The philanthropy of choice for the
Comox Valley.
The Comox Valley Community Foundation provides opportunity for citizens to contribute
to a permanent endowment to enrich the
quality of life in this community .
Latest News
The Honourable Stanley B. Hagen Fund
The family of the late Stan Hagen and The Comox Valley Community Foundation respectfully announce the establishment of The Honourable Stanley B. Hagen Fund. “Stan was founding President when the CVCF was established in 1996 and has been an avid supporter since the inception. With his enthusiasm and dedication, Stan set the tone for subsequent boards to follow. Thirteen years later The Foundation’s assets have grown to over 2 million dollars” states Foundation President Blaine Douglas.
The Comox Valley Community Foundation is a non-governmental community organization that administers funds that come from bequests, living donors, endowments, nonprofit organizations and other gifts. Grants are made from income generated from the investment of these funds to support a wide variety of projects intended to enrich the quality of life throughout the Comox Valley. A seventeen-member Board of Directors is responsible for the overall policies and practices of the Foundation.
A few examples of Comox Valley charitable groups that have been past recipients of the Foundation include Y.A.N.A., the Fall Fair, the Food Bank, Ground Search & Rescue, the Comox Valley Transition Society, various community museums, and the Fish & Game Club.
To make a tax deductible contribution to the Honourable Stanley B. Hagen Fund, cheques may be mailed to Comox Valley Community Foundation, Box 3126, Courtenay BC. V9N 5N4 or dropped off at Rickson's Menswear, Downtown Courtenay.
Foundation Grants $83,000 to Local Organizations
Fifteen different community groups received almost $83,000 in funding on February 18th through the Comox Valley Community Foundation. Recipients of some of the largest cheques this year included the Comox Valley Food Bank and the Dawn to Dawn: Action on Homelessness Society, each of which focuses their work on some of the most impoverished members of the community.
"The economy has affected this year's funding decisions to a small degree," said CVCF president Blaine Douglas. "But once again we are pleased to say that the Foundation's grants are considerable in size and focused to make a real difference to the quality of life in this community."
The food bank received $10,000 that will go towards the purchase of a cargo van to reduce the food bank's need to rely on the vehicles of their volunteers. The donation represents half of the cost of a new vehicle. Food bank president Jeff Hampton said they hope to get a good deal from a local dealership and that they would cover the rest of the cost through other fund raising activities.
The Dawn to Dawn: Action on Homelessnes Society, which began in the spring of 2007 and has so far housed 15 people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, received $10,200. The money will be used to purchase permanent medical equipment for their new CARE-A-VAN, a mobile medical clinic that will provide health services to people on the streets. "There are a lot of issues with upper respiratory tract infections," said Dawn to Dawn board member Helen Boyd. "Of course foot care will be a big issue because people who are in inclement weather get to walk outside in running shoes. Living in cramped quarters is another issue that is conducive to the build up of TB (tuberculosis). "Things of that nature are just examples of the healthcare problems that they would have."
Another organization that helps some of society's most vulnerable is St. George's United Church, where between 100 and 150 people traipse across their gym floor five days a week for their soup kitchen. They received $6,275 to refurbish the worn out floor.
Other recipients include You Are Not Alone (YANA), a local charity that has four furnished apartments in Vancouver where local residents can stay when their children must travel for medical treatments. YANA executive director Anita Brassard said the number of families helped last year tripled and the money will be used to update the furnishings in some of their apartments. "It's time to give them a boost and give them new beds so those families have a place to rest," she said.
The Comox Valley Transition Society runs Lilli House, a home for women and their children fleeing abusive relationships. Eighty-six children stayed at Lilli House last year and $5,000 from CVCF will be used to purchase new playground equipment.
The Comox Valley Recovery Centre, for men battling alcohol or drug addictions, received $10,000 for a new roof.
Comox Valley Land Trust got $5,000 that will be used to purchase GPS equipment. That equipment will be used to accurately map sensitive ecosystem and wildlife habitat that will then inform the Valley's regional growth and conservation strategies.