The kind donation by Monza Auto of the Ford F-150 truck donated to CCIS (Calgary Catholic Immigration Society) “Land of Dreams”.

“Land of Dreams” is a CCIS project that was launched in 2019 with the acquisition of 32 acres of land. In partnership with community groups, CCIS staff and the amazing participation of the CCIS Francophone community, the project is serving as a vital escape for our most vulnerable clients, including children and refugees from Syria. The acquisition of the land allows us to provide them all with a safe and welcoming environment as they are all able to share, build and grow this beautiful urban garden together.

The main goal for the “Land of Dreams” project is to provide new Canadians, refugees and children (our most vulnerable clients), and people who come from small villages with a smooth transition from rural to urban so that they can adapt to life in Canadian cities. We want the “Land of Dreams” to be their connection to their villages; a place they recognize as their own, where they can grow their own food, build a community, and create meaningful connections with their new friends in Calgary.

The kind donation of the truck will provide the “Land of dreams” with the perfect tool to transport all of the fertilizer, bags of grain and the necessary equipment to get the land ready for farming. During harvest season, this truck would be essential in transporting the fruits and vegetables that we will distribute to our most vulnerable clients and the families who need our support the most.

Another heart-warming story of a Car Donation.

Jorge Perez and his wife Marisol came to Canada with their three children fleeing as refugees from Columbia. Marisol was working two jobs in split shifts and only making enough money to support their rent and basic living expenses. At that time, the family was looking to make a second income through a service such as Uber, but affording a car was not a possibility for them, as Jorge lost his fingers in a construction accident and was no longer able to work in his trade, which put additional stress on already dire circumstances. Unfortunately, he didn’t receive any compensation nor government assistance and he was very depressed and felt he was a burden to his family.

Donating this vehicle to Jorge, Marisol and their family completely changed their lives. This car helped the family to pursue a second income and also opened additional possibilities for the family since they have been able to travel to and from work and manage their lives while raising three children.

After finalizing the arrangements for the donation, we had the opportunity to invite Vince to CCIS to meet with the family personally and I had the privilege to serve as translator during this introduction, where we met with all our team, managers, media department, and our CEO Fariborz Bijrandian as well.

A couple of months after they received the car, I had the opportunity to meet and catch up with Jorge and Marisol and they were glowing! Their happiness was undeniable as this car went above and beyond in helping them to provide a steady second income. It has given Jorge his self-esteem and empowered him to be the man he needed to be for his family. This kind donation has impacted this family on so many levels that it is impossible to express it with words. This kind donation has given back faith and happiness to a wonderful family when they needed it the most.

By sharing this amazing life transforming story we hope we could provide as much exposure as possible to this new initiative, so we can help even more people in the future.