Photo Caption: Frederick Vine, Director of Business Development at EllisDon with Brittany, our Community Engagement Coordinator, and Jeremiah, our Employment Manager
At The Mustard Seed, we are consistently amazed by the impact our community has when people work together. Thanks to a collaborative effort between St. Elizabeth Seton School, EllisDon and Canadian Tire, we recently received a donation of 122 pairs of work boots for our Employment Program.
The idea came about at St. Elizabeth Seton School, where students participated in a variety of activities to raise funds with the goal of purchasing work boots. It was part of their “Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes” campaign, a compliment to the school board’s theme for the 2015 – 2016 school year – “Walking Humbly.”
Fundraising activities included selling popcorn and also having a “Slipper Day” where students could wear slippers to school in exchange for a donation.
After hearing about the students’ plans, our Community Engagement Team reached out to the construction company, EllisDon, and the corporation agreed to match the funds raised by the students’ campaign. Frederick Vine, Director of Business Development, says that the effort to purchase work boots was a great fit for EllisDon.
“We have a strong desire to be in the community, and this gave us an opportunity to step up and do that,” he says.
When it was time to purchase the boots, Canadian Tire offered a substantial discount that meant St. Elizabeth Seton School and Ellis Don were able to donate 122 pairs of work boots to the Employment Program.
Employment Manager, Jeremiah Smith says that donations like these go a long way for the program.
“One of the boundaries to employment is often that people cannot afford the clothing or equipment they need for the job,” He says. “This allows us to make sure that people not only get jobs but have the tools they need to jump right in.
