GUELPH, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 12, 2015) - Established in 2009, in honour of the late Bernie Daly, GROWMARK and the Ontario FS agriculture co-operatives created the Bernie Daly Memorial Fund to support the continued growth of the Co-operative Young Leaders Program (CYL) run by the Ontario Co-operative Association.
The main objective of the fund is to provide a long-term pool of resources that will help support youth who cannot participate in CYL due to financial restraints or lack of sponsorship. Daly's main concern was to ensure that all youth in the co-operative sector had a chance to attend CYL even if financial restrictions became a barrier for participation.
He believed very strongly in the co-op principles and especially had a soft spot for youth development initiatives. Claude Gauthier, GROWMARK Ontario region manager recalls the Friday afternoon before Bernie passed away; "We had a meeting with the On Co-op team about a number of initiatives. Near the end of that meeting, Bernie raised a question on how the GROWMARK System could help contribute more to the growth of the Co-op Young Leaders Program. This was his last topic for discussion that evening," says Gauthier.
Daly served the Ontario Co-operative System for more than 30 years. He was a solid support and strong contributor to the health of the Ontario co-operative sector. He believed fully in co-operative principles and values, promoting them in business as well as in his everyday life with his family and community.
"We hope to continue to grow the fund and invite organizations or individuals in all co-op sectors to share this video, and to participate in the fund," says Tina Georgiou, Co-operative Young Leaders director. To view the video and learn more about how you can contribute to the Bernie Daly Memorial Fund or apply for support to attend Co-operative Young Leaders, please visit The Ontario Co-operative Association's website at: www.ontario.coop.
Contact Information:
Janice Johnson
519-895-4251
jajohnson@growmark.com