Donations per country

Máximo Aviles Blondas

In 2011, in an effort to respond to the needs of communities surrounding its facilities, Gildan identified the El Capacito community, near our Guerra facility in the Dominican Republic, which had an insufficient infrastructure to support the local school. 

With a financial contribution of over $16,000, Gildan supported the construction of a classroom in the local school, Máximo Aviles Blondas. This project benefited kindergarten students who are now able to attend their classes in a favourable learning environment.

Eco Schools

Eco Schools is an international environmental certification program under the leadership of the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE) that is awarded to educational institutions which implement environmental improvements within their facilities and curriculum and in the community. The program, which focuses on water conservation, waste recycling, energy saving and consumption and climate change, actively involves students and members of the community in building awareness and action on environmental sustainability.

The rights of the program are owned by the Environmental Rights Institute of Dominican Republic (IDARD), and in September 2010, as a member of the National Business Network for Environmental Protection, Gildan committed to sponsor the Eco Schools Program, which took place in four schools located in the Municipality of Guerra, home to our Dominican Republic textile facility. The schools sponsored by Gildan are Futuro Vivo, Arcadia Reyes, Mata Vaca and La Granja schools, which together totals approximately 1,700 students.

The sponsored schools formed environmental committees which developed an assessment to identify environmental issues in their schools. From this assessment, they developed action plans to address the issues found. The students followed this action plan and presented the final projects to Gildan, their peers, teachers, local authorities, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Environment. By the end of 2011, the four schools received their Eco School Certification and Green flag, which attests that the schools comply with the action plan prepared by the students. The program and the flag are recognized by well-known organizations including the United Nations.

Instituto Politécnico Centroamericano (IPC)
Building job skills is the best route to sustainable community development and, in 2005, Gildan spearheaded the development of an industry-wide initiative to create the Central American Polytechnic Institute (IPC) in Honduras. Gildan’s initial funding was $500,000.

The IPC was the first technical institute in Central America to train people for the textile, apparel and other industries through intensive two- to five-month courses and through one-year technical programs. Gildan has sponsored 50 scholarships per year since 2006 to encourage access to these programs for Gildan employees and their families, as well as to members of the local community. In 2011, this contribution totaled $466,000.

Recognizing the additional challenge for students who are often away from home for the first time, in 2009, Gildan provided business and technical advice that resulted in the construction of a new full-service student residence. The residence enables Honduran students to benefit from the training programs without having to pay expensive fees for transportation or temporary accommodations.

Since its inception, a total of 3,386 students graduated from all IPC programs, including over 800 students who graduated from the IPC one-year program, with a 90% job placement record in a wide range of companies in Honduras, including at Gildan.

 

Ethical Fashion Project
The goal of the Ethical Fashion Project is to demonstrate the broad range of factors which should be included in designing and producing an “ethical” garment. This consist of choosing materials which benefit the environment, opting for suppliers with verifiable fair labour practices, and maintaining responsible interactions and exchanges between the buyers, designers, and suppliers.

In collaboration with the FLA, IPC and the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware, Gildan participated in the development and launch of an ethical fashion project that encompasses design development through production. Students at the University of Delaware created the designs, Gildan donated fabric, and IPC students created the patterns and produced the final garments. Thanks to a $40,000 grant from Cotton Inc., in 2010, students from the University of Delaware visited the IPC and Gildan’s facilities in Honduras. A few months later, students from the IPC completed the exchange program by visiting the University of Delaware.

 

Mario Ugarte Technical Institute
In order to better support the development of technical education in Honduras, Gildan has been supporting the Mario Ugarte Technical Center (Centro Técnico Vocacional Mario Ugarte), located in the city of Choloma since 2009. Gildan has to date invested more than $30,500 to this project.

In 2009, Gildan contributed a $20,000 donation to the Center to ensure the set up of a modern computer laboratory. This contribution allowed the Center to provide a group of 350 low-income students an hour a day of computer lessons throughout the school year and offer them the opportunity to experience a new learning method by using a smart board. In 2011, Gildan donated additional $10,500 to the Center to complete the construction of the English and virtual lab to strengthen the institute curriculum.

 

Escuela Antonio C. Rivera
During 2011, Gildan supported the Antonio C. Rivera School, located in the community of Rio Blanquito, near our Choloma facilities. More than 700 students attend this school.  Gildan was made aware that the school had serious sanitary issues due to the poor conditions of the latrines and floods in the playground area. 

Gildan decided to support the school by building bathroom facilities as well as a sports and recreation area. Gildan also repaired the drainage channels to prevent flooding during the rainy season. The project represented a contribution of more than $14,000.

Teleton
The Teleton foundation is a non-profit organization created in 1987, which provides physical rehabilitation. The foundation has centres for disabled people in different areas of Honduras. Every December it organizes a campaign to raise money in order to keep their centres running. Gildan and its employees have been supporting this cause since 2004.

Our donations between 2004 and 2010 have totaled more than $114,000.

Escuela Pedro Joaquín Chamorro

At the beginning of 2011, Gildan launched a contest where employees were invited to provide ideas of community projects they would like the Company to be involved in. The Pedro Joaquin Chamorro School was among the projects suggested and ultimately selected. 

This school, with more than 400 students, is one of the largest schools in the community of Rivas. Approximately 140 of these students have parents working at our sewing facility in Rivas. A visit was made to the school in order to assess the needs and based on this assessment, Gildan decided to donate a total of $22,000 in order to repair the ceiling of the school’s 19 classrooms.

Casa de Cultura in San Marcos

San Marcos’ Casa de Cultura is a cultural centre which promotes arts, history, and cultural activities in the Carazo region, Nicaragua. The Casa de Cultura includes the Arlen Siu public library, a computer centre and also offers music and painting lessons. All services and activities are free.

The San Marcos’ Casa de Cultura was grappling with infiltrations in its ceiling infrastructure, which were most importantly affecting its library, one of the biggest in the Carazo region, with an average of 150 young boys and girls visiting every day, and the computer centre, where kids and teenagers go to work on their school projects.

In 2010, Gildan donated more than $5,000 of material to repair the ceiling of the Casa de Cultura, which benefits the many kids who go there on a regular basis.

Beraca Orphanage

In 2011, Gildan supported the Beraca orphanage located in Ganthier, Haiti, through many different initiatives aiming to improve the quality of life of the residents. In total, the Company donated over $11,000 to provide for the construction of latrines and a kitchen, purchase the material needed to build the foundations of three houses, buy food, and cover tuition school payments and books that benefitted 25 kids.

Haiti Earthquake

On the afternoon of January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake that resulted in a significant number of fatalities, widespread devastation to the country’s physical infrastructure, and dislocation of its many survivors.

The destruction that day included the collapse of a building operated by one of Gildan’s sewing contractors, Palm Apparel, resulting in a loss of 67 lives. Gildan immediately pledged its support and collaboration with the owner of Palm to provide special assistance to employees and the families of workers who lost their lives and homes. We also committed to playing an active role in the relief and reconstruction efforts in the country.

A Gildan team from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Montreal was quickly formed to assess the situation, the needs of our employees and those of our contractors, and to formally implement a Relief and Reconstruction Plan.

• We donated more than $570,000 for relief and reconstruction efforts in Haiti through:
  • A corporate donation of $50,000 to the Canadian Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Emergency Fund.
  • The creation of the Gildan Haiti Relief and Reconstruction Fund, which was financed by a company-wide fund-raising of $58,000 and additional contributions by the Company.
  • This Fund financed a staging operation set up by the Company in the Dominican Republic , which delivered:
    • 26,000 boxes of food over a four-week period. All employees received at least one box per week, each of which could feed a family of four for up to five days.
    • Medicine, baby food and diapers, as well as 1,300 high quality tents.
• We facilitated building inspections by third-party organizations in order to allow contractors to restart production safely.
• We provided financial assistance to contractors by advancing a significant amount in working capital and equipment, which supported the process of rebuilding and providing employment in Haiti.

On February 12, 2010, Gildan representatives participated in a memorial service at the Palm site in support of the employees and their families. The Palm Apparel facility has been relocated and is now running normally, providing much needed employment in the region.

Summer Learning is Fun

One of the difficulties identified within Barbados’ education system is the transition to Secondary School once Primary School is completed. The “Summer Learning is Fun” book is an initiative developed by a noted educator in Barbados that is offering a response to this specific issue. The book aims at better accompanying and orienting students towards the level of studies that they will experience in Secondary School, in addition to providing them with tips on how to make a successful transition.

In 2010, Gildan provided funding to assist with the printing and distribution of these books across the country and purchased copies for employees who had children or family members who were in the midst of such a transition.

Dans la rue
Gildan’s main charitable partnership in Canada for the past seven years has been Dans la rue, a Montreal-based non-profit organization supporting homeless youth. Providing a safe place for kids to go and grow, the organization offers resources adapted to their needs and, above all, shows respect, friendship, and encouragement.

Since our relationship began in 2005, Gildan has donated $777,500 to this humanitarian cause, much of which has been used to finance the Chez Pops Day Centre cafeteria, which serves an average of 1,000 meals a week. We have also provided thousands of T-shirts.

In 2011, Gildan also sponsored, for the seventh year, the annual fundraising gala “From the Street to the Stars,” a unique event at which Montreal’s best young chefs showcase their interpretation of street food. Each year, a dozen Gildan employees volunteer to help on the night of the event.

 

Toujours ensemble
Gildan has been supporting Toujours ensemble since 2005. Toujours ensemble is a non-profit organization that supports school children of Verdun, by helping them with homework, organizing low-cost leisure activities and providing a meeting place after school where they can acquire a sense of belonging. Toujours ensemble supports over 450 students per school year and distributes perseverance scholarships to high school, college and university students.

Gildan has been supporting Toujours ensemble with a donation of T-shirts, sweatshirts, and polos, as well as financial support for scholarships. Gildan’s long-lasting partnership with Toujours ensemble is a fine example of the Company’s willingness to help young people succeed in school and contribute to improving the quality of life of kids and their families.

Gildan’s contribution to date amounts to $35,000 in cash and $24,000 in products.

Je Passe Partout
Je Passe Partout, an organization located in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood of Montréal, also receives the support of Gildan with a yearly donation of $7,000 since 2006, for a total cumulative contribution of $42,000. The goals of Je Passe Partout's activities are closely linked to the prevention of school failure in an underprivileged area of the city. The aim of the school support program is to motivate children in their academic development and help them acquire a positive attitude with respect to school and their studies.

Fondation de l'athlète d'excellence du Québec
The Fondation de l'athlète d'excellence du Québec’s mission is to support student athletes financially, in their quest for excellence and to contribute to the promotion of these role models in the Quebec society. Gildan has been financially supporting the Fondation since 2005 via Gildan Leadership Scholarships, which are offered each year to three student athletes who distinguish themselves at school and through community service and who demonstrate a leadership role within their respective team ranks.

Since the commencement of its partnership with the Fondation, Gildan has granted 21 scholarships totaling over $58,000.

Trevor Williams Kids Foundation
The Trevor Williams Kids Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching life skills to marginalized youth. The Foundation works with kids from 6-18 years of age from different social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The Trevor Williams Kids Foundation reaches nearly 2,000 kids every year through its organized events, leagues and programs. Gildan is pleased to support this great organization, which works with youth and encourages them to stay in school. Gildan has been sponsoring this foundation since 2006 by way of financial support to the Reading Zone program, for a total contribution of over $48,000, as well as with in-kind donations of T-shirts and hoodies totaling $21,000.

Literacy Unlimited
Since 2008, Gildan has been supporting Literacy Unlimited, an organization dedicated to the advancement of literacy. With Gildan’s financial support, this organization has been able to establish the Oasis School Literacy Program in three high schools located in the Montreal West Island. The program provides free tutorial sessions to high school students who are challenged by low literacy, and therefore at risk of dropping out of school. Gildan’s total financial contribution to this organization has amounted close to $50,000.

I Support - Can a T-shirt help make a better world?
The “I Support…” program was developed and launched in 2010 during a series of trade shows, in concert with social and traditional media outreach. The unique program is designed to encourage people to tell us about the charities they support and how they are making a positive impact on the world. In 2010, Homeboy Industries was selected via a panel of judges to receive a donation of $100,000.

“The gift from Gildan's I Support program helped underwrite job training at Homeboy Industries.  With six social enterprise businesses, Homeboy trains and employs about 175 to 200 youth a year. These youth are moving beyond the gang life into a life of hope by learning skills, completing their education, removing tattoos, and addressing many other issues.  Gildan made it possible for Homeboy to offer a pathway to change.”

– Fr. Greg Boyle, Founder and Executive Director
Homeboy Industries, recipient of the $100,000 donation as part of the Gildan “I Support…” 2010 campaign

The second edition of Gildan’s “I Support…” program was launched in April 2011 and the Company doubled its commitment by pledging to donate up to $200,000 to charitable organizations across North America. Gildan will again prove that a T-shirt can make a better world!

With every purchase of Gildan’s Softstyle T-shirt (style 64000 and 64000L) Gildan is setting aside a percentage of the profits to fund charitable donations that will be distributed through the program.

Tell us about your favorite charity!
Similar to last year’s program, the first component of the 2011 “I Support…” program is based on the participation of Gildan’s customers and distributors, as well as the general public, to help determine the charities who will share $100,000, divided in the following categories:

1. Genuine Stewardship Donation –$50,000
2. Impact Donation –$20,000
3. Sustainability Donation –$10,000
4. Accountability Donation –$10,000
5. People’s Choice Donation –$10,000

Residents of Canada and the U.S. were asked to tell us about their favorite charity and why it has a genuine positive impact on their community. In 2011, the nomination and voting process was supported through Facebook. Visitors of the GenuineGildan Facebook page could nominate a registered charity and/or “vote” for their favorite stories.

In October 2011, a Top 10 list was announced based on a cumulative mathematical formula that considers the total number of stories submitted for each charity and the total number of “votes” for each story submitted. Donation recipients will be announced at the beginning of 2012.

Network for Good + Gildan = Gildan Good Cards®
One of the new features of the 2011 edition of the “I Support…” Program are the Gildan Good Cards®, created from a partnership with Network for Good, a non profit giving portal that enables online giving to over 1.2 million registered charities in the United States. Through these cards, over 90 different 501(c)3 charities were impacted with an additional $100,000 in donations over the course of 2011.

The Good Card® is a gift card enabling the recipient to direct a pre-paid $50 donation, on behalf of Gildan, to a valid United States registered charity of their choice. Gildan offered these cards within its wholesale trade network as well as to individuals who nominated a registered 501(c)3 charity to the “I Support…” program on Facebook.

“Gildan is a great example of a company that understands what it means to be engaged with their community.  Even though the corporation operates on a global scale, the ‘I support…’ program allows Gildan to connect with stakeholders at a local level and empowers those individuals to make a difference in the communities in which they live and work. We enjoy our partnership and commend Gildan for using The Good Card® – a gift card for charity – to reward program participants and empower them to support causes close to their hearts.”

- Dan McCabe, Chief Development Officer
Network for Good

To learn more about the “I Support…” program, please visit www.GildanISupport.com or the program’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/genuinegildan.