Calgary Students Pick TIES as Charity of Choice

A group of Calgary students has chosen TIES (The Immigrant Education Society) as its charity of choice for the YPI (The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative) grant.

The four students, all in grade nine at Marshall Springs School in southwest Calgary, said after doing some in-depth research, TIES came out as their top pick for the $5,000 prize.

“A lot of us are newcomers to Calgary/Canada, and our first language is not English,” Sophia Gu said.  

“We think you guys deserve this.”

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Learning About TIES

The students were curious to find out what TIES does and who it helps, spending a couple of hours touring TIES Welcome Centre in NE Calgary.

They were shocked to learn that LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) classes serve about 2,000 students a day. LINC also has another 2000+ students on a wait list – just to learn English.  

“Newcomers face so many challenges,” TIES Chief Programs Officer Suman Khanal said.

“When we see them (newcomers) thriving – despite those challenges – it’s special. Your money will go towards helping those folks.”

The group also heard about TIES’ various employment and financial literacy programs, as well as in-house mental health, research, and childcare services.

“We learned so much about what is happening with newcomers and how they get support from you in return,” Gu said.  

“It’s just good to know what is going on with all the immigrants coming in and how you are going to help them,” Lily Wang added.  

“I learned a lot from you guys. The programs are really fantastic,” Ayla Tang said.

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TIES Thanks You!

There are no guarantees that TIES will win the grant money.

But the not-for-profit pointed out – win or lose – it was already victorious!

“Whether we win or not – we’re already so grateful that you chose TIES,” former Communications & Marketing Manager Dahlia Orcajada said.

“This helps by raising awareness for our organization – making our organization known more in the community and school. We’re already grateful. We’re already winning something.”

“You guys have melted my heart,” Khanal added.

Three separate groups from three different Calgary schools (including Marshall Springs) reached out to TIES, expressing interest in profiling the charity.

TIES is beyond grateful in all the interest and support from the community.

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About The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI)  

Every year, tens of thousands of students across Canada participate in YPI.  

The initiative teaches secondary school students the fundamentals of philanthropy by letting them play a direct role in making a financial grant to a local, grassroots social service organization in their own community.  

To date, YPI has granted more than $20 million to charities selected by youth.

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More information:

TIES: https://www.immigrant-education.ca
YPI: https://www.goypi.ca

Media RSVP, Interviews & Inquiries:

Tomasia DaSilva

Media and Relationship Strategist

Email: tomasiadasilva@immigrant-education.ca

Phone: 403-291-0002