Toronto, Ontario -- Frontiers Foundation, a Canadian non-profit organization, is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Operation Beaver Division in 2004. Over the past forty years, Operation Beaver volunteers have built and/or renovated over 1,960 homes and have participated in over 100 educational projects across Canada.

Frontiers Foundation is a Canada-wide Aboriginal organization based in Toronto. Its mission is to eradicate human poverty, by working in partnership with local communities. It is a voluntary service organization, bringing volunteers together from across Canada and overseas. The Operation Beaver Division is the project based arm of Frontiers Foundation, sending volunteers to share their skills as teacher's assistants, arts and recreation program coordinators, and substitute teachers in schools in the Yukon, Northwest, and Nunavut territories.

However, the main focus of Operation Beaver work has always been housing construction and renovation.

Since 1964, more than 3,200 volunteers from 72 countries and 17 Inuit, Metis and Native nations have participated in over 730 construction projects across Canada. They have assisted in the construction and/or renovation of more than 2,100 homes, 30 community centers, 3 schools and other facilities in Canada.

"Having a secure, safe, warm place to live is a fundamental element of human dignity" says Marco Guzman, Executive Director of Operation Beaver/Frontiers Foundation. "We are working towards a Canada where everyone has a well-built, comfortable home."

Operation Beaver works with local communities to identify needs, whether education or construction related, and provides volunteers with the necessary skills for the project. Funding for the education projects comes from the community; for the construction projects, Operation Beaver/Frontiers Foundation provides funding, which is raised from government, corporate, private, service club, church, and personal contributions. Beneficiaries of the projects also contribute, whether though labour, hospitality, or in other ways.

This past January, Steve Barrie's house in Almonte, near Ottawa, was completed after 4 months of volunteer labour: one volunteer from Belgium, another from Britain, and a number from Almonte itself. Donations of materials, lumber, appliances came from local businesses. Residents in Almonte and the surrounding area worked on the construction site. Churches brought coffee and snacks. Mr. Barrie's 74 year old mother, Laura Barrie, came everyday to join the construction crew.

In the end, the house will cost less than $50,000.00 to build, thanks to these donations and the assistance of the many volunteers. Before, Mr. Barrie's house had large cracks in the wall, low ceilings, and had no running water and lots of draughts in the winter. Now, his new bungalow is warm and cozy for him, his mother and his son.

Mr. Guzman adds, "It is Operation Beaver's dedication to housing and education issues and to partnership which has, for forty years, enabled us to build unparalleled relationships with local communities. Steve Barrie's story is only one example."

It is these relationships which have strengthened Operation Beaver over the years, and which also reinforce Operation Beaver’s commitment to housing and education. This year, Operation Beaver is celebrating not only forty years of completed projects, but also the many friendships and partnerships built along the way.