BM Capital Markets recently launched the following press release…
In keeping with BMO’s core values and commitment to corporate responsibility, BMO Capital Markets has launched a new program to donate used computers and related technology equipment to non-profit organizations benefiting local communities in need. BMO is partnering with United Way of New York City and the National Cristina Foundation (NCF), a 30-year old organization whose mission is to promote the reuse of technology equipment via its network of corporate in-kind donors and non-profit partners. NCF focuses on organizations that support people with disabilities, students at risk, and economically disadvantaged persons.
On June 30, Perry Hoffmeister, Head of U.S. Investment & Corporate Banking, BMO Capital Markets, and executive champion of the program, kicked off the new initiative In New York with an Initial donation of over 80 desktops and laptops, along with accompanying monitors, keyboards, and mice. That day, nearly 30 summer Interns joined Perry in the effort by preparing the used equipment for donation. The equipment will be used by Fountain House, an organization dedicated to the recovery of men and women with mental illness, and East Side Settlement House, a community based organization in the South Bronx. Both organizations will use the equipment to provide job training and teach computer literacy skills.
The idea for donating technology equipment originated within U.S. Investment and Corporate Banking this spring. Third-year analyst Michael Tomae visited a friend working tor a nonprofit in Kerala, India. During his trip, he saw a desperate need in resources, and upon returning to work Tomae pitched the idea of donating the old technology rather than traditional methods of IT asset disposal.
At BMO, corporate citizenship means operating our business ethically, transparently, and according to the highest principles of corporate governance. In 2013, BMO Capital Markets contributed C$3.9 million (US$3.8 million) through donations, sponsorships, and other contributions to support charities and not-for-profit organizations in Canada and the United States.
