Salvation Army Receives Bronze Award for Non-Profit Organization of the Year

November 25, 2010 – OTTAWA. The Salvation Army was selected as the Bronze Winner in the Non-Profit Organization of the Year category at the Ottawa Business Achievement Awards. The awards gala, held on November 25th at the Hampton Inn and Conference Centre, featured awards in 7 categories. The Salvation Army was chosen as the Bronze Winner from amongst a group of 8 finalists, which included the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, Carleton University Lead to Win Program (Silver Winner), CISCO Ottawa Bluesfest (Gold Winner), Cornerstone Housing for Women, Harvest House Ministries, Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health and the Tim Horton’s Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival.

Here are a few excerpts from our nomination form:

“The Salvation Army, one of Canada’s most trusted and respected organizations, began its work in the City of Ottawa in March, 1885. 125 years later, The Salvation Army has grown to become the largest non-governmental direct social service provider in Canada, yet in many ways remains the same – our organization exists to meet our community’s most basic needs. Whether it’s caring for impoverished children and families, providing a warm, safe place for a person without a home to sleep or helping to rehabilitate a person ravaged by an addiction, the goal of the 600 plus employees and thousands of volunteers who make up the Ottawa Salvation Army is to give hope and dignity to vulnerable and marginalized people in our community”.

“As the largest non-governmental direct social service provider in Ottawa, The Salvation Army has played a direct role in shaping our community for the last 125 years. Each year, The Salvation Army helps more than 20,000 people in Ottawa through the 22 unique programs we deliver. From children who receive toys at Christmas time from Toy Mountain to a senior living in Grace Manor, a long-term care facility run by The Salvation Army, the programs we deliver span all generations.

The Salvation Army works at all points along the social service continuum; from people who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, families who struggle with poverty to families we have assisted to transition out of poverty. One of our organization’s main program goals is to continually move the people we serve along this continuum, improving their lives and in turn, the community.

Another example of the significant impact The Salvation Army has had on the local Ottawa community is the Ottawa Grace Hospital. First opened in 1922, the hospital became known as one of the most cost effective hospitals in the province of Ontario. The Grace was also known for its maternity ward, which saw some 3000 births every year. In the early 1990’s, the Grace Hospital’s Eye Care Centre was the largest cataract program in Canada. The hospital was closed by the province in 1999 as a result of hospital restructuring. In 2002, The Salvation Army opened the Ottawa Grace Manor a 128 bed long-term care facility which continues the excellence in care first started by the Grace Hospital”.

“The Salvation Army is one of Ottawa’s original recyclers, putting the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” into practice before those words were associated with today’s environmental movement. Through the operation of 6 Thrift Stores throughout the City of Ottawa, The Salvation Army diverts millions of pounds of waste from city landfills every year. Clothing, furniture, electronics and household goods that are donated to The Salvation Army are cleaned, repaired and resold in Thrift Stores and any profits are reinvested into programs that assist people in need. In some cases, goods that are donated to The Salvation Army are provided to families at no charge. Uninsured victims of house fires, for example, would be offered clothing and furniture to replace items damaged in the fire.

Last year, Salvation Army Thrift Stores became a drop-off point for the Ontario Electronic Stewardship’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) program which effectively recycles items such as computers, printers, cellular phones, stereo equipment and other electronics. (More information about this program is available at: http://www.ontarioelectronicstewardship.ca/index.html)”

A most sincere thanks and congratulations to each Salvation Army staff member across Ottawa, who provide hope and dignity to some of our community’s most vulnerable men, women and children. This award is in recognition of the hard work and dedication they show on the front lines of our programs each and every day!