Edmundston, December 13, 2013 – As a result of the semi-finals, the Refuge Madawaska Shelter Inc. is now a finalist in the Aviva Community Fund.

Among the 31 projects in the semi-final “large budget” category, $100,000 to $150,000$, the Refuge Madawaska Shelter finished in 7th place with almost 13 000 votes.  This position makes it possible for them to advance to the final step of the competition.  Only the first 10 places in each category could go to the finals.

The Refuge Madawaska Shelter is now guaranteed a minimum of $5,000, but this amount could add up to $150,000. Unlike the other two rounds, judges will be attributing notes to each project according to specific criteria, such as impact, chance of success, longevity and durability of the project, originality, quality of submission, and the number of votes received.

The judging process will take place from December 18 to January 28, 2014.  The winners will be announced on January 28, 2014.

For the president of the Refuge Madawaska Shelter, Christine Landry, it’s a huge accomplishment to have made it to the finals: “The semi-finals were very difficult but the community was behind us.  Amongst the semi-finalists, there were ideas from larger cities across Canada.  Total, around 1100 projects were submitted to Aviva, of which 366 were in our category.  To be 7th out of 366 and 12th out of 1100, this proves that when a community decides to get together, everything is possible and we can move mountains!  Our team also did a remarkable job to get people informed.  We were present everywhere!”

The Refuge Madawaska Shelter thanks all those who have contributed to the success of this competition and now waits for the jury’s verdict to find out how much they will receive. The money will be used to help towards the construction of our shelter.

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Information :
Catherine Lecomte
Public Relations
Refuge Madawaska Shelter Inc.
506-253-1024
refugemadawaskashelter@gmail.com

About Refuge Madawaska Shelter