RJ Cares 2019: Record Breaking Results!

July 12, 2019

The Raymond James Canada Foundation is thrilled to share the results of Raymond James Cares Month 2019.This year, a record 814 RJ employees and associates volunteered an incredible 3,330 hours in support of over 150 different charities!

Thanks to the generosity, enthusiasm, and hard work of our volunteers, we exceeded our goals and made a positive impact in our communities from coast to coast. Thank you to the amazing charities who invited us to support their efforts. We are so grateful to have played a small role in your remarkable work!

Across the country, our Raymond James associates and advisors all share a desire to make the world a better place. Since 2013, RJ Cares has been our month-long celebration of our passion for volunteering. Each May, we get together, roll up our sleeves, and help those-in-need.

“Volunteering is an integral part of our culture” says Janine Davies, Executive Director of the Raymond James Canada Foundation. “We strive to empower our colleagues to get involved with causes that matter to them, by providing the time and the tools to get involved.”

By volunteering our time, energy, and expertise to improve the lives of others, we make meaningful connections within our teams, our firm, and our communities.

“The best part of my job is hearing from colleagues who have continued their volunteer journey beyond RJ Cares month,” shares Janine Davies. “So many of us find our true passion and purpose through helping others, and RJ Cares often provides the spark of inspiration! I am honoured to facilitate these connections, and so proud of the work that we do in May and throughout the year!”

L-R: Justine Hayman, Janine Davies, Carmen Tsang

In 2019, we gave back in both traditional and innovative ways, proving that volunteering can take MANY forms. We packed boxes at foodbanks and served over 3,250 home-cooked meals to those in need. We also got creative, crafting paper flowers and creating hand-made thank you cards. We rolled up our sleeves and overcame fears to donate 125 units of blood. We invited charities into our offices to give presentations and transform our boardrooms into makeshift kitchens and art studios.

We revitalized gardens, planted trees, and collected 120 pounds of garbage from our parks and shorelines. We collected 2,250 pairs of shoes to send children to school, 1,750 care items to mitigate the effects of homelessness, and hundreds of items of clothing to help women enter the workforce. We even laced up our sneakers and got active: cycling, running, canoeing and even rappelling down a skyscraper for the cause! The Raymond James Canada Foundation is delighted to facilitate these unique and meaningful experiences through RJ Cares.

Paul Allison, Raymond James’ Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, expressed his gratitude for the dedication of our volunteers: “Put your hand on your heart, does it feel a little bit warmer? You gave more than you know, and I appreciate your efforts to making your community a better place to live in. Your generosity continues to inspire. Thank you for volunteering.”

All of us at Raymond James are incredibly proud of these results!
Together, we MADE a difference.

THANK YOU!

HIGHLIGHTS

Across the country we supported a diverse variety of causes in unique and interesting ways. See below for just a few of the many exciting RJ Cares events that took place in May 2019. For even more photos, check out our Community in Action Gallery.

SERVING HOMECOOKED MEALS

Montreal IAS – Santropol Roulant
“Amazing experience with the RJ Team: unforgettable! That was something I wanted to accomplish since a very long time, and I finally did it! Thanks RJ for letting me doing this!” – Mario Beaupré

L-R Mario Beaupre, Annie Koutrakis and Erick Moisan

Toronto IAS – Sistering
“It felt like we were on Top Chef Canada, prepping lunch for countless ladies in a short period of time and we successfully delivered lunch on time! The best part of it was learning about the organization and what they do for the drop ins.” – Monica Yiu

L-R Monica Yiu, Julie Eifert, Megan Callaghan, Kim Tune

Saskatoon IAS – Saskatoon Interval House
“We served BBQ chicken and smokies, greek pasta salad, baked potato salad, homemade corn bread, veggie platter, lemonade and even chocolate and vanilla cupcakes for dessert! Since the families staying at the Interval house often arrive with nothing, we also gave each child a gift.” – Tammie Atchison

L-R: Susan Tenetuik, Caren Melby, Dave Hassell, Chad Woolsey, Tammie Atchison, Martha Loewen (Missing from photo: Brent Misener, Frank Lukowich, Greg Beswick, Mike Reimer, Sheryl Maxwell, Terry McBride)

Ottawa IAS – The Ottawa Mission
“Five of us spent a couple of hours prepping food for the dinner meal at the Ottawa Mission – specifically cutting beans. “Team Bean” prepared 4 large bags of beans for cooking. The Ottawa Mission serves over 1000 meals per day to homeless or low income folks in our community.” – Sarah Brillinger

L-R: Kurt Lucier, Donna Capstick, Karol Phillips, Sarah Brillinger, Shari Braun

Vancouver Corporate– Door is Open
“Very rewarding!” – Geoff Campbell

L-R: Geoff Campbell, Andrew Beason, Alan Siau, Nicky Anderton, Molly Zhao, Neena Campbell

Victoria IAS – Our Place
“Our Place offers the most vulnerable citizens of Greater Victoria a unique space filled with hope and belonging. Over 1,200 meals are served per day. It is a great organization that needs our support!” – Nadja Lawrence

L-R: Nadja Lawrence, Andrea Linger, Dee-Ann Mayburry, Andre Valade, John Bataller, Rada Grbic, Alison Klassen, Colton Cyr, Frank Arnold

Toronto IAS/Corporate – WoodGreen
“We prepared and served meals to 25 residents of WoodGreen who are on a very limited budget and for whom hunger is an ever present risk. We were able to meet and interact with some of the residents and it was nice to be able to give back to the community and show that we care. And it was also a fun team event!” – Marianne Ewasyn

L-R Bryan Lee, Melody Lau, Mario Silva, Romona Singh, Lisa Sansone, Sophia Tran, Ahmer Chowdhary, Marianne Ewasyn

Edmonton IAS – Operation Friendship Seniors Society of Edmonton
“Big smiles, full stomachs, and many ‘thank yous’ later, over 200 seniors were fed a nourishing meal. Many seniors commented that this was the best meal they had had since Christmas, which brought even bigger smiles to the RJ team of volunteers. RJ Cares is a great way to give back to the community we live in.” – Tage Cawley

L-R: Tage Cawley, Monique Lavigne, Timea Klemp, Michael Schuh, Kieran Bechthold, Tom Love

CLEANING UP THE ENVIRONMENT

Toronto IAS/ Corporate – Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup Woodbine Beach
“Each team collected an assortment of litter, but the overall largest category was various small pieces of plastic and foam (1400 pieces were collected!), followed by cigarette butts (close to 500 were picked up – yuk). At the end of the two hours, we gathered for a photo with our litter collection in front of a ‘Keep Nature Beautiful’ mural painted by students. How appropriate.” – Moira Rosser

L-R Ryan Lewenza and family; Moira Rosser-Peterson and spouse; Wilson Chen and family.

Victoria IAS – Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
“It was a great day. We were pleased that the beach was already pretty clean!” – Frank Arnold

L-R: Alison Klassen, Nadja Lawrence, April Dorey, Frank Arnold, Michael Higgins

Montreal IAS – Parc William-Bowie Cleanup
“A team of RJ associates along with their families and friends participated in a spring cleaning of Parc William-Bowie. Their enthusiasm was so contagious that several local citizens joined the fun!” – Natalia Pikula

L-R: Oceane, Suzanne de Jonge, local residents, Aidan Moisan, Louis-Philippe and Natalia Pikula with Kaya, Abigail and friend, Laurence and Isabelle Gauthier, Zoe Atanasiadis, Jessica Silva, Silivo, Mia and Emily

SUPPORTING SENIORS

Edmonton IAS – Operation Friendship Seniors Society of Edmonton
“OFSS provides seniors with a place to drop in to socialize, as well as three meals a day for those that need it. The seniors played many games of bingo hosted by the RJ staff who provided prizes. The competition between the players was pretty intense, and all were quick to let our staff know when they had BINGO!” – Tage Cawley

Back Row L-R : Leesa Napier, Taylor Cooper, Scott McCartney, Kieran Bechthold, Gary Haana (behind Kieran), Jasmine Hamilton, George McConechy, Peter Van Der Velde, David Garside, Tage Cawley. Front Row L-R : Wyatt Lynds, Timea Klemp, Trixie Rowein, Chandra Bradley, Monique Lavigne, Colin Gurlitz.

Toronto – Belmont House
“Volunteering at Belmont House reminded me of how important the simple kindness of a smile and easy conversation is to the elderly, you can see the appreciation so clearly in their eyes. When Dexter, the service dog, entered the room the excitement was audible and brought a heartfelt warmth to all – lovely.” – Paul Allison, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Raymond James Ltd.

L-R Paul Allison, Bradley Smith, Mario Silva, Nicole Svec-Griffis, Martha McFarlane, Valerie Dosiere

ASSISTING FOOD BANKS

Vancouver – Greater Vancouver Food Bank
“Really enjoyed the GVFB as you get to know new people and at the same time help to make the world a better place on a small scale. These activities help you realize how life can be different and hard for other and how you can contribute to make it better for them.” – Christophe Vencatareddy

Back L-R: Gowri Shankar Kattula, Jay Huettl, Christophe Vencatareddy, Stephen Mim, Curtis Leong, Bernd Schwericke, Katie Power, Milene Kudlinski, Steven Marcus, Alan Siau, Jake Sin, Michael Misfeldt. Front L-R: Dianne Lapierre, Jinyi Tsai, Zizi Reytan, Nasir K Khattak, Larissa Lapierre, Graham Arndt, Michael Balabanov, Stanley Varghese

Kingston Richardson IFS – Partners in Mission Food Bank
“Our office members and a few great kids teamed up to help the Food Bank sort and stack food for later distribution. They are wonderful people at the Food bank and so grateful for our help. It’s an honour to help them!” – Nora Taylor

L-R Jennifer Bancroft, Charlie Bancroft, Max Gill, Harrison Taylor, Emma Brown, Kaitlyn Robinson, Paul Richardson (BM), Brayden Robinson, Miley Robinson, Catherine Robinson, Austin Gill, Nora Taylor, Andrew Gill

Exeter Skillen IFS – Huron County Food Distribution Centre

L-R Jane Johnson, Jenna McBride, Suzanne Mathers, Food Dist Employee, Lenore Mattucci, Brooke Steeper

Vancouver – Greater Vancouver Food Bank
“Not wasting food is something very near and dear to my heart so it was an absolute pleasure contributing to a cause that helps people without daily access to food, a necessity of life.” – Harris Ayyub

Back L-R: Justine Hayman, Harris Ayyub, Derrick Leong, Mike Hope. Front L-R: Jenny Provost, Carmen Tsang

FEEDING FAMILIES AT RONALD McDONALD HOUSE

Montreal IAS/ Corporate – Ronald McDonald House
“Thanks to the contribution of people like you the House can carry out its mission and make the daily lives of families going through difficult times a little bit easier. Thank you again to the team from Raymond James Ltd for your generous contribution and continued support.” Jacqueline Mallet, Executive Director Ronald McDonald House

L-R Erik Moisan, Katia Di Perna, Guillaume Desjardins-Tessier, Gina Katranis, Ranjeet Sharma, Christina Kuzyk, Rosie Martino, Jessica Silva

Vancouver – Ronald McDonald House
“We are very grateful for being able to take part in supporting the families at The Ronald McDonald house that are going through immensely difficult times. We all walked away feeling humbly rewarded and hope our small efforts made a big difference in each family’s day. We are so thankful to have been given this opportunity to give back to the local community. Ronald McDonald House is truly a place that brings hope and comfort to those in need.” – Pinkowski Team Volunteers

L-R: Ben Sanchez, Anna Nea, Gina Suayan, Paula Power, Sandra Richard, Sarah Entwisle, Mallory Pearson, Brianne Gardner, Andrea Griffin, Sharol Chand, Tyler Sklov, Jonathan Macalanda, Marina Zlomislic, Esha Anand

Calgary – McHappy Day for Ronald McDonald House
“Calgary IAS team members helped out at McHappy Day, in support of RMHC to help give 25,000 families a year a place to stay together when they have to travel for their sick child’s treatment.” – Christina Chow

L-R: Coleen Beal, Tish Harrington

Vancouver – Ronald McDonald House Mother’s Day Brunch
“Breakfast is the most fun meal of the day so I enjoyed myself while working with my volunteer team. I got to meet new people and families and the children are pretty special. I think Raymond James employees have the biggest hearts and I’m proud to be one!” – Thelma Robles

L-R: Simona Stirban, Stefania Stirban, Jessica Hak, Owen Woulfe, Justine Hayman, Merike Bruen, Liz Van Den Hanenberg, Karen Lenehan, Sarah Entwisle, Thelma Robles, Alex Wan

VOLUNTEERING IN HOUSE

Calgary IAS: Enviros Pizza Making
“We brought the whole team together in our boardroom to build over 200 pizzas for the youth that count on Enviros and their services” – Christina Chow

L-R: Dana Nguyen, David Jung, Tina Chow, Tish Harrington

Vancouver Organ Donation Info Session
“Very touching life story from a transplant recipient, who assured us that he would not be alive and well today if someone had not come forward and registered as an organ donor. I hadn’t registered as an organ donor after moving to Canada three years ago, but I did right after attending this presentation.” Julien Henry

Vancouver corporate office staff members

Calgary IAS – The Mustard Seed Sandwiches Calgary
“It was amazing to see how everyone came together and shared the experience of helping others.” — Janine Davies

Calgary IAS branch members and Janine Davies

Vancouver IAS/ Corporate – ONE to ONE Literacy
“It was a great experience. We made craft flowers to put up at their event the following week. It has been a long time since I put some craft decorations together and I am quite proud. Everyone did an amazing job and had lots of fun doing so.” – Jason Ta

Toronto IAS/ Corporate – BridgeNorth Card Making
“It was an honour to help BridgeNorth create kits for women escaping sexual exploitation; we created handwritten cards with inspirational quotes, stickers and other craft materials. Being able to explore our creativity and knowing that our cards may give some encouragement to these women played a huge role in making this event very successful!” – Maggie Shan

GIVING CLOTHING

Mississauga – Son Kee IFS – The Open Door
“Three Raymond James/Landmark Wealth Management branch members volunteered for the Open Door’s monthly clothing distribution day. It was great to contribute to the caring and sharing and the clientele were very appreciative we took the time to attend and to serve them.” – Gerry Son Kee

L-R: Andrew, Eunice Son Kee, Lynne, Gerry Son Kee, Andrew Lee

Toronto IAS/Corporate – Scott Mission
“We helped to sort food items for the Scott Mission’s food bank, and clothing items for their store. It was a very heartwarming experience to see what this organization does for the community, and how dedicated their staff is to providing quality care to their clients.” – Megan Proctor

L-R Himani Limbachiya, Sara Minatel

Vancouver – Covenant House
“It is great that RJ provides us with these excellent volunteering opportunities. At Covenant House, we helped out with sorting through donated items.” – Shad Ali

L-R: Teresa Mok, Debbie Wong, Zizi Reytan, Nimisha Hudda, Meetra Eskandarpour, Ari Shah, Sarah Haynes, David Tran, Shad Ali, Ruksana Sameer

DIY PROJECTS

Montreal IAS/Corporate – LOVE Organization

“Had a great time making the place more home-like and bright with colors instead of the white walls that were there before.” – Kyle Prillo-Guaiani

Natalia Pikula

Vancouver Burnaby Muir IAS – Dixon Transition Society
“The Dixon team was very kind and appreciative of our willingness to give them a hand. Our job that afternoon consisted of revamping the facilities by assembling new dressers and bunk beds, as well as reinforcing the playground structures. Assembling IKEA furniture with your colleagues is a great teambuilding activity!” – Ruben Jimenez

L-R: Vivian Riwa, Eric Muir

Montreal IAS/Corporate – LOVE Organization
“The hosts explained that our team volunteer efforts helped them transform their offices in a week which would not have been done without our help. So they are very grateful of that.” – Steven Wiggins

L-R Dominique Vincent, Cathy Anderson, Aya Kadi & Julie Chin

ASSISTING ANIMALS

Vancouver – Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS)
“We assisted in weeding the flower beds around the property. Got to meet some of the trainers for PADs. Learned more about PADs and what they do. Best of all, we got to meet the dogs!” – Peter Yee

Back L-R: Nancy McRae, Lindsay Coughlin, Sharon Davis, Diana Spink, Peter Yee, Scott MacMillan. Front L-R: Branden Godfrey, Olga Rahim, Janine Meunier, Julien Henry, Kevin Tao, Josel Solina

Vancouver – Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue VOKRA
“I love cats!” – Sarah Butterfield

L-R Sarah Butterfield, Martin Mornet, Emily Pease

Kelowna IAS – Critteraid
“Lisa Kommes and her daughter Chelsea are huge animal lovers. Chelsea is so much a part of our team she is always volunteering to help out whenever possible. The two of them took time out on weekends in May to cuddle kittens as part of the Petsmart adoption event in support of Critteraid.”

Chelsea Kommes

GETTING ACTIVE

Ottawa IAS – Christie Lake Kids Canoe for Kids
“For the 3rd year running, we have raced canoes to raise funds for Christie Lake Kids to send underprivileged kids to camp. Team RJ Rockets was the largest fundraising team this year despite the fact that we lost in the semi-finals.” – Sarah Brillinger

L-R Paul Delfino, Scott Hamilton, Daniel MacInnis, Mike McGann, Loftus Benjamin, Pierre Morin, Rodney Kelly, Mauri Brown, Sarah Brillinger, Greg Roscoe

Barrie Ramler IFS – Breast Cancer Foundation MudGirl Run
“Our team participated in the MudGirl Run in Hamilton, ON. It was a 5km obstacle course with HUGE mud puddles. We had such a great day!” – Laura Hemsworth

L-R A’trielle Hemsworth, Laura Hemsworth, Sloan Porto & Rachael Porto

Toronto IAS/ Corporate – Ride to Conquer Cancer
The Toronto Raymond James & 3Macs RTCC Team devoted countless hours to training and fundraising, and in the end, raised over $51,000 in support of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre!

Photo includes: Jamie Coulter, David Bentley-Taylor, Megan Callaghan, Vince Murton, Lucy Goodwin, Leanne Wilton, Dale Houser, Chris Fernandes, Gail Sargent and Mike Westcott

Victoria PCG/IAS – Make a Wish Foundation Rope for Hope
“With the support of the Victoria Branch, I participated in Rope for Hope 2019. All money raised supports Make-a-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Every year I have watched the rappellers go down the side of the building, admiring their courage and dedication to a cause, so this year I decided I wanted to join in the fun!” – Andrea Linger

Andrea Linger

GARDENING & PLANTING

Waterloo IAS – Foodbank Gardens
“The Waterloo Branch went out to the Foodbank Gardens in Cambridge and helped out with preparing the soil and planting new vegetables for the season. As a team we took out weeds and planted eggplants and cabbage, and survived the rain!” – Diana Cabason

L-R Elizabeth Kernohan, Kelly Edmonds, Laura Prust

Kelowna IAS – Central Okanagan Hospice Association
“Our team took time away from the office to help spruce up our local Hospice gardens. Our branch supplied the plants and put our hands in the dirt, planting, weeding, and tidying this beautiful space. We got it all done just before the rain came and watered all our lovely work.” – Sandy McAfee

L-R: Sandy McAfee, John Huggan, Jaycee Martin, Darlene La Valley, Brendan Willis, Cheryl Penner, Jay Dowhaniuk

Vancouver CSG – YWCA
“This is our third year back at the YWCA, and we are back due to popular demand. It’s always a great feeling to help support childcare and the space kids play in. We helped out cleaning toys, staining the playground deck, and planting new flowers in the garden. We had great fun working as a team outside of the office and it feels good to give back.” – Anna Wong

L-R 2019 Kagari Shida, Patrick Caffrey, Anna Wong, Amy Lio, Jordan Ayre, Melody Zheng, Dylan Johnson, Tessa Do

GETTING THE KIDS INVOLVED

“My two boys and I went door to door in our community and posted messages on Facebook to ask for bottles and donation items for in need animals. We got a great response and lots of encouragement from the neighbours! Through activities like this, I am hoping my kids will inherit a philanthropic mindset as they become young adults.” Eric Jozsa

L-R: Caden Jozsa, Eric Jozsa, Jaxon Jozsa

Barrie Ramler IFS – Living Green Barrie Tree Planting
“Living Green Barrie and Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) planted 500 native trees to increase Barrie’s forest canopy. Everyone had fun and felt good about making the world a cleaner and greener place.” – Laura Hemsworth

L-R Carter & Zach

Vancouver RJCF – Scouts Canada 4th Poco Scouts Mother’s Day Brunch
“At the Mother’s Day Brunch, I was responsible for the team serving over 300 pancake and sausage breakfasts to PoCo May Day parade volunteers and attendees. By supporting Scouts Canada’s No One Left Behind program, we help ensure that all kids in our community can benefit from their outdoor activities” – Janine Davies

L-R Arden Rae, Janine Davies & Scouter Vivian

Kelowna IAS – Kelowna Gospel Mission
“It was such a joy to watch everyone pitch in so enthusiastically and come away feeling so great that they want to do it again on a regular basis! John Woodfield even brought his twin boys Carson & West who helped out by delivering cutlery to our dinner guests. That is a testament to our staff and the incredible team culture we have created here.” – Sandy McAfee

L-R Sandy McAfee, Gerry Austgarden, Steve-O (from Gospel Mission), Darlene La Valley, Cheryl Penner, Karin (Cheryl’s friend) Mary Kretschmann, Carson & West Woodfield

DONATION DRIVES

Vancouver – Ruben’s Shoes

Barrie Ramler IFS – David Busby Centre
“We collected items for the David Busby Centre, which provides non-judgmental support and advocacy for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. In addition to the items purchased, we included a donation cheque which allows for them to purchase other much needed items.” – Laura Hemsworth

Tents, sleeping bags, tarps, cereal, coffee, tea, powdered milk, hygiene/bathroom items, toothpaste, baby powder, band aids, gauze, toques, socks

Saskatoon Mamchur IFS
“We chose the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre as they are committed to ensuring a food secure community where all people have access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food. They also offer a number of programs aimed to help address the underlying roots of poverty. We collected some most needed food items and donated a personal cheque in the amount of $1000 to a great and worthy cause.” – Kim Gladson

Barrie Ramler IFS – Dress for Success
Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie provides assistance to women at critical life transitions of employment or re-employment.

L-R Laura Hemsworth, Joanne Parkinson, Ella Hedley

BLOOD DONATIONS

Roughly every minute, every day, someone in Canada needs blood. Blood and blood products are a critical part of everyday medical care including major surgeries, medical procedures, cancer treatments and managing diseases and disorders.

Thank you to everyone who has rolled up their sleeves and selflessly faced their fears in order to save a life. This year, we donated 125 units!