Subject: Important Update: Connect Vancouver Services Ending December 31st, 2024

Dear Vancouver,

After 8 incredible years of providing free phones and phone bill support, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Connect Vancouver. We will discontinue all services on December 31st, 2024, and no longer accept donations or phone donations as of Aug 11, 2024. All remaining phone inventory and funding will be directed towards the conclusion of our current campaign - Cell Up. Please note the program is fully subscribed and we will no longer accept new requests.

This decision has not been easy, and we want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported us along the way. Your contributions have made a real difference in the lives of countless individuals across the lower mainland!

While our services will cease at the end of this year, we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition for our clients. We will continue to offer support through our team at team@connectvancouver.org. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. If you are a support staff at a partner organization, you can also contact our team at the direct telephone provided by our team members.

Thank you once again for your trust and partnership over these years. It has been an honor to serve Vancouver and help create an impact across our community.

With heartfelt appreciation,

The Connect Vancouver Team

23/24 TEAM

CO-PRESIDENT
RISHIMA KHIYANI

Rishima is a grade 11 student at Seaquam Secondary School who values empathy, kindness and charity above all. She intends on expressing these morals through working with Connect Vancouver and helping the homeless people of Vancouver get access to technology. She believes that in this day and age, one needs technology for basic survival as we use it for communication, security and access to opportunities. She wants to be a part of this movement of giving this basic necessity to the people in need. Rishima believes that working hard and being persistent is the key to achieving anything and is eager to prove herself.

CO-PRESIDENT
ROWAN DAS

Rowan Das is a Grade 11 high school student studying at Fleetwood Park Secondary, Surrey, BC. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the visual aid of other non-profits gave him a deeper appreciation for the effectiveness of many smaller programs helping his community. Rowan is committed to helping his hometown community and believes it can be done through small steps. As rates of homelessness in metro Vancouver continue to increase, he aspires to make an impact by connecting Vancouver; through cell phones in his hometown city.

CO-FOUNDERS

NEOR TIKU

Neor helped start Connect Vancouver as part of his interest to help improve the conditions faced by Vancouver's at-risk population through technology. He firmly believed that charitable causes must create tangible local impacts, allowing this principle to drive his work.

BRENDAN WONG

Brendan believes that small, grassroots organizations often create the biggest impacts and co-founded Connect Vancouver with the intention of doing just that.