The Canadian Public Relations Society Announces a Philanthropic Arm: Communications + PR Foundation becomes the CPRS Foundation

CPRS-logo-2.jpgThe boards of both Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) National and the Communications + PR Foundation are pleased to announce that on July 31, 2019, the Foundation officially became the philanthropic arm of CPRS and will be renamed the CPRS Foundation.  This change follows nearly a year of significant strategic planning and implementation efforts.
 
“This national charitable Foundation is the only one of its kind in Canada, providing public relations practitioners with an opportunity to invest in the future of the profession through donations, legacy gifts and bequests.  It makes perfect sense that we would align with CPRS, Canada’s premiere public relations and communications management association”, says Deb Trouten, APR, FCPRS, current Foundation board chair. “This change provides so many opportunities for future CPRS programming, enabling thought leadership, education and scholarships for both our profession and members. And most importantly, the two organizations are aligned and will work to a common goal and shared vision for the first time.”

"Integrating the Foundation with CPRS will help advance our professional association with a philanthropic arm that enhances the membership offering with education and professional development opportunities,” says CPRS President Victor Vrsnik, MCM, APR, Fellow-CPRS. "We look forward to working with the Foundation board to improve the member experience, provide leadership opportunities for senior members, and lead the way for Canadian public relations professionals." 

“Special thanks to Deb Trouten and the Foundation board for their extraordinary efforts in bringing this alliance to fruition,” added Vrsnik. 

Currently, the Foundation’s mandate is to promote the advancement of communications and public relations as vital functions in modern society, dedicated to the public interest and to increase public knowledge and awareness of the role of communications and public relations in daily life.

All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible and will be used to help support and invest in the future of the profession through education and research support. Anyone looking to make a donation should visit the website at www.cprsfoundation.ca or visit www.canadahelps.org (search for the Canadian Public Relations Foundation).
 
For 40 years, the Foundation has done some extraordinary work supporting public relations education through scholarships, awards and bursaries and has funded original communications and public relations research to help define insights and best practices in these rapidly changing times.
 
Current Foundation board members are:
 
Clay Adams, ABC, APR Mark Erdman, APR
Cecilia Bloxom, ABC, APR Jeff Meerman, APR 
Kevin Brown, APR, FCPRS Rohini Mukherji   
Yanik Deschênes, APR Thérèse Thériault, APR LM         
Grace Diffey, APR, FCPRS (vice-chair) Deborah Trouten, APR, FCPRS, ICD.D (board chair)
Mark Dottori, APR                                         Anita Wasiuta, APR (secretary-treasurer)   
        
For more information visit: www.cprsfoundation.ca