YOURS DESJARDINS AVANTAGES THE 2014 SOCIAL RECORD OVERVIEW Cooperating in building the future
The sustainability of cooperation in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce! Concerned about the welfare of our members, together the officers, managers and Caisse employees confirm their commitment to bolster, year after year, cooperative values within our community. For all of us, ensuring the sustainability of community projects contributes significantly to community well-being and sustainability. In NDG, cooperation works in many ways and includes projects that are funded by the Community Development Fund (CDF), donations and sponsorships in addition to the concrete commitment of employees and officers. Moreover, all new members begin their membership by taking a first step towards community involvement. Indeed, as soon as they become members, they are asked to make a concrete gesture of cooperation through the P.A.C.T.E (Programme d Actions Communautaires, Témoin de notre Engagement). Each is invited to select, among three proposed organizations, the recipient of an amount equivalent to their share, i.e., $5. This amount, which is taken directly from the Community Development Fund, is donated to the selected organization in the new member s name. A CONCRETE GESTURE OF COOPERATION THROUGH THE P.A.C.T.E! Profile of projects supported by the Caisse in 2014 The CDF The Community Development Fund is a concrete example of the Caisse s involvement in our community. Contributing to the development of our community is one of the objectives of our Caisse. To this end, the Loi sur les coopératives de services financiers allows caisses to develop and maintain, using their annual surpluses, a Community Development Fund. The sums allocated to this Fund must structurally support the socio-economic ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA development of the community, promote mutual assistance and the democratic and associative life of the community as well as cooperative, economic and financial education. Following a consultation conducted among our members, caisse officers were able to provide direction with regards to the use of this Fund. 1 Applications should meet the criteria identified by the members, in order of priority : youth and the elderly, education, the fight against poverty and humanitarian work. 2 The organisation must work within our community. 3 The project submitted must be structured, i.e., Originate from environments that are fragile, and socially and financially disadvantaged; Meet real needs, which means that the organisation could not meet such needs using its own financial means ; 4 The project must have a positive impact on the overall community ; 5 Projects of a religious or political nature are not accepted ; 6 Overall projects must be representative of the community and the Caisse membership. The Caisse must provide the beneficiary with the tools and training required to grow and develop in a sustainable fashion. All projects are submitted to a rigorous analysis conducted by the members of the Community Development Fund committee which is made up of Caisse officers.
COMMUNITY Youth IN 2014, THE CAISSE SUPPORTED SEVERAL PROJECTS FROM THE COMMUNITY. HERE ARE BUT A FEW : Seniors The shuttle service for seniors COMMUNITY The shuttle service for seniors provides a bi-monthly bus service for the elderly living at the Résidence Providence in NDG, enabling them to do their own transactions at the Caisse, to shop in neighborhood shops while empowering them, in a respectful way, to remain autonomous. The official launch of the Coop Verte at Saint-Luc High School It was thanks to the support of the Caisse that the Coop Verte was launched on September 26th, 2014. An initiative of Saint-Luc High School students and staff, the Coop Verte s mission is to recycle school materials and offer them at low cost to all students in the school. Association des bénévoles du CHSLD Vigi Reine-Élizabeth The mission of the Association des bénévoles is to improve the quality of life of the elderly living at the CHSLD Vigi Reine-Élizabeth, some of whom are also handicapped, by breaking their isolation and adding some enjoyment to their daily routine. The financial support provided by the Caisse has helped to maintain activities and musical events such as Les Beaux Dimanches Caisse populaire Desjardins de Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Saint-Luc High School students receive a cheque from Nadia Papineau-Couture, President of the Caisse populaire Desjardins de Notre-Dame de Grâce in the company of Marie-José Mastromonaco, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Commissioner for the Commission scolaire de Montréal. Coop Verte CHSLD Vigi Reine-Elisabeth The Boite à Lunch workshops The Boîte à Lunch workshops aim to provide information on healthy eating and food safety to families in our community. Students from certain elementary and secondary level schools in our neighborhood are proud to participate in these educational workshops. Left to right : Lise Drolet, General Manager, Caisse populaire Desjardins de Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Suzanne Pépin, President of the Board of the Association des bénévoles du CHSLD Vigi Reine-Élizabeth, France Goulet of the Association des bénévoles.
The fight against poverty The NDG Food Depot The Caisse is proud to support the NDG Food Depot in its efforts to acquire new kitchen equipment to prepare meals that are provided free of charge to anyone wishing to be less isolated and wanting to integrate our community by sharing a moment with other members of the community. Action Communiterre Action Communiterre is a non-profit organisation established in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce whose mission is to promote food safety through community gardens that provide the population with increased accessibility to healthy, fresh food products. COMMUNITY Solidarity-based financial products The Caisse s financial educational mission also includes providing solidarity-based financial products such as the Desjardins Mutual Assistance Fund for individuals and the Microcredit to Businesses Fund geared to entrepreneurs. ACEM The Desjardins Microcredit to Businesses program is conducted in partnership with the Montreal Economic Development Agency whose mission is to fight poverty and exclusion through community credit. Desjardins Group encourages self-employed workers and entrepreneurs to start up their own businesses by providing mentoring and financial products that take into account their financial reality. COMMUNITY PESO In partnership with the Association coopérative d économie familiale du Sud-Ouest de Montréal, and other caisses in our region, P.E.S.O. (Prêts d entraide du Sud-Ouest) provides help to people facing financial difficulties by offering them consulting services to help them manage their budget and occasionally providing a small temporary loan to tide them over.
Concrete volunteer commitment The Pay It Forward Committe : an initiative of Caisse employees The Pay it Forward Committee is made up of committed employees who volunteer to organize fundraising activities throughout the year. The Committee selects, at the Annual General meeting, the causes and organizations they will support. This is an initiative of employees who hope, in keeping with our Caisse s image, to experience cooperative living by being concretely involved in our community. Among its many projects, the Pay it Forward Committee has provided $1,500 to the NDG Food Depot. One of the Pay it Foward Committee projects: Christmas baskets! Twenty families in need received a Christmas basket from the Pay it Forward Committee. Christmas baskets Education Our Financial Education Mission The Caisse, in partnership with several other regional caisses, contributes to the economic and financial education of its members. Desjardins Foundation Scholarship The Caisse is proud to award Adrienne Fournier-Sirois a $1500 Desjardins Foundation scholarship. This is part of the Caisse s on-going community involvement, through educational support. Scholarship Madame Drolet, General Manager of the Caisse, awarding a Desjardins Foundation scholarship to Adrienne Fournier-Sirois. Workshop conferences Personal commitment of employees and officers On November 29, 2014, employees and officers of the Caisse participated in the NDG Food Depot Grande Guignolée by collecting and distributing food products donated by community residents. The NDG Food Depot Grande Guignolée In keeping with its educational mission, the Caisse offers a growing number of workshop conferences aimed at various target groups. In 2014, the Caisse offered, among others, a new workshop targeting new immigrants living in our community. The workshop, Income and Budget Planning focused more specifically on various elements to be taken into account when drawing up a budget. The objective of the workshop conference was to accompany new immigrants who choose to live in our neighborhood and to help them acquire knowledge that will allow them to actively participate in the life of their new community. The Caisse also works in partnership with another regional caisse and with Desjardins Securities to organize an exclusive conference for health care professionals.
Donations and sponsorships The Caisse also supports various projects through its donations and sponsorship program, including : A.L.M.A Cinéma NDG Shidokan Judo Club Comité Justice et Solidarité The Société Elizabeth Fry du Québec Desjardins Foundation Generations Foundation Head & Hands Forward House Le Refuge Italian Week Club de Tennis NDG CONTACT US 514 482-9366 HEAD OFFICE 3830, Decarie boulevard Montreal (Quebec) H4A 3J7 www.desjardins.com/caissenotredamedegrace SAINT-RAYMOND AUTOMATED SERVICE CENTRE 5580, Upper Lachine Road Montreal (Quebec) H4A 2A7