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Caisse Desjardins du Centre-nord de Montréal

Let's CoHOHOperate for an old friend!

A collaborative, intergenerational initiative in the spirit of the holidays

Following the success of its 2011 edition, the Let's CoHOHOperate inter-cooperation project organized by Desjardins caisses in Montreal is back for a second year in a row, bringing to life Desjardins's cooperative values and spreading holiday cheer to the young and young-at-heart!

This year, Montreal-area caisses will be joining forces and inviting you to make a Christmas card for a local senior citizen. You can add your own words and drawing to a blank card, or design one of your own. Mailboxes will be set up at participating caisses where you can drop off the cards.

The project is meant to acknowledge seniors' contributions to our society and to counter their loneliness. Sadly, many elderly people are cut off from society and have to spend the holidays—a time for rejoicing with loved ones—all alone.

The caisses also want to make young people more sensitive to this fact. To do this, they asked their neighbourhood elementary schools to design greeting cards for elderly community members as well, since they are often forgotten or left by themselves at Christmastime. This initiative is made possible thanks to a partnership with the organization Les petits frères des Pauvres and its generous volunteers.

The period for collecting your kind words starts October 15, as Cooperation Week kicks off, and ends November 23.

In the spirit of inter-cooperation, your own initiatives are welcome! Why not make it a family activity and get your kids to help take part? Or consider organizing a Christmas-card writing session at the office for the holidays, or making a collective work of art with a group of friends.

The caisses are asking you to give a few minutes of your time, as a heart-warming gesture for some of our older friends who have a different perception of time.

Results for 2011: More than 9,200 toys

In 2011, the project involved a massive toy drive organized by 28 Desjardins Group caisses and subsidiaries, rounding up more than 9,200 toys and games for kids 0 - 17 years of age in Greater Montreal. The community heard this call for generosity and brought their new and used toys to 1 of the 139 bins set up at 89 collection sites. Their treasures were handed over to the 202 Workshop Depot, which launched the project and took care of cleaning, sorting and categorizing these precious gifts to make Christmas baskets for underprivileged kids.

About Les Petits Frères

Bringing joy to people for more than 50 years now, Les Petits Frères is a member of the International Federation of the little brothers of the Poor, which is active in 8 countries worldwide. In Quebec, the organization and its 1,100 volunteers do work in 9 different regions. It strives to combat social isolation and exclusion among the elderly by becoming the family they no longer have, and providing support until the end.
www.petitsfreres.ca

About the Desjardins caisses on the Island of Montreal

With a combined total of nearly $18.5 billion in assets and dedicated teams of 3,630 officers and employees, and in keeping with their mission, the 45 caisses on the Island of Montreal contribute to the economic and social well-being of their 766,111 members and the community. They offer all the financial products and services of Desjardins Group, of which they form an integral part. They have 124 service centres in Montreal. The largest financial cooperative group in Canada and sixth in the world, Desjardins Group is one of the biggest employers in the country and in 2010 was named one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures^TM; as well as Canadian Bank of the Year 2010 by the British magazine The Banker.
www.desjardins.com

Print the press release (PDF, 126 KB).