FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LONDON, ON - February  24, 2022 - Northern Commerce, an integrated digital solutions agency for brands navigating digital transformation, is pleased to announce its 2022 charitable partnership with the Lead to Change Foundation. Lead to Change is a local community hub that supports black youth interested in the arts by helping them gain access to industry-standard equipment and experts in their field of interest while providing wrap-around support from counsellors.

As part of their Northern Cares initiative, Northern has committed $150,000 to support Lead to Change in their mission to assist black youth in the community to learn, grow, and succeed through the power of transformative arts and wellness programming. 

Northern has presented Lead to Change with an initial donation of $40,000 for educational resources and support facilities this month, coinciding with Black History Month. In addition to the donation, the partnership includes team members at Northern providing pro bono educational workshops to the youth, with Lead to Change hosting educational sessions for Northern’s employees.

Mike DeLorenzi and Carl Blackman

To celebrate Black History Month, Michael DeLorenzi, President of Northern Commerce, and Carl Blackman of Lead to Change have announced their charitable partnership. The two have joined forces to give back to the community in a larger way.

"We're thrilled to announce our partnership with Lead to Change," says Michael DeLorenzi, President, Northern Commerce. “As a young teen, I was lucky to have access to creative arts like web development and HTML courses. Helping me gain the experience and skills to fuel my passion and drive, which in turn helped me lead Northern to become what it is today.” 

Since its founding in 2015, Northern has grown consistently, helping brands across North America navigate digital transformation, and now employs over 190 experts in web development, digital marketing, and user experience design. 

"Educational experiences continue to be inequitable and unequal for minorities, '' said DeLorenzi. “Being able to provide the black youth in our community with similar experiences and resources that I had access to as a youth is extremely important to me. I want to help to inspire and empower the youth in our community." 

"Our mission," says Carl Blackman, Lead to Change, "is to provide a safe space where youth can explore the creative arts with access to industry-standard equipment and mentorship programs, including print, design, photo, video, podcast and audio recording studios. We're excited to work with Northern to help youth successfully bring their creative ideas to fruition." Lead to Change’s new state-of-the-art space and mentors who are leaders in the respective field will be able to affect change in the lives of thousands of youth.  

Carl Blackman has a passion for leading youth in the community by organizing initiatives, such as the Art Matters Workshop in collaboration with London Community Chaplaincy and Tim Hortons Children's Foundation, a local community Easter event, and much more.


CONTACT

Nicole Potter
Marketing Manager
Northern Commerce
1.866.930.4608
@email 

CONTACT

Carl Blackman
Lead to Change
647-294-3869
@email


ABOUT NORTHERN COMMERCE

Headquartered in London, Ontario, Northern is an integrated digital solutions agency helping brands navigate digital transformation. Our solutions help brands grow by optimizing their digital customer journey. From initial engagement to conversion, we enhance their audience’s digital experience to support their commerce objectives. 

For more information on Northern Commerce, please visit www.northern.co