Saint John, NB - J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) salutes National Volunteer Week and its many employees and their families who are making a difference in the communities where they live and work.  JDI recognizes the key role that it must play in developing and improving the quality of community life.  Each year the company keeps that commitment with allocations of both human and financial resources to support employee volunteers who give their time to contribute to their community.
 
An example of that commitment is JDI’s involvement with the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Bowl for Kids Sake fundraiser on May 8.  Nineteen teams from JDI are participating.  Over the past five years, teams from JDI have raised over $300,000 combined for the Saint John BBBS annual fundraising event.   “Our organization is grateful for the support and enthusiasm of J.D. Irving Limited,” said Laurie Collins, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John. “The JDI teams have a lot of fun competing among themselves for raising the most money, and they are very competitive which is great for our fundraiser,” Collins said.

Bowl for Kids Sake 2013
Wednesday, May 8
Fairview Lanes North
Theme:  Rock Stars!

5:00-6:30 (JDI teams)
6:30-8:00 (JDI and PALS teams)
8:00 -9:30 (School Teams)

Watch [video] of last year’s event where JDI teams raised over $55,000 for the cause.

JDI supports all the good work of Big Brothers Big Sisters, especially its In-School Mentoring program, an important component of the PALS (Partners Assisting Local Schools) initiative.  Over the past ten years, more than 300 JDI volunteers have dedicated over 30,000 hours during their work day and on their own time to mentor young students and volunteer in other capacities.  Many employees continue after retirement and also reach out to friends and families to become involved. These efforts are through the PALS program at Prince Charles, Centennial, St. Patrick’s, and Glen Falls Schools.

PALS is an education/business partnership model initiated in 2000 by the former School District 8 in Saint John and Mr. James K. Irving, Chairman of J.D. Irving, Limited.  The project aims to break the cycle of poverty for students living in identified priority neighbourhoods served by seven local schools by combining a focus on academic achievement with a positive school environment.  Poverty reduction remains the central focus of the PALS initiative in Saint John.  However, other schools both in Saint John and in other communities have developed PALS partnerships for a variety of other reasons, a testament to its adoptability and adaptability as a model.  In the Saint John area alone, there are now over 100 PALS partners working to make a difference in the lives of the young people of Saint John.  Honoured internationally with a Global Best award for education partnerships, the PALS model is being used as a best practice model in a community in British Columbia.