November 19, 2009

Large donation from W. Garfield Weston Foundation enables foundation to help provincial charities

Street kids in St. John's, patients in Labrador and seniors in small communities are just some of the people who will benefit from a $70,000 donation from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation to the Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (CFNL). CFNL will immediately pass on $50,000 of the donation to 12 registered charities across the province, and the other $20,000 will be distributed later.

These charities represent a variety of organizations providing services for under-educated youth with poor job prospects in St. John’s, low income families in Gambo, native people in Labrador, seniors in Spaniard’s Bay, mental health clients in Corner Brook and residents of central Newfoundland who lost their jobs in the global downturn. Individual grants range from $1200 to $8000 and will be processed by CFNL.

CFNL Vice-Chair Mrs. Jennifer Guy accepted a $70,000 cheque from W. Garfield Weston Foundation representative Ms. Adele Poynter at a ceremony held at Choices for Youth centre in St. John’s this morning.

“This is a much appreciated donation and we are grateful to the W. Garfield Weston Foundation for their generosity. It is particularly helpful because many charities are currently struggling to obtain financial support during these challenging financial times.” says Jennifer Guy. “This donation will enable the Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador with its mandate to support charities across the province and ensure that these community-based organizations can continue to serve their clients.”

Ms. Poynter added “The W. Garfield Weston Foundation is pleased to assist CFNL to provide food, clothing, and shelter to those most in need. The Westons have made it a family tradition to help charitable organizations make a difference and to enhance the quality of life for all Canadians. As Garfield Weston was often quoted as saying, ‘Tis not the gales but the set of the sails that determines the way you go.’ This grant will enable the Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador to continue to help ‘set the sails’ of charities and their clients all around the province.”

Community Youth Outreach Worker Jeannie Piercey says the grant of $5000 to Choices for Youth is “welcomed by youth who have never had a sense of home or belonging, and who have struggled to find and maintain employment with little or no stability in their lives.  This money will enable us to provide opportunities to more at-risk youth who are in need of employment skills and work experience to help them break the cycle of poverty and street-involvement.”

The W. Garfield Weston Foundation is supported by an endowment from the Weston family (owners of Loblaw Companies Limited) with the majority of the funds being directed to specific organizations in the fields of education, land conservation, and science in Canada’s North.

The Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is a province-wide registered charity that builds and manages charitable funds for businesses, organizations, families and individuals. It distributes the income as grants to many of the humanitarian, educational, health and cultural charities in this province. CFNL is one of 168 community foundations across Canada and the only one in Newfoundland and Labrador.