June 3, 2011
This is a message about the impact of the strike led by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (Canada Post) on Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) services and donations. The strike, beginning in Winnipeg on June 3 for a period of 24 hours, will continue in other locations to be announced by the Union at a later date.
As a registered charity, CNIB has three core areas that are heavily dependent on Canada Post delivery services: the CNIB library; our webstore (Shop CNIB); and our fundraising efforts.
Without postal services, thousands of Canadians who are blind and partially sighted will be unable to receive books and magazines in alternative formats from the CNIB Library. Shop CNIB customers looking to purchase products to help enhance their independence will face delays in receiving their shipments.
The postal disruption will also affect our ability to reach out to donors and raise much needed funds. With only 30% of our funding coming from government, we rely heavily on the generosity of these donors – who won't be able to send us their gifts through the mail.
We hope the situation will be resolved quickly. In the meantime, we're reaching out to our donors and webstore customers to discuss possible alternatives that will best suit their needs.
We're also taking this opportunity to remind our friends and supporters that donations can still be made online or by phone through the CNIB Helpline at 1-800-563-2642. If you have any questions, please contact us or visit us at www.cnib.ca.
Sincerely,
John M. Rafferty
President and CEO
CNIB
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