Giving back has been a mantra that Garry has always abided by. According to him, nothing happens in a vacuum and hard work and dedication can fall flat without timely and proper support from the community. So, as soon as Garry found himself in a position to give back, he started doing so, not just monetarily, but also with time and participation.
Lessons learnt in formative years
Garry grew up in in rural Punjab in India where close-knit, inter-dependent communities are the norm. He was brought up by parents who were not just active in the community, but put themselves out there regularly there to serve others, thereby organically assuming the role of community leaders in the village Garry grew up in. Like most farm families in rural Punjab, Garry’s family was neither rich, nor had it bountiful resources that could be called on to ride out a storm. While individual families could be financially and socially vulnerable in times of strife, together as a community, rural societies could gain the power, resources, and clout that individuals lacked. This is something that Garry’s parents Ajit and Sukhwinder understood very well. They also knew the importance of capable leadership through active participation within communities.
To this end, Garry’s father Ajit even served his community as a Sarpanch, also known as, an elected community leader for a decade, giving some of his best years in the service of the community. As a sarpanch, he not only provided capable leadership and administration to the village, but he also represented the village’s local government and led movements and agitations to secure better deals from the provincial government. He was also responsible for tackling social evils and promoting progressive values like gender equality within his community.
A young Garry could not have asked for a more community focused upbringing, and so, when he started out to make a name for himself in Canada, he would make it a point to take the community along on his journey of growth and progress.
Contributing to the community
Starting out, while the young Garry did not have much to spare financially, he made sure to contribute through time and hard work. If lack of resources could not stop Garry’s parents, it would not stop him either. Whatever time he could spare away from his business and family, Garry dedicated them to serving the community, be it putting in hours renovating the local Gurudwara (Sikh temple), cooking for and feeding the under-privileged through the Gurudwara’s community kitchen or coaching soccer to kids, which he immensely enjoyed on a personal level.
While coaching soccer, Garry came across the beleaguered Central City Breakers Football Club, the oldest soccer club in Surrey, British Columbia. While initially he helped by providing free coaching, soon, Garry would get more involved in the administration of the club. Under his leadership the club would make a turnaround ensuring that close to 4000 kids, many of them from marginalized communities, retained their safe space where they could play soccer and stay out of trouble.
CCI Mental Health Society
A tragedy in the family brought Garry face to face with the ugly realities of mental health issues. Mental health as an issue was till very recently dismissed and taboo in the hyper macho world of Canadian construction. When the founders of the CCI Group, Garry Sangha and Kuldeep Chohan, started the CCI Mental Health Society, they became one of the earliest movers in the industry to almost exclusively focus on mental health in their philanthropic focus.
The CCI Mental Health Society works to sensitize people about mental health challenges, raises funds to help different organizations working in mental health and works to increase acceptance and awareness of mental health as a legitimate health issue that needs urgent attention amongst construction workers. As part of their efforts to do all this, the CCI MHS has been organizing an annual charitable golf tournament since 2019.
In the last few years, Garry as an individual and CCI as a group has donated over a million dollars to different organizations and causes like Children’s Hospital Foundation , The Canucks for Kids Fund , The Food Bank , the City of Backpacks for Kids Program , Canadian Mental Health Association , Urban Resilience Opportunities for Kids , Here 4 Peers, ICBA Wellness, Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation , Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation , BC Children's Hospital, and the Giving Hearts Gala.
Lessons learnt in formative years
Garry grew up in in rural Punjab in India where close-knit, inter dependent communities are the norm. He was brought up by parents who were not just active in the community, but put themselves out there regularly there to serve others, thereby organically assuming the role of community leaders in the village Garry grew up in. Like most farm families in rural Punjab, Garry’s family was neither rich, nor had it bountiful resources that could be called on to ride out a storm. While individual families could be financially and socially vulnerable in times of strife, together as a community, rural societies could gain the power, resources, and clout that individuals lacked. This is something that Garry’s parents Ajit and Sukhwinder understood very well. They also knew the importance of capable leadership through active participation within communities. To this end, Garry’s father Ajit even served his community as a sarpanch or elected community leader for a decade, giving some of his best years in the service of the community. As a sarpanch, he not only provided capable leadership and administration to the village, but he also represented the village’s local government and led movements and agitations to secure better deals from the provincial government. He was also responsible for tackling social evils and promoting progressive values like gender equality within his community.
A young Garry could not have asked for a more community focused upbringing, and so, when he started out to make a name for himself in Canada, he would make it a point to take the community along on his journey of growth and progress.
Contributing to the community
Starting out, while the young Garry did not have much to spare financially, he made sure to contribute through time and hard work. If lack of resources could not stop Garry’s parents, it would not stop him either. Whatever time he could spare away from his business and family, Garry dedicated them to serving the community, be it putting in hours renovating the local Gurudwara (Sikh temple), cooking for and feeding the under-privileged through the Gurudwara’s community kitchen or coaching soccer to kids, which he immensely enjoyed on a personal level.
While coaching soccer, Garry came across the beleaguered Central City Breakers Football Club, the oldest soccer club in Surrey, British Columbia. While initially he helped by providing free coaching, soon, Garry would get more involved in the administration of the club. Under his leadership the club would make a turnaround ensuring that close to 4000 kids, many of them from marginalized communities, retained their safe space where they could play soccer and stay out of trouble.
CCI Mental Health Society
A tragedy in the family brought Garry face to face with the ugly realities of mental health issues. Mental health as an issue was till very recently dismissed and taboo in the hyper macho world of Canadian construction. When the founders of the CCI Group, Garry Sangha and Kuldeep Chohan, started the CCI Mental Health Society, they became one of the earliest movers in the industry to almost exclusively focus on mental health in their philanthropic focus.
The CCI Mental Health Society works to sensitize people about mental health challenges, raises funds to help different organizations working in mental health and works to increase acceptance and awareness of mental health as a legitimate health issue that needs urgent attention amongst construction workers. As part of their efforts to do all this, the CCI MHS has been organizing an annual charitable golf tournament since 2019.
In the last few years, Garry as an individually and CCI as a group has donated over a million dollars to different organizations and causes like Children’s Hospital Foundation , The Canucks for Kids Fund , The Food Bank , the City of Backpacks for Kids Program , Canadian Mental Health Association , Urban Resilience Opportunities for Kids , Here 4 Peers, ICBA Wellness, Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation , Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation , BC Children's Hospital, and the Giving Hearts Gala.
