Announcing Our $50,000 Recipients

In celebration of our 10^th business anniversary, we decided to donate $50,000 to Tri-Cities Non-Profits/Charities. We started with an application process back in January 2021 in hopes that we would be introduced to organizations that we might not be aware of already and learn what might be needed from those we were already aware of and/or supported. 

We were absolutely blown away by the 45 responses received, totalling a need upwards of $1,000,000. And as much as Sharon would love to give another $1.0M to the community, like her family recently did, that might need to wait for her 25^th business anniversary. But clearly, it came across loud and clear…there is a lot of need in our community and even more so with COVID hitting all of us, something most of us could never have predicted would happen in our lifetime. 

Before we reveal our recipients, we want to thank all who applied and shared their stories with us. They were truly enlightening, and we wish nothing more than to have been able to help every single organization that applied. The selection process was not an easy one as there were so many great organizations in need so we did what we always do...

Following Sharon’s heart in who and/or what has touched her heart, choosing these recipients was no different. So, without further ado, we are super excited to announce the recipients of our $50,000 donation. 

NALOXHOME

Our first donation goes to NaloxHome who will be receiving $5,000 to use towards a website and marketing. 

Chloe Goodison, founder of NaloxHome, at the age of 17 watched a woman overdose on the Skytrain. Not knowing what to do at the time, this tragic incident inspired her to learn more about the Opioid crisis. Through learning that there was no youth education on overdose or Naloxone training to youth in the Tri-Cities, NaloxHome was born. 

While we knew awhile back that this was a passion project worthy of supporting with our donation, it became even more abundantly clear and was absolutely the best project to support. As mentioned earlier, Sharon leads by her heart and while finalizing the donation details, Sharon received news that someone especially important to her family had overdosed. This just reaffirmed to us that this was meant to be and is so needed in our communities. Although NaloxHome is a Tri-Cities organization, we hope the website being funded will provide educational support for many communities here in BC, in Canada and all over the world. 

COQUITLAM SEARCH AND RESCUE

Another $5,000 is being donated to Coquitlam Search and Rescue (SAR) for the purchase of 2 E-Bikes. SAR’s volunteers put their lives at risk to save others. Countless hours of hiking, biking, scaling rough terrain, rivers, lakes, and such...while we can never imagine and hope we never have to, having someone lost is unimaginable and we can only hope that with the 2 E-Bikes, it allows the volunteers to find those lost much faster than being on foot. 

BURQUITLAM SENIORS HOUSING SOCIETY

Our next donation of $10,000 is going to Burquitlam Seniors Housing Society (BSHS), specifically L.J. Christmas Manor on Austin Avenue in Coquitlam. This donation application spoke to Sharon immediately and was just an automatic YES!!! 

BSHS was one of the first applications to be received and they were requesting the donation for an outdoor Gazebo and sitting space for their senior residents. Given the COVID restrictions and inability for seniors to socialize inside, this really hit Sharon, who recently lost her Gramma, Lorraine McCallum, in October 2019. Sharon’s Gramma was a social butterfly.

Albeit, if Gramma Lorraine were alive and had to experience the lock-down, she would have been on the phone 24/7 with every single family member and friend and would have made the most of it. But to have an opportunity with an outdoor space to socialize with her friends if she had to experience COVID living, she would have absolutely loved it. 

Sharon’s Gramma believed in her so much when she was starting her business that she loaned her $10,000. We found it quite ironic that the original business loan matched the donation request of $10,000 and we could not be more excited to sponsor this new gazebo and outdoor space, in memory of Sharon’s late Gramma, Lorraine McCallum.

FINAL RECIPIENT

With $30,000 remaining and so many great applications received, we wanted to do something that really had a long-term impact on the Tri-Cities community. So, while we are wrapping up the final details, we will leave you in suspense a while longer with a bit of a teaser for you to ponder what the final donation will be. Keeping in mind, one of Sharon’s main goals in life and business is to educate. She loves to educate clients on all things accounting and tax and help them grow their business. She loves to educate her community with her social media posts, especially those who might not be able to afford a CPA. Sharon believes everyone should have the opportunity to learn. Stay tuned for the update on our final recipient. 

Lastly, a final thank you to all who applied and opened our eyes to what our communities need. We will continue to do our best and help wherever and whenever we absolutely can. One thing for certain, Sharon Perry & Associates believes in our community and in our people. Lots of greatness yet to come. 

xoxo Sharon & Team