In the spirit of giving during the holiday season, The Cowan Foundation annually selects an organization as a recipient of their Holiday Card Program. This year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada has been selected to receive $50,000 in support of a Conversation Club, an after school group mentoring program where new Canadian youth and volunteer mentors meet to practice English conversation and presentation skills, while discussing homework issues, learning about Canada and sharing common interests.
More than 42,000 young people are currently supported by a variety of Big Brothers Big Sisters programs in 1,100 communities across Canada, and this support allows for further development of specialized programs.
“We selected Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada as our Holiday Card recipient in 2016 because we recognized that Conversation Club provides an opportunity to build a sense of belonging among new Canadian youth and promote cross-cultural understanding in a safe atmosphere,” explained Larry Ryan, President, Frank Cowan Company.
“Being connected with a positive, understanding mentor helps young people avoid risky situations and find strength from within,” said Peter Coleridge, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. “Through the contributions of partners like The Cowan Foundation and individual supporters across Canada, we change how young people see themselves and their place in the world, giving them the confidence to achieve more.”
About The Cowan Foundation
The Cowan Foundation was started in 1995 in honour of Frank Cowan, the founder of Frank Cowan Company and Cowan Insurance Group. The Foundation is sustained by the ongoing success of the Princeton Holdings group of companies including Cowan Insurance Group (and its subsidiaries: The Williamson Group, Millennium CreditRisk Management, Wentworth Financial Services and Cowan Financial Solutions), Frank Cowan Company, The Guarantee Company of North America, Cowan Asset Management and Fountain Street Finance. Together they provide insurance and risk management products and services for individuals, businesses, organizations and public entities as well as assist employers with their group benefits, retirement and health and disability management plans. The goal of The Cowan Foundation is to make a positive difference in the lives of Canadians and the broader well-being of our communities.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been changing the lives of Canada’s youth by developing and implementing a wide range of mentoring programs. Every year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada provides quality mentoring services for more than 40,000 youth, engaging over 23,000 mentors in 111 agencies that serve youth in over 1,100 communities across the country. Research demonstrates that Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring programs yield positive results in mental health, employment and civic engagement, with every dollar of investment in BBBS programming returning between $18 and $23 to society through higher taxes, increased spending from higher incomes, volunteerism, and charitable donations. For more information, visit www.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca.
Media Inquiries:
Jody Lundrigan
National Director, Communications and Marketing
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada|
jody.lundrigan@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca
1-800-263-9133 ext. 49
Lynne Short
Director, Communications & Community Relations
The Cowan Foundation/ Princeton Holdings Limited
(519) 650-6363 ext. 31608
lynne.short@princetonholdings.com