benefit of our entire community,” said Éric Martel, President and CEO of Hydro-Québec, who is co chairing the campaign with Andrew Lutfy, President and CEO of Groupe Dynamite and Carbonleo. “Everyone must get the chance to develop their full potential. When we trust in Centraide, which is an expert in social investment, we can help vulnerable people overcome barriers,” added Mr. Lutfy.
A new colour that gets attention
For its 2019 campaign, Centraide has partnered with Pantone® (Pantone Color InstituteTM) to create #UNIGNORABLE, a colour created specifically to highlight local poverty issues. The goal is to draw attention to the thousands of people who suffer the consequences of poverty. This fall, Greater Montreal will be adorned with this vibrant and can’t-miss colour that invites us to take action and change things. The colour is also a way to make social issues more visible and concrete and ensure that they are #UNIGNORABLE.
The Centraide campaign will run until the end of December. People can visit centraide-mtl.org to give or learn more.
Centraide of Greater Montreal is active in the territories of Laval, Montreal and the South Shore. About 57,000 volunteers are involved with the 350 agencies that it supports, and 22,000 volunteers work on its annual campaign. Centraide has a presence in 18 regions in Quebec and is supported by private, public and parapublic corporations and institutions as well as large trade unions. The money raised is invested locally to break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion.