Vancouver Sun

Leave a legacy with immigrant and refugee women

- MICHELLE HICKEY COMMUNICAT­IONS AND ENGAGEMENT COORDINATO­R PACIFIC IMMIGRANT RESOURCES SOCIETY (PIRS)

As one of the founders of Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS), Beverly Nann cares for PIRS as if it were her own child. She has devoted her profession­al life to promoting multicultu­ralism and pioneering the developmen­t of services for immigrant and refugee women. “PIRS is a critical part of evolving Canada’s multicultu­ral community, bringing women from different cultures together to build a sense of belonging in Canada,” she says.

“I watched my grandmothe­r live in a segregated part of Chinatown as a stay-at-home mom with no English. My grandmothe­r’s experience as a Chinese immigrant inspired me to help immigrant women integrate into Canadian society. I saw the need to provide immigrant women with the opportunit­y to learn English and with childcare services; I knew it would be key in their advancemen­t. It warms my heart to see PIRS continuing to thrive, expand and evolve to meet new needs,” Beverly says.

“I met great people, made friends, and it is very important to make connection­s when you are new somewhere. I learned more about Canada, job opportunit­ies, and not to lose hope. Most importantl­y, I learned about job searching techniques and resume workshops. All these little things together helped me get where I am today,” says Marzia, a PIRS program graduate, from Afghanista­n.

Beverly would encourage people to leave a legacy to PIRS. “This is a great opportunit­y for citizens to initiate change and help contribute to our growing multicultu­ral Cana- dian society.” PIRS’ longevity and growth demonstrat­es the need for these kinds of programs.

To learn more about how to leave a legacy, contact your financial advisor about the various gift options. Your financial advisor can show you the benefits of adding a charity as a beneficiar­y of your RRSP, TFSA, pension or life insurance policy. It is best to provide us with detailed informatio­n of how you would like to leave your legacy and which programs or components of the organizati­on you would like to contribute to. It is not a complicate­d process, and we would be happy to work with you and show you the difference you can make in the lives of immigrant and refugee women. We are grateful to our legacy donors whose generosity enables us to continue providing our life-changing services to immigrant and refugee women and their children.

 ??  ?? Beverly Nann, founding member of Pacific Immigrant Resources Society.
Beverly Nann, founding member of Pacific Immigrant Resources Society.

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