UNI Financial Donates $1M To Sistema N.B.
MONCTON–Sistema New Brunswick has received a $1-million boost from UNI Financial Cooperation for its 10,000 Children fundraising campaign.
The program aims to double the roughly 1,000 children across the province who currently play musical instruments in an orchestra setting in a 15-year vision.
Helen Faucher of Moncton was six-years-old when she joined Sistema in 2010.
She plays the violin and says the program was a lifeline when her parents were divorcing.
“It was at a point where I was at my most vulnerable, my most broken. The Sistema program pretty much picked me up and gave me a place… an opportunity. The violin has challenged me in many, many ways. But in the end, it has made me a much stronger individual than I would have ever been without it.”
Faucher will be graduating from Moncton High School this year and has applied to several universities where she intends to further her studies in music.
Thanks to the contribution from UNI Financial Cooperation, the Sistema 10,000 Children campaign has now raised $7.2 million with a goal of reaching $12-million by the end of this year.
Sistema New Brunswick is offered in nine communities including Moncton, Saint John, Hillsborough, and Fredericton but it will be expanding in the coming years through this campaign.
Allan Dearing is a reporter with 91.9 The Bend in Moncton, a Huddle content partner.