Allstate Newmarket Agency is supporting individuals with developmental disabilities with a $10,000 donation to Community Living Central York.
“Our $10,000 is going specifically to two programs: their cooking program and their literacy program,” agency manager Antonietta Zambri said. “So basically it’s going to help these individuals have the tools they need to reach their fullest potential.”
Community Living Central York, which is based out of 575 Penrose St. in Newmarket, offers a number of programs including literacy, cooking, wellness, employment and supported living.
Zambri said their Newmarket agency team got together virtually to decide which organization to support.
“We thought about corporations that have the same mission and the same vision as we do. We wanted to align with something that had that corporate mission to foster an environment of inclusion, involvement, and empowerment,” she said.
Based on that criteria, Community Living Central York was an easy choice.
She added that around Thanksgiving or Christmas they are hoping to be able to go visit and volunteer in person with the organization.
“It’s not just a financial donation but we want to donate, as a team, our time to the organization as well,” she said.
The $10,000 gift was part of a national campaign from Allstate Canada that is seeing agencies across the country donating more than $210,000 to local charities to support the community with recovery and response to COVID-19.
Zambri added that giving back to the community has always been important for the Newmarket agency, which she said has sponsored Crime Stoppers, local sports teams, and the Newmarket Food Pantry in the past.
For them it’s about giving back and building trust within the community.
“We try to help them with their most valuable possessions, their homes, their cars, everything that means most to them,” Zambri said. “So we want to maintain that level of trust from the customer. We want to be able to let them know that we’re here in good times and bad.”
