Shuswap Charities receive $290,000 from Community Foundation
SCF Release
Image courtesy of Rise Up Indigenous Wellness Society - their team canning tomato sauce and salsa for the family food hampers.
Shuswap Community Foundation (SCF) is excited to announce its semi-annual 2024 Grant Program, awarding over $290,000 to organizations providing essential support, programs, and services to Shuswap residents.
This year, twenty charities will receive grants for projects ranging from lifesaving first aid equipment and medical travel to camp drainage repairs, building an imagination library, animal spay/neuter programs, and Search & Rescue Boat upgrades. Our grants committee was impressed by the local organizations' dedication to addressing the community's evolving needs and prioritizing the most pressing issues.
Hope Air will receive a grant for Medical Travel Arrangements for low-income patients in the Shuswap communities. Many specialized medical treatments are only available in urban centers like Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal. For those in the Shuswap, managing the cost of a 5-hour drive, flight, and accommodations can be financially burdensome, especially for repeated follow-up appointments. This grant aims to provide equal access to medical care for everyone in the Shuswap. "Shuswap Community Foundation's contribution will help us provide 528 no-cost travel arrangements (127 flights, 154 accommodations, 204 meals, and 43 rides) for low-income patients in your communities in 2024," said Heather Dougherty, Grants Manager, Hope Air.
Rise Up Indigenous Wellness Society has been supporting Indigenous health through cultural practices, ceremonies, food security, and traditional practices. This grant will support Rise Up’s food programs and transportation needs for their growing camps by contributing to the purchase of a new fridge and van. "The new van will enable us to handle more food deliveries, meeting the increasing demand from our growing food security list. This will ensure that more households receive the fresh produce they need, reducing food insecurity in the Shuswap and Salmon Arm area," said Launa Payne, Executive Director, Rise Up Indigenous Wellness.
Shuswap Paws Rescue Society will address the aftermath of the 2023 wildfires, where many cats relocated to safer environments, often sustaining injuries and living feral lifestyles. This grant will support their tag and release program, which involves vet checks and relocating cats to safe colonies. This initiative will reduce the risk of contagious diseases and decrease the feral cat population.
Shuswap Community Foundation extends a heartfelt THANK YOU to the local charities for their continuous community support. These organizations help build strong, supportive neighborhoods and warm the hearts of the people who live here.
Funding Sources - This granting program is made possible thanks to:
SCF’s 112 donors who have earmarked all or a portion of their charitable funds’ granting dollars to support the SCF Grants Program, year after year.
The Shuswap Prosperity Fund, a partnership funded by the Government of B.C. that advances poverty reduction and social inclusion.
The Vancouver Foundation and the Margaret Haney Animal Welfare Fund, supporting two animal welfare projects.
Other Grant Recipients include Adams Lake Indian Band - On the Land ALIB Youth Camps, Eagle Bay Community Association - Community Hall Stage Project, Eagle Valley Community Support Society - Early Years Indigenous Education Project Phase 2, Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society, Okanagan Humane Society, Shuswap Area Family Emergency Society, Shuswap Children's Association, Shuswap District Arts Council, Shuswap Food Action Society, Shuswap Lifeboat Society, Shuswap Volunteer Search and Rescue Society.
To learn how SCF works with donors to support charities in the Shuswap, please contact Roger Parenteau, Executive Director of the Shuswap Community Foundation, at 250-832-5428 or ed@shuswapfoundation.ca.
