Centraide Outaouais calls on community support for 76th annual fundraising campaign

With the pandemic causing considerable negative financial impacts on countless community organizations in the region, Centraide Outaouais is calling on local support to help give back to those who need help the most.

According to a press release issued by Centraide Outaouais on September 9, the organization kicked off its 76th annual fundraising campaign last week – promoting it virtually on different airwaves, including CHIP-FM, CHGA-FM and 104.7-FM Outaouais, as well as on its Facebook page. Going under the theme “Never indifferent”, Centraide Outaouais’ Executive director Nathalie Lepage said this year’s campaign is even more crucial than in previous years, considering the current circumstances.

With 2020 having been a difficult year for so many, campaign chair and Director General of 104.7 Outaouais Bob Rioux also emphasized the importance of the community pitching in for a good cause. Noting that the organization dedicates itself to supporting the most vulnerable – notably abused women, children and the elderly – many people are now in even more precarious positions than before the pandemic, Rioux said.

Due to the virus, Centraide Outaouais was also forced to cancel several fundraising events, including its breakfast to launch the campaign - losing around one hundred thousand dollars that would have been invested in charitable causes. Fortunately, the organization was able to amass more than $1.4 million in donations with its COVID-19 Emergency Fund launched in March. 

Rioux noted that half of the campaign is funded by federal government workers’ donations. But for the other half, business donations play a significant role in contributing to its success.

With more than 8,000 businesses in the Outaouais, 514 are supporters of Centraide Outaouais – a number that Rioux would love to see go up. Understanding that many people are quite financially restricted these days, Rioux stressed that every dollar can help make a big difference.

MRC des Collines de l’Outaouais Warden, Mayor of Chelsea and Centraide Outaouais board member Caryl Green told the Bulletin that the organization’s main goal, along with raising funds, is ensuring that they end up in the right place. She added that the organization also is focused on expanding its reach in the region, especially its rural areas.

When the campaign first started in 1944, Centraide Outaouais supported nine non-profit-organizations, Rioux said. Today, that number stands at 83 in the Outaouais, including the Aylmer Food Centre, the Centre Communautaire Entre-Nous and the Groupe Communautaire Deschênes.

Donations to the campaign can be made via Centraide Outaouais’ website - https://centraideoutaouais.com/.