December 2011 – In November at a benefit evening hosted by Montréal-based non-profit group, Les Scientifines, GIRO presented the organization with a cheque in the amount of $60 000, as well as computer equipment. The donation is intended to facilitate the development of science activities geared for female elementary students at the Victor Rousselot and Petite-Bourgogne schools.
GIRO’s cash donation will be distributed over a three-year period and is intended to bolster Les Scientifines’ efforts to offer science-related activities to disadvantaged students in grades 3 to 6. Les Scientifines is a non-profit organization operating in the Montréal borough of Le Sud-Ouest since 1987. Its primary goal is to use science as a means of helping students develop a variety of skills and encourage them to stay in school. Through the organization’s various initiatives, girls from underprivileged backgrounds have the opportunity to develop critical thinking, decision-making and action competencies, and an interest in science, technology, and non-traditional occupations.
The collaboration between GIRO and Les Scientifines stems from a volunteering program introduced by GIRO in 2009 which encourages employees to become involved in non-profit projects related to the field of education. To this effect, GIRO has not only donated money and computer equipment to Les Scientifines but has also organized a technology workshop and performed judging duties at a science expo.
“The projects GIRO chooses to get involved with must satisfy certain criteria: they must be related to education, designed for young people, and be relevant to our business domain, which is public transportation technology,” said Joanne Bazinet, Direction of Information Systems at GIRO. “We recognize that it is due, in large part, to our educational system that we have the opportunity to work and succeed in the field of technology, so we feel it’s extremely worthwhile to encourage young girls to pursue this rewarding path.”
