Desjardins Voyageurs Credit Union recently surprised the students and teachers at L'École publique Hélène-Gravel with uniforms for the school's volleyball and basketball teams.

Desjardins will also be donating the necessary materials and resources to enhance the space at the Corpus-Christi Elementary School yard in Oshawa.

For the 2012 School Solidarity contest, schools located in the credit union’s catchment areas in Sudbury and Oshawa were invited to identify a tangible need for which the credit union could offer its support.

The credit union made the donations to mark Co-operation Week and the International Year of Co-operatives.

“We continue to show that the values of co-operation and social responsibility make all the difference,” Jean-Marc Spencer, executive director of Desjardins Voyageurs Credit Union, said.

It was the originality of the schools projects that caught the attention of the 2012 School Solidarity judges.

“There are many of us who believe that co-operative institutions build a better world and that co-operative education is essential in seeing Desjardins’ mission materialize,” Spencer said.

“The more we support our schools, the more we demonstrate the strength of co-operation and the depth of our commitment to education.”

Hélène-Gravel principal Joanne Leclair said it's an honour to be one of the winners of the 2012 School Solidarity contest.

“Thanks to the support of a partner who believes, like we do, in the merits of solidarity and co-operation, we are able to offer new uniforms to our volleyball and basketball teams for them to participate in tournaments while working as a team.”