President’s Report - January 2017
The purpose of life is not to be happy — but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. Leo Rosten
Another amazing year!
Thanks to the incredible support from individuals and organizations, the Help Our Students Program is providing $1,000 awards to 107 students from 51 Ottawa high schools, quite a jump from 36 students last year. These hard-working students, living in difficult financial circumstances, are receiving $100 each month - from September to June - to help them graduate high school.
Despite this growth, 100% of donations continue to flow directly to help students; all administrative expenses are borne by the Board of Directors.
I would like to share some recent news:
· The Foundation for Giving, funded by the staff of Re/Max Hallmark Realty Group, selected us for a three-year period. In November, I received their first donation of $8,000.
· The IODE Walter Baker Chapter selected us as their major fundraising target for 2016. Their main events consisted of two fun Trivia Nights. In December, I received a cheque for $7,000.
· The Ottawa Child and Youth Initative - Growing Up Great works to foster the healthy development of all children and youth through research, advocacy and program development. I was honoured to be selected to receive an award in the Healthy and Thriving category at a luncheon in December, hosted by CBC Ottawa’s Hallie Cotnam.
Confidentiality prevents me from relating countless other memorable donations that have been made this year. Nevertheless, I wish to thank everyone who has supported us, especially those who continue to renew their annual or monthly donations.
One of the highlights of the year is reading the letters that the recipients have sent in. Due to large increase in the number of participating schools, many of the new students were not able to open their bank accounts until late in the year. As a result, letters are still trickling in. I have selected a number of letters that describe so eloquently the impact your donations are making on their lives. You can read these letters by clicking here. In due course, every letter received will be posted on our web site, www.HelpOurStudentsProgram.com.
As usual, you may examine our current financial statement by clicking here.
For four years, the Ottawa Citizen graciously published my Christmas article each December under the UpBeat banner. Sadly, this feature was discontinued in December. The publication of this article had provided the primary source of new donors as well as many donations. In the absence of this support, I urge you to share this President’s Report with your family, friends and colleagues. If we wish to reach our goal of supporting at least one boy and one girl in every (57) Ottawa high school, we need to continue to attract new donors.
Please visit our web site for more information about the Help Our Students Program. If you haven’t yet donated, the How to Donate page will allow you to download our Donor Form or allow you to make an immediate donation by credit card or Pay Pal.
I wish you all a very healthy and happy 2017.
Richard Lussier
President
(613) 983-3633