Options Community Services and the Women of Options 2022: Gamechangers campaign are happy to announce a $23,500 (AUS) gift to our Women of Options 2022: Gamechangers Fund for Youth at Risk from the Australian-based Ubuntu Foundation.
This gift was brought to us through Louella Mathias, Vice-Chair of the Options’ Board who was one of our Women of Options in 2021 and again in 2022.
Louella was on a trip to Australia to see her grandchildren for the first time. They had been born during COVID when travel was impossible. “I had not seen Carolyn for thirty years! She heard I was in Adelaide and called me. When we met and she heard about our campaign, she offered to help. I was astounded and happy!”
Ubuntu is a family charity Foundation based in Australia and is committed to creating a world that works. This is the first gift ever given to a Canadian non-profit. Ubuntu Foundation believes in supporting and promoting the virtues of humanity to pull us out of the dire situation that our collective actions have created. Compassion, kindness, understanding and sustainability define their work and are at the heart of Ubuntu. The Foundation supports a number of world-changing positive projects, which are supporting marginalized communities, whilst rehabilitating, protecting and conserving the natural world that we all rely on to thrive.
Ubuntu founder, Carolyn Vincent, a philanthropist and environmentalist, shares our collective concern about young people in need of a helping hand. “We need to create a more sustainable world for our children and in order to do that we also need to create the conditions under which those children can thrive. We are thrilled to be able to assist Options Community Services to provide funds to those young people who desperately need our help.”
The Women of Options 2022: Gamechangers campaign began in April and runs through to September 30th. Options is hoping to raise $1.5 million which will ensure that resources are there for youth in the immediate and forseeable future. Anyone wishing to donate can go to the website www.womenofoptions2022.ca
Options Community Services is a large, multi-service agency providing programs and supports for the South Fraser communities for the past 50 years. Our experienced staff operate more than 80 programs agency-wide – a significant number that are youth-oriented. These programs and services provide services to young people and their families across the South Fraser region. Last year alone, Options helped over 3500 youth in Surrey alone. While these programs meet the needs of many youth, many other individualized needs are not met. The Youth Gamechangers Fund will ensure that resources are available to meet needs.
For media enquiries, please contact Ginny Hasselfield: Ginny.hasselfield@options.bc.ca
