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| At Gildan, we are committed to improving people's quality of life and supporting communities in which we operate. Around the globe, Gildan gives back to communities through donations centered on humanitarian aid, youth and education. These are the underlying themes that determine all our charitable giving.
Our specific community involvement initiatives depend on the local situation and the unique needs of each community. |
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CANADA |
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In Canada, Gildan’s main charitable partnership is with Dans la rue, a Montreal-based non-profit organization that supports homeless youth. Dans la rue is a safe place for kids to go and get back on their feet. They can find resources adapted to their needs and above all, they can count on a great source of respect, friendship and encouragement. Gildan has donated $750,000 to this humanitarian cause since the relationship began in 2005. Much of Gildan’s contribution is used to finance the Chez Pops Day Centre cafeteria, which serves an average of |
1,000 meals a week.The Chez Pops Day Centre is the place of daily informal meetings between street kids and counselors, teachers, therapists, nurses and volunteers. The cafeteria is where solid relationships are born and is often where kids take their first steps to eventually getting off the streets. Gildan has also been sponsoring Dans la rue’s annual fundraising gala From the Street to the Stars, a unique and tasty event, where Montreal’s young chefs will give their interpretation of street food. Each year, a dozen Gildan employees volunteer to help on the night of the event.
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Gildan has been supporting Toujours ensemble since 2005. Toujours ensemble is a non-profit organization that supports school children of Verdun, by helping them with homework, organizing low-cost leisure activities and providing a meeting place after school where they can acquire a sense of belonging. Toujours ensemble supports over 400 kids per school year and distributes 40 perseverance $3,000 scholarships to high school students. In addition, over the past six years, 30 students have been granted scholarships to pursue post secondary studies, totaling $40,000. Gildan has been supporting Toujours ensemble |
with a donation of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and polos, as well as financial support for scholarships. Gildan’s long-lasting partnership with Toujours ensemble is a fine example of the Company’s willingness to help young people succeed in school and contribute to improving the quality of life of kids and their families.
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Je Passe Partout, an organization located in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood of Montréal, also received the support of Gildan with a yearly donation of $7,000 since 2006. The goals of Je Passe Partout's activities are closely linked to the prevention of school failure in an underprivileged area of the city. The aim of the school support program is to motivate children in their academic development and help them acquire a positive attitude with respect to school and their studies. |
| Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence du Québec |
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The Fondation de l'athlète d'excellence du Québec is an organization regrouping people from the business, education and sport communities. Their mission is to support student athletes financially, in their quest for excellence and to contribute to the promotion of these role models in the Quebec society. Gildan has been financially supporting the Fondation since 2005, via the Gildan Leadership Scholarships, offered each year to three student athletes who distinguish themselves through community service and who demonstrate a leadership role within their |
respective team ranks. Among them: Annie Martin, a Sherbrooke University student, who came in 5th position in beach volleyball at the Athens Olympic Games, as well as Anthony Lukca, a McGill University student, who plays for the McGill Redmen.
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Since 2006, Gildan has also sponsored the Word on the Street event, which promotes reading with adults and children in five major Canadian cities during the month of September. The event is Canada’s largest annual one-day national book and magazine festival celebrating literacy and the written arts. Gildan has supported the event for the past five years with a yearly in-kind donation of 1,500 t-shirts. |
| Trevor Williams Kids Foundation |
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The Trevor Williams Kids Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching life skills to marginalized youth. The Foundation works with kids from 6-18 years of age from different social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The Trevor Williams Kids Foundation reaches nearly 2,000 kids through its organized events, leagues and programs. Gildan is pleased to support this great organization, which works with youth and encourages them to stay in school. Gildan has been sponsoring this foundation since 2006 by way of financial support to the Reading Zone program and in-kind donations of t-shirts and hoodies. |
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For the past three years, Gildan has been supporting Literacy Unlimited, an organization dedicated to the advancement of literacy. With Gildan’s financial support, they have been able to establish the Oasis School Literacy Program in three high schools located in the Montreal West Island. The program provides free tutorial sessions to high school students who are challenged by low literacy, and therefore at risk of dropping out.During the 2008-2009 school year,Literacy Unlimited trained 26 volunteer tutors who gave 1,800 tutoring hours to 30 students. |
This program is in line with Gildan’s philanthropic mission to supporting youth education and has created new hope for high school students with low literacy.
| Toronto Community Foundation |
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Gildan recently partnered with the Toronto Community Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports Toronto’s less privileged communities through charity work. In September 2009, they launched the Beyond 3:30 Project, a new initiative providing children in grades 7 to 9 from eight inner-city high schools with after-school activities such as homework assistance, sports, drama and cooking classes. |
This innovative pilot program is designed to provide a safe, stimulating place at no cost for middle school students to gather between the hours of 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. on school nights, keeping them off the streets. It runs in eight middle schools in high-needs Toronto neighborhoods. Gildan supplied 1,500 t-shirts to the Beyond 3:30 Project, which are distributed to the students participating in the program. After-school programs make a critical difference in safety and skill development and the Beyond 3:30 Project truly extends beyond the classroom.
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UNITED STATES |
| Alabama Foster and Adoptive Parent Association |
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In 2008, to assist in the care of 7,000 foster and adoptive children in the state of Alabama, Gildan’s hosiery facility in Fort Payne participated in a sock drive organized by the Alabama Foster and Adoptive Parent Association by way of a donation of 12,000 pairs of socks in assorted sizes and colors. The purpose of the sock drive was to help bring awareness to Alabama lawmakers regarding the needs of foster and adopted children. |
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In the United States, Gildan matched the employee donations to local United Way campaigns in Virginia and Alabama for a total donation of over U.S. $25,000 in 2008 and over U.S. $40,000 in 2009. Employees organized a number of activities to raise money for United Way. |
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