Last year, the Ottawa Mission’s emergency shelter operated at 109 per cent capacity. Chronic homelessness in Ottawa has risen by more than 20 per cent over the past five years.
What can you do to help, like the team at Ballistiq Digital?
Leonard Teo and his partners founded Ballistiq Digital to build a successful technology company and impact lives in a positive way. Eight years later, the company has grown across Canada, with a team of 50 that delivers web services and design software that impact tens of millions of people. That desire to give back hasn’t changed.
“While our success is satisfying to see, we want to make sure the revenue and profits we generate go back into our local communities,” Teo said.
After making a personal donation and touring The Ottawa Mission’s operations, Teo decided Ballistiq Digital had to do more – as one of the first Corporate Sponsors of the new Business on a Mission (BOAM) program.
“I was really impressed with how The Mission operated,” he said. “The quality of service surprised me, as did how much of my donation went toward impacting a person’s life.”
Rebuilding dignity and hope
The Ottawa Mission is a not-for-profit charity that has served the community since 1906 to help people regain their dignity and hope for a better future. It does this in part by providing food, clothing and shelter – an average of 1,460+ meals are served each day and 236 beds are occupied every night.
Of greatest importance to Teo is the fact that the Mission also delivers a variety of innovative and life-changing programs that strive to end homelessness. These include addiction treatment, education and job training, employment and housing services, medical and dental care, and hospice care.
Number of corporate donors needs to grow
While the work of the Mission is known to most people in Ottawa, what may come as a surprise is that corporate donations represent only a small percentage of its foundation’s current fundraising.
“Our goal is to grow and diversify that number by raising $250,000 through Business on a Mission,” said Erin Helmer, the Mission’s Development Officer, Strategic Partnerships.
“By making a symbolic gift of shelter for one year you are not only providing the immediate help that so many need, but also directly supporting the Mission’s core programs that enable people to move on to meaningful and productive lives.”
‘Real impact’
BOAM Corporate Sponsors can choose from four support levels, starting at $1,000.
Sponsors receive public recognition for their support online, through social media and at Mission events. Equally important, added Helmer, are the benefits associated with engaging your employees, customers and other key stakeholders in strengthening our community.
“At Ballistiq Digital, we feel very comfortable with allocating money to the Mission because I can see the real impact that it has,” Teo said. “With homelessness on the rise, the Mission’s work is more important than ever.”
Become a champion today
For more information about Business on a Mission and to get involved, please visit ottawamission.com/BOAM or contact Erin Helmer at 613.234.1155 x 424 or ehelmer@ottawamission.com
