MONTREAL – Bell Canada’s 2005 employee giving campaign resulted in a total pledged commitment of $3.7 million in combined employee and retiree donations and corporate match.
"The contribution made by our employees and retirees to support the work of United Way/Centraide and other charities across the country is outstanding," said Patrick Pichette, 2005 campaign co-chair and president, operations, Bell Canada. "Our recent campaign has seen a 14% increase in donors over the previous year, showing just how committed Bell people are to their communities."
Bell employees led and participated in a variety of local fundraising activities that will benefit their local United Way/Centraide. For example:
* In Calgary and Edmonton, employees made donations and organized additional fundraising events ranging from auctions to pie-throwing contests raising close to $120,000 for their respective United Ways.
* In London, Ottawa, Toronto, and throughout Ontario, employees organized fundraising events that included a climb up the CN Tower to mini-putt golf challenges and raffles and pledged more than $1 million to their local United Ways and other charities.
* In Vancouver, employees teamed up at silent auctions and bake sales and raised close to $38,000 for their United Way.
* In Montreal and throughout Quebec, employees rallied at a comedy night and pumpkin carving contest to pledge more than $661,000 for their respective Centraide chapters and other charities.
"We want to thank Bell Canada and its employees and retirees for their generous contribution and ongoing support for the work done in the community," said Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire, president and executive director of Centraide of Greater Montreal. "Bell not only supports the workplace campaign in a very significant way, it also matches employee donations with a corporate gift and lends us talented employees to help with our annual fund drive. And this is true of their involvement in other United Way/Centraides throughout Canada."
