Fortinos writes a big cheque for Disaster Relief; residents who need financial support MUST have their forms in before December 15th

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

November 19, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

Another cheque presentation; another photo op – you wonder if they are all the same and why we bother doing them.

Fortinos store sign

Cashier aisles at Fortinos told the story about the help needed and citizens responded.

Making a financial contribution is hard work for the people doing the convincing to get a corporation to write a big cheque and for the people who work for that corporation – it is a big deal. Their employer gave something back to the community.
For the staff at Fortinos – all four locations in Burlington, the T-shirts that were handed out were a statement that every one of them was proud to make.

BCF Fortini chq presentation

Disaster Relief chair Ron Foxcroft on the left celebrates with BCF president Colleen Mulholland and the four Fortinos franchise owners in Burlington: Guelph Line: Joe Mangiapane; Appleby, Frank Scornaienchie; Aldershot Paul Anderson and New Street Photis Kelpis

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday Fortinos proudly presented their cheque for $38,191.36 Which put the Flood Disaster Relief drive over the $900,000 level – and while the official fund raising drive has closed the Burlington Community Foundation can collect funds up to December 15th. That is the date on which the provincial government asks what they have in the bank and matches that amount of a two-for-one basis.

The drive now is to get that $900,000 up to $1 million so that there will be $3 million available for distribution.

The Fortino contribution was the result of a corporate donation which will follow and small amount collected by the cashers in each of their four locations. Those funds were collected in a very short ten day period.

The task now is to make sure those funds get into the hands of people who were un-insured or under insured. There are many families in the flood stricken parts of the city who could not buy insurance – it just isn’t available to them. And – a significant number of those people have suffered more than one flood.

This is not a situation where people were financially irresponsible – their insurance companies said no.

The provincial funding comes from the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP) for which Burlington had to apply.

The original application was actually turned down – it took a lot of telephone calls and some considerable arm twisting to get the province to change its mind. A lot of the credit for that goes to the MPP for Burlington, Eleanor McMahon.

The ODRAP program has severe limits on what it can provide money for. If a furnace was destroyed, if a washer and a dryer were destroyed – those are covered, but if you had an expensive Persian rug in the family room on the lower level the province is not going to advance funds to buy a new one. You will get money for a new rug – but you won’t be replacing that Persian rug with provincial money.

The key word in the program is relief.

The deadline for financial support applications is December 15- and that is a hard deadline. The Burlington Community Foundation has received more than 75 applications for financial support but believe there are still as many as 100 homes that qualify for support who have not yet submitted their forms. The document people are required to complete is complex but – and this is important – there are people at the BCF in place to help you.

BCF mailer side A

3100 of these cards have been mailed to those home in flood ravaged parts of the city advising residents that financial support is available but that there is a December 15th deadline.

You may not have some of the information the forms ask for – don’t let hold you back. The insurance people in place have software tools that will help them figure out some of the information needed. What is critical and important is this – you must have your forms in before December 15th or you will not be able to participate in the program.

The BCF has prepared a mailing piece the city is sending out to 3100 home owners advising them of the program. Funds have been raised – the community has done a magnificent job of donating the funds for those who were flooded.

The objective now is to make sure everyone who needs help gets the help they need.

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