“Imagine, a school with no chairs!” said Susan Grand, administrative assistant at Pearson Educational Foundation, which provides funding for many schools in Quebec, including Place Cartier.
Indeed it is difficult to imagine what a school would do without basic furniture and equipment for its students and staff. “Place Cartier’s Allancroft campus used to be an elementary school that closed down,” Susan explained. “We then opened our new facility, but with almost no equipment or desks or chairs.”
Thanks to a national partnership between TELUS and Green Standards, Pearson Educational Foundation and Place Cartier were able to receive over 80 donated items, which included school-room essentials like chairs, desks, and cabinets.
Thank you so much for this donation. It’s going a long way towards helping our students at our campuses.
Myriam Rabbat, director of Place Cartier Adult Education Centre
“It does take a village to raise a child. It’s something we like to say all the time here at Place Cartier,” said Myriam, who looked to the ‘village’ to improve the space used by her staff and students.
Place Cartier is a specialized school with multiple campuses that help students complete social integration programs, work towards a high school diploma, learn French and English conversation skills, finish prerequisites for vocational training, and obtain the necessary credits to enroll in CEGEP or university. The school serves a vast population of students aged 16 to 80 at their campuses.
“It takes a village to raise a child.”
“The school has only been open for five years, and we are still in need of many things,” explained Myriam. “So we were really grateful for the items we got.”
Waste Into Change
The items received through the donation were put to immediate use in classrooms and office spaces at two of Place Cartier’s campuses. “We’re now better equipped to work with our students, especially our special needs students,” said Myriam.
Susan Grand also wanted to stress the importance of the significant cost-savings for Place Cartier. “Receiving very good quality items from Green Standards and TELUS has allowed Place Cartier to stop worrying about trying to buy classroom essentials, and just concentrate on curriculum and activities,” said Grand.
“We hope the corporate donor realizes how grateful we are for their generous gifts to our schools in need. The kind of value we received, we could never afford to provide for them,” stressed Grand.
The significance of TELUS’ donation didn’t stop at this wonderful community story. By keeping their excess furniture and equipment out of the landfill, TELUS chose to limit their carbon footprint by prolonging the life cycles of their no-longer-needed assets. All told, the partnership between TELUS and Green Standards diverted 262 tons of materials from the landfill across numerous projects coast-to-coast, thus reducing 871 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
About Place Cartier
Place Cartier Adult Education Centre is passionate about the education of all their students. They strive to make learning a positive experience and their focus is on encouragement, support and preparedness. They serve a large population of students, aged 16 to 80, at two campuses on the West Island. A visit to either location reveals a widely diverse and multi-cultural student body. These dynamics contribute to a rich, vibrant and welcoming environment. It is complemented by their caring staff that integrates new teachers and students naturally and comfortably.
About Green Standards
Capturing Value In Workplace Change
Green Standards has spent the last decade developing rigorous practices and global networks that deliver optimal value from workplace decommissioning. Our enterprise program measures and maximizes ESG performance while virtually eliminating landfill waste. A partner to the world’s largest organizations, Green Standards enables the efficient and ethical redistribution of furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) during times of workplace change.
Media Contact: Marc Borins, 1-855-632-8036
