News Release
For Immediate Release
Chevron Canada makes major Community Partnership investment in leading Newfoundland Social Services agency
Stella Burry Community Services to receive $300,000 for its social enterprise training programs
St. John’s, NL, November 16, 2010 -- Mark MacLeod, Chevron Canada’s Vice President for Atlantic Canada, today announced that Chevron Canada has entered into an agreement to invest $300,000 in the 2010-2012 timeframe in the social enterprise activities of one of Newfoundland’s leading social service agencies, Stella Burry Community Services (SBCS). In announcing this significant contribution, MacLeod noted that Chevron was “a big believer and supporter of the organization’s strategy to provide skills development and training, which ultimately link people with real work opportunities. As the old saying goes, he added ‘the very best social program is a job’”.
Mirroring these comments, Jocelyn Greene, Executive Director of Stella Burry Community Services, indicated that the organization now places considerable emphasis on the value of real work to the well-being of SBCS program participants. “Chevron’s investment in our social enterprise activities will enable us to greatly increase the number of training opportunities for adults who have barriers to employment. We are truly seeing the value of this model every day as people overcome their personal challenges to become valued members of the workforce,” she noted. “With Chevron’s support, we will be able to ramp up in a number of areas to create affirmative businesses that prepare people for the real world of work in a “learn by doing” model,” she added.
Tom Williams, Chair of the Stella Burry Foundation also expressed his delight with the Chevron investment. “The significance of this contribution from Chevron cannot be overstated,” he noted. “Chevron has been a consistent and valued partner with us because they have taken the time to truly understand the nature and impact of the work of Stella Burry Community Services,” noted Williams.
The partnership between the two organizations goes back to 2005 when Chevron made an initial four year commitment of $100,000 to SBCS training programs. The relationship has been highly successful for both organizations and together they were recipients of a 2008 Global Best Partnership award by the International Partnership Network, in collaboration with the Conference Board of Canada presented in Helsinki, Finland for outstanding and effective business, education and community organization partnerships with significant impact on individuals and communities.
The partnership continues to attract recognition for both organizations. Recently, Chevron Canada received the Philanthropist of the Year Award from the Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for their impressive community investment strategy that is giving support to Stella Burry Community Services as well as a number of other major community organizations and institutions. Similarly, Stella Burry Community Services was recently recognized at the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, receiving special recognition as the Social Entrepreneur of the Year for Atlantic Canada.
Funds provided by Chevron will be used to enhance the training opportunities offered in a number of key SBCS program areas: an expansion of the Hungry Heart Café, the organization’s flagship social enterprise to double the number of students who will avail of that program. It will also enable the SBCS Trades Helper program advance to a new level of business maturity to create more training opportunities and will move this program to a business model. Lastly, the funding will support a relatively new SBCS program known as “Can Do Enterprises”, a skills discovery employment strategy for adults with multiple barriers to employment. The collective impact of these programs will help possibly hundreds of adults return to the workforce, or in some cases access employment for the first time.
“We are delighted to be making this investment in the work of Stella Burry Community Services” remarked MacLeod. “As we have come to know more about this organization, it was so clear to us that when the right balance of training and support, coupled with the entrepreneurial talents of the SBCS team all come together, great things start to happen for people in their programs who are trying to get ahead. We think that Stella Burry Community Services is doing amazing work with people and we are proud to be a part of their success,” he added.
In offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, Chevron has significant interests in the Hibernia Field, the Hebron Development as well as exploration acreage in the Orphan Basin and on the Labrador shelf.
Media Contacts:
Chevron Canada
Tim Murphy
Public Affairs
709-757-6108
timmurphy@chevron.com
Stella Burry Foundation
Deborah Glassman
Fund Development & Communications
709-738-8391
d.glassman@stellaburry.ca