In celebration of Pride Month and as part of BRP “Ride Out Intimidation” program, Can-Am teamed up with former “Bachelor” star and NFL player Colton Underwood for a group ride on a Can-Am Spyder F3-S Special Series, which culminated with a donation to the Los Angeles LGBT Center on June 20.
Known for its commitment towards increasing diversity in powersports and removing the barriers to entry through its signature Rider Education Program, Can-Am’s donation will go towards anti-intimidation and anti-bullying efforts.
Beginning at Underwood’s home, the group made its way to the Los Angeles LGBT Center, where it met with some of the great people behind the scenes to get a better understanding of the organization and the variety of services it offers to the LGBTQ+ community. Following a tour of the facility, Underwood presented a $10,000 donation on behalf of Can-Am and BRP.
“I’ve always admired Can-Am’s commitment to diversity, which is why I was so excited to partner with them on this,” said Underwood. “It was an honor to present at the Los Angeles LGBT Center to help benefit all of the incredible work that they’re doing.”
An industry leader in corporate citizenship, BRP recently announced the creation of the Ride Out Intimidation program, a community engagement initiative designed to raise awareness and deploy projects to combat this social issue targeting youth in schools, adults in the workplace and marginalized communities.
As part of the program, BRP has joined forces with three organizations renowned for their efforts in fighting intimidation:
- Born This Way Foundation: Focuses on building a kinder, braver world by making kindness cool, validating emotions of young people and eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health. Their global kindness campaign, #BeKind21, has engaged more than 7 million people, and through BRP’s support, the organization will extend its impact and inspire even more people to demonstrate kindness throughout the year.
- Ditch the Label: Concentrates on supporting youth and young adults in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe. Over the last two years, Ditch the Label has successfully reached over 3.4 million people between the ages of 12 and 25 through digital support tools, and with BRP’s contribution, programs and presence will be extended to new regions.
- Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais Foundation: The Foundation is recognized as a pioneer in anti-intimidation awareness and a subject-matter expert for initiatives, workshops and content specific to intimidation. Recognizing the major role employers can play in affecting workplace culture, BRP will lead by example by implementing a zero-intimidation approach and addressing intimidation in its Code of Ethics to be published this fall. BRP will benefit from the expertise of the Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais Foundation to create its first training program to raise awareness and educate its workforce.
