CWP is excited to announce that James Armbruster will be joining CWP as our new Development and Communications Coordinator! To introduce himself to you, our dedicated followers and supporters, James has written the following introduction, check it out below:
I just wanted to take this time to introduce myself, my name is James Armbruster, and I am the new Development and Communications Coordinator here at Canada Without Poverty.
I believe Canada Without Poverty is such an important charity because of the way we go about tackling poverty in Canada. When most think about solving poverty, the thought of expanding food banks, opening another soup kitchen or building a homeless shelter comes to mind. While these front line services are so important, what the many remarkable staff and volunteers who work at these services will tell you is that those services should not have to exist. That is where CWP comes in, with our focus on human rights based education, research and policy development, we seek to end the institutional problems that cause poverty so that Canada is in compliance with our International human rights obligations. This human rights approach truly sets us apart.
The need for continuing to develop poverty reduction strategies and policies was made evident in the same week I was hired on for this job; Target filed for bankruptcy and left over 17,500 Canadians without a job, Sony announced it would be closing all of its retail stores across Canada, leaving hundreds of Canadians out of work, and finally, Tim Horton’s announced it would be laying off 350-400 employees. With already 4.8 million Canadians in a state of poverty, adding another 18,000 to that list is only going to make this job that much more important. While some up on Parliament Hill think that Canada’s economy is the simple solution to poverty, it is clear from these developments that our collective mindset around poverty needs to change.
In the coming months I will be working hard to make sure poverty is on the minds of our politicians and policy makers, as well that charities, like ours, can remain open and operating. With 1 in 7 Canadians dealing with poverty, we simply cannot afford to let the issue slip away. I, along with the rest of CWP, cannot do this without your support, and that is why I am asking you to consider making a donation or taking the Poverty Elimination Pledge and becoming a monthly donor.
I would also like to take this time to thank my predecessor, Graham Milner, for the amazing work he has done during his time at CWP. He will be sorely missed and has given me huge shoes to fill! Graham will be joining WaterAid as their Senior Communications Manager.
I look forward to meeting and hearing from each of you in the coming weeks and months!
Sincerely,
James Armbruster
Development and Communication Coordinator
Canada Without Poverty
