Four deserving non-profits receive a $15,000 donation from FortisBC
Sep 29, 2020
This year’s awards will support grassroots initiatives in Ladysmith, Prince George, Castlegar and Maple Ridge
SURREY, B.C. – September 29, 2020: Four non-profit organizations in British Columbia received some good news from FortisBC in trying times — learning they landed much-needed funding to advance their goals of helping people in their communities. The successful 2020 recipients of FortisBC’s annual $15,000 Community Giving Awards are the Castlegar Community Response Network, Ladysmith Kinsmen Club, Carney Hill Neighbourhood Centre Society and Friends in Need Food Bank.
“I’d like to express my gratitude for the work these non-profit organizations do and their commitment to helping others,” said Doug Slater, vice-president of external and Indigenous relations with FortisBC. “We’re extremely pleased to partner in these initiatives, and we’re confident they will have a lasting, positive impact.”
Each year, FortisBC invites local government officials from across the province to nominate a charity or non-profit project for the Community Giving Award, a cornerstone of FortisBC’s community investment initiatives. FortisBC considers projects that promote safety; gas and electrical trades; energy literacy; skill development or leadership; environmental protection and preservation as well as projects that meet the unique needs of Indigenous groups, organizations or communities.
The 2020 recipients are:
Castlegar Community Response Network (CRN)
The Castlegar CRN connects seniors with community by providing a range of interactive activities ranging from lunch and learns, cook and shares, chair yoga, journaling and more. Twice a month, they also deliver homemade dishes, baked goods and a newsletter that’s both entertaining and informative to seniors. The CRN will use the funds towards its home delivery program to seniors, an important service that reduces social isolation by providing homemade food, entertainment and community connection to local seniors. Castlegar CRN was nominated by Mayor Bruno Tassone, City of Castlegar.
“We created this program to create connection and decrease isolation for seniors in the community,” said Sandi McCreight, founder of the IRIS (Increasing Recreation Involving Seniors) project. “By expanding our home delivery program, we get to keep putting smiles on seniors’ faces. FortisBC’s donation is truly going a long way in creating further connection in our community.”
Ladysmith Kinsmen Club
The Ladysmith Kinsmen Club is a volunteer-run organization that services the needs of its community. The Kinsmen Club will use the donation towards building a much needed 24-hour access public washroom facility in the Ladysmith downtown core. This project was nominated by Councillor Duck Paterson, Town of Ladysmith.
“When we heard that FortisBC would be supporting us, we were ecstatic,” said Paterson. “All of the work that we’ve done from working on building major playgrounds to spray parks, we can’t do it without others. These washrooms are an important need for our community and to have an organization like FortisBC helping smaller communities like ours, we couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Carney Hill Neighbourhood Centre Society in Prince George
Carney Hill Neighbourhood Centre provides a secure, nurturing educational environment for children and families in Prince George since 1994. The Society will use the funds towards upgrading its aging children’s centre, a space that provides a secure, nurturing and educational environment for children from marginalized families. The Centre was nominated by Sarah Brown, supervisor, community well-being & partnerships division, City of Prince George.
“We’re so happy to have FortisBC’s donation to help expand our children’s centre,” said Janessa Ellis, community development manager with Carney Hill Neighbourhood Centre Society. “It’s a rewarding place to be, where you meet wonderful people and make a difference. This donation will really go a long way to help children and families in our community.
Friends in Need Food Bank in Maple Ridge
Friends in Need Food Bank runs a perishable food recovery program in Maple Ridge in collaboration with four local stores. Volunteers work to keep food out of landfills by sharing it with local food banks, farms and compost. The food bank is looking to expand their program and establish a dedicated facility to process larger amounts of perishables.
By doubling their operations, they will divert over a million kilograms of food from entering landfills, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost 2,200 tonnes and share more than 92,000 kilograms of food to those in need. The food bank was nominated by Councillor Gwen O’Connell, City of Pitt Meadows.
“We are so honoured to have been nominated for the work we have been doing in not only diverting food from landfills which benefits so many people in need in our community, but also for the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions as a result of our work,” said Mary Robson, executive director with Friends in Need Food Bank. “We are passionate about the program because it is the right thing to do. The $15,000 will be used to fund the expansion of the program to bring more of our major grocers on board.”
The annual Community Giving Awards are just one of the ways FortisBC contributes to the communities where its employees work and live. From matching donations to employee giving days, supporting grassroots community initiatives in B.C. communities is an integral element of FortisBC culture and its dedication to sustainability.
More information about the recipients and FortisBC’s community investment initiatives is available at fortisbc.com/communityinvestment.
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FortisBC
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