donated to improve local communities
charities supported
bursaries awarded to high school graduates
For every new insurance quote between Sept. 21 and Nov. 15, Western Financial Group and its divisions will, on your behalf, donate $5 to the Foundation. Learn more from your local insurance experts at Western or our teams at Western Coast Insurance Services on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland as well as Wyatt Dowling Insurance Brokers in Winnipeg. You may also donate through any one of our 184 local branches yourself.
Since the very beginning, the action of supporting our local communities has guided everything we do — it’s who we are as Western Financial Group. Founded in 2001, our non-profit charity, the Western Financial Group Communities Foundation, is another way for our employees to give back and positively impact the people and pride in the places where we live, work and play.
Our people are our champions and it’s their generous support, alongside that of customers and fellow residents, that has enabled us to contribute over $3.6 million toward caring for our communities and their young leaders.
For 18 years, dedication toward fundraising has meant hundreds of Canadian projects have been successful. These places are where we call home — we’re proud community builders.
That’s what it means to be your local insurance brokers. We live here as your neighbours too. As the Communities Foundation, we invest in community vibrancy via three key platforms.
We consider it our responsibility to make a positive impact in the communities we serve.
We are focused on developing future leaders within our communities.
We are committed to help develop, improve and maintain the places where our communities gather.
Each year the Western Financial Group Communities Foundation awards a series of $5,000 infrastructure grants to strengthen the places where we connect as community members. Laurette LaPlante, the Communities Foundation director, said she has the best job in the world.
“I love what I do," she said. "The ability to touch so many communities across Canada and give back is truly amazing. Our funds are not isolated to big cities but given to smaller communities that often struggle to fundraise."
"I know firsthand from living in a small town how hard it is to fundraise. The fact that the Foundation focuses on these smaller communities just warms my heart.”
Overall in 2019, $348,000 was given to 1,062 projects across 5 provinces, which includes infrastructure grants. Laurette expressed that one of these grants aligns with her passion of the great outdoors.
“An infrastructure grant was awarded to Peace River to build a wetland interpretive boardwalk in Northern Alberta," she said. "The donation supported ducks.ca and their efforts to build a boardwalk and create new programs for children in the area."
"This was especially important to me to get kids outside in the environment and to touch and feel water instead of just seeing it come out of the tap.”
Since 2002, the Communities Foundation has supported over 600 causes across Canada, with 256 awarded to infrastructure projects. To date, our not-for-profit has awarded more than $3.6M to improve local communities.
Each year, our locations and their teams participate in numerous fundraising initiatives.
Western Communities Foundation is dedicated to helping those who strive to make our society better.
