The channel community in Canada as a whole is made up of some of the most caring and giving individuals I have ever met.
One of the best examples of this is the Alberta flood this year and how all the channel partners, distributors and vendors pitched in. It was a shining moment for the channel in Canada.
Last night at Ingram Micro Canada annual Experience Holiday Party at the Trump Tower in Toronto the channel, once again, stepped up for two charities. The distributor, based in Mississauga, Ont., raised $42,000 for the Vita Centre and Our Place Peel.
The Vita Centre is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing support for pregnant and parenting women in Peel Region.
Our Place Peel is the only youth shelter in Peel Region that is residential. The organization helps at-risk youth develop life skills that help these kids become self-sufficient.
The $42,000 will be split evenly between the two charities and Ingram Micro Canada’s vice president of marketing Jennifer Johnson told CDN that the vendor community really stepped up this year and rallied around these two charities.
Ingram asked the vendors to sponsor a Christmas Tree and with that they would get double the marketing credits with the distributor.
With all these donations 15 young, needy families in Mississauga will be helped out during the season of giving.
One story Johnson shared with me really pulled at my heart strings. This single mother of three who is transitioning out of a shelter really wanted a mattress for Christmas. According to Johnson, it was the only thing she wished for, but with all the money raised by Ingram this family is getting a whole lot more.
“We stand behind the United Way and we do this in addition because the associates here at Ingram love this face-to-face interaction. This hits home for many of our associates. It could be a neighbor or one of your kid’s friends. We are one of the largest employers in Mississauga and it is so important to give back especially with the youth shelter and the single mom. They could be one of our associates. So it’s good for us to do this because we like to give back,” Johnson said.
