News Release

Kingston’s Response I.T. and Habitat for Humanity ReStore Rewarded by the Make It Real Community Awards Program

Montreal (Québec), July 3, 2007 – Two small businesses in Kingston were each awarded a cash prize today as part of the Make It Real program, where they were recognized for the impact and significance of their community commitments. Response I.T. received $4,000 for the Make It Real Platinum prize, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore the Gold prize of $2,000.

Hosted by Yellow Pages Group, Make It Real is an annual awards program held in 10 Canadian cities, which rewards small businesses that volunteer or raise funds for local charities, provide gifts in kind or undertake other community-oriented activities.

Among its other commitments, Response I.T. diverted more than 100 computers from the landfill, refurbished and restored these systems, and donated them to people and organizations in need. Last year about 25 of these computers went to recipients through the Boys and Girls Club. Additionally, the company supplies equipment and technical support to various community events and sports tournaments. Response I.T. staff have also given their time to local fundraiser events and golf tournaments. The company’s chosen charity, the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston, was also awarded $1,000 as part of the Platinum Make It Real prize.

In addition to being the single largest fundraising source for Habitat for Humanity Kingston, the ReStore has offered fundraising and skills development to more than a dozen community groups and educational institutions, and annually leads a wood working workshop for children over March Break. It provides an aluminum recycling program and has collected close to 900,000 cans over the past three years, and is also a regular participant in the annual Pitch-In Kingston spring clean up event. ReStore’s chosen charity, Habitat for Humanity Kingston, received $500 of Make It Real prize money.

“We’re delighted that companies like Response I.T. and the ReStore care about their community and make significant efforts to give back. That commitment and its impact embody the spirit of the Make It Real program,” said Annie Marsolais, Director of Corporate Communications, Yellow Pages Group. “As a partner with Canadian businesses, Yellow Pages Group congratulates these two companies and encourages them – and every business – to continue to take an active role in the betterment of their communities.”

Businesses with fewer than 50 employees that demonstrated an outstanding contribution to their communities were eligible for a cash prize that is shared by the company and the charity of its choice. Held in Nanaimo and Kelowna, British Columbia; Red Deer and Medicine Hat, Alberta; Brandon, Manitoba; Sudbury and Kingston, Ontario; Rimouski, Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke, Quebec, Make It Real had a local judging panel of community leaders in each city, which reviewed the entries and identified the top two companies in each market.

For more information about this year’s Make It Real program, visit www.ypg.com/makeitreal 

Habitat for Humanity Backgrounder

  • Habitat for Humanity mobilizes volunteers and community partners to build affordable housing and promotes homeownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty.

  • HFH offers low income families the opportunity of home ownership.

  • HFH raises funds many ways including via sales of used and new building materials donated to their ReStores. The Kingston ReStore opened in 2003 and has contributed over $100K towards the Kingston house building program and has diverted hundreds of tons of building materials from local landfill.

Charitable History

  • HFH, Greater Kingston & Frontenac is one of 70 affiliates of Habitat for Humanity Canada and part of the International organization of Habitat for Humanity.

  • Habitat for Humanity has built over 200,000 home, housing over 1 million people

  • Habitat for Humanity builds a home every 24 minutes

  • In Kingston, HFH has built five new homes.

Habitat Homes

  • HFH homes are made affordable through no-interest mortgages, which are repaid by the homeowner. Those mortgage payments fuel the construction of more Habitat houses.

  • In addition, HFH homeowners pay all basic costs associated with owning a home such as property taxes, insurance, heat, utilities and maintenance.

  • Money to build new homes is raised through local businesses, churches, service clubs and private individuals who donate funds, materials and/or labour.