As 2023 wraps up, we’re taking time to reflect on the joys, learnings, and challenges the year brought. While our teammates ran successful fundraisers, and participated in a variety of community events, we also saw renewal in corporate partnerships. Through the joy and uncertainty, our dedication in inspiring peaceful, just, and prosperous communities remained steadfast.
Kindred’s Community Inspiration Framework focuses on three themes: Financial Empowerment, Community Food Security, and Safe and Affordable Housing. This past year, we contributed and connected to each theme in inspiring ways. Our purpose – cooperative banking that connects values and faith with finances inspiring peaceful, just, and prosperous communities – means that we live our values everyday through the work we do in the communities we serve. We invite you to read just a few of the highlights of some of these stories from the past year, and hope you take a moment to reflect on what 2023 meant to you, your family, and community.
This year, Kindred participated in several events to raise awareness and provide support around these three themes:
| Safe and Affordable Housing | Coldest Night of the Year Kindred teammates raise thousands for local causes in the Coldest Night of the Year, a family-friendly walk that raises much needed funds for local organizations serving people experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness. |
| Safe and Affordable Housing and Food Security | ShelterCare’s Adopt-A-Room In support of ShelterCare, Kindred contributed to House of Friendship’s ‘Adopt-a-Room’, which addresses both the housing and health care needs of men experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region. |
| Safe and Affordable Housing | The Bridge’s SleepingOUT SleepingOUT is an annual fundraising event held by The Bridge, where participants and teams are challenged to sleep outside for one night with only a sleeping bag and some cardboard. |
| Food Security | Fall Food Drive Kindred participated in two sorting and packaging events at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region on November 14 and 29, and all eight of Kindred’s branches and our head office participated in the first Kindred-wide food drive by collecting financial donations and non-perishables. |
| Financial Empowerment | Each One Teach One (EOTO) EOTO is an innovative financial literacy program where Kindred volunteers deliver basic financial skills workshops in community settings. The workshops equip individuals with the education and tools to confidently take control of financial decisions, goals and plans. |
Furthermore, in 2023, the Kindred Charitable Fund gave a total of $100,000 to 19 organizations that joined two existing commitments. Each selected organization actively inspires peaceful, just, and prosperous communities under our Community Inspiration Framework pillars. Including the 2023 recipients, the Kindred Charitable Fund has distributed over $1.47 million in support of 190 churches and charitable organizations since its inception in 1999. These organizations have used the grants to support 379 projects that positively impact people and communities across Ontario.
To show our appreciation and help bring awareness to these deserving organizations, we’ve begun a Spotlight series on our blog. By clicking on #CommunityImpact, you can learn about the Charitable Fund recipients and their work, as well as the community events we participated in, and how they inspire us to give, live, owe, and grow into 2024.
Recognizing the ongoing crises facing people in Canada and around the world, Kindred made contributions to relief efforts through trusted partner organizations. We contributed to the B.C. Wildfire relief efforts through Mennonite Disaster Service Canada, and a contribution was made to the Mennonite Central Committee towards humanitarian relief efforts in Palestine and Israel. It is important to us to recognize how our day-to-day financial lives can shape what we do and how we can bring our values into practice. Our heritage makes us who we are, and together, through mutual aid, economic justice, and selfless service, we live our values every day.
And finally, as part of our dedication to transparency with our members about how we move our purpose from words to action, Kindred is happy to continue as a certified B Corp, something we’ve maintained since 2016. We also continue our membership with the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, an international network of leading organisations in the banking industry that use finance to serve people and the planet. Finally, we maintain our commitment as an Ontario Living Wage Network employer, part of a network of employers, employees, non-profits, researchers, and proponents of decent work standards for all Ontario workers.
Each of the stories we have shared here –fundraising and events, our partnerships, our outreach support, and memberships – reflect our shared purpose and values. Stay tuned in 2024 for more stories and insights by those who share our values and purpose, and join us in working to impact the world in amazing ways!