Quebec City, Dec. 13, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - iA Financial Group congratulates La Bouchée généreuse of Quebec City (QC), the Teach for Canada Foundation of Toronto (ON), the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation of Winnipeg (MB) and the Kids Eat Smart Foundation of St. John's (NL), the winners in the fifth edition of its annual philanthropic contest. Due to the popularity of the contest and to highlight the fifth edition of the contest, iA Financial Group is announcing the donation of an additional $100,000, to be distributed among the 12 charities that just missed becoming contest finalists. A total of $600,000 will be donated to 24 Canadian charities.

"We are very pleased to make a concrete contribution to the well-being and health of young Canadians through this contest. I would like to acknowledge the work done by all participants and congratulate the winners. I would also like to thank everyone who took the time to vote. Your gesture makes a big difference. The contest will be back next year and I invite Canadian charities to participate in large numbers.", states Denis Ricard, President and CEO of iA Financial Group.

Remember that the winning charities are those that received the most votes from the Canadian public from among the twelve contest finalists. They each received a donation of $100,000.

WINNING CHARITIES (from west to east)

• CANCERCARE MANITOBA FOUNDATION, WINNIPEG, MB

The pediatric oncology department, with support from CancerCare Manitoba, is working to reduce the incidence of cancer and blood disorders in children. This donation will allow participation in a clinical study of a promising new treatment for sickle cell anemia, a blood disorder that affects a large number of children.

• FONDATION TEACH FOR CANADA, TORONTO, ON

Teach for Canada fights the lack of qualified professionals in 25 remote First Nations. This organization wants to ensure every child has a high-quality education. The donation of $100,000 will have a positive impact on over 3,000 students in these communities.

• LA BOUCHÉE GÉNÉREUSE, QUEBEC CITY, QC

La Bouchée généreuse provides children in need with warm clothing for winter and healthy food through the distribution of new clothing and food baskets. With a donation of $100,000, the organization can meet the ever-increasing demand and help even more people in the Quebec City area.

• FONDATION KIDS EAT SMART, ST. JOHN'S, NL

Every year, Kids Eat Smart NL serves 5.3 million meals to students in kindergarten to grade 12 who come to school hungry. The organization would transform $100,000 into almost as many breakfasts so that every child has access to healthy food.

In addition to the $100,000, the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, the Bouchée généreuse, and the Kids Eat Smart Foundation also received an additional $5,000 from iA Financial Group, on behalf of its employees, who were called on to vote for their favourite submission from each region. Autism in Mind Children's Charity won this honour for Ontario.

THE OTHER FINALISTS
The eight remaining finalists have each received a donation of $10,000: Environmental Youth Alliance (Vancouver, BC), Mealshare Aid Foundation (Sherwood Park, AB), Lung Health Foundation (Toronto, ON), Autism in Mind Children's Charity (Markham, ON), Maison le Prélude (Laval, QC), Passeport pour ma réussite (Verdun, QC), Frontier College (Fredericton, NB) and No Time for That (Halifax, NS).

Over 200 charities that work to improve the health and well-being of children (0-18 years of age) answered iA Financial Group's call last September. A jury analyzed all the projects we received from across the country, and selected twelve finalists, which were submitted to the public vote. Participating charities were grouped into four major regions (Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada/the North) in order to guarantee a fairer distribution of donations across the country.

ABOUT iA FINANCIAL GROUP
iA Financial Group is one of the largest insurance and wealth management groups in Canada. It also operates in the United States. Founded in 1892, it is one of Canada's largest public companies. iA Financial Group shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols IAG (common shares) and IAF (preferred shares).

SOURCE iA Financial Group

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