Over $380,000 is coming to North Island community service organizations to help them ensure they are able to continue providing services through the pandemic recovery and beyond.
The Campbell River Community Foundation announced the delivery of $383,762 to support 11 projects in Campbell River and the North Island. The funding is part of the federal government’s Community Services Recovery Fund, which is a one- time investment of $400 million in community service organizations (charities, non-profits, Indigenous governing bodies) to help them adapt, modernize, and be better equipped to improve the efficacy, accessibility, and sustainability of the services that they provide to their community through the pandemic recovery and beyond.
“While we typically only serve Campbell River for our annual community grants, we recognize that our community can be a resource for the North Island, so we applied to Community Foundations of Canada to deliver this special, one-time funding opportunity to the greater region,” said Michaela Arruda, executive director of the Campbell River Community Foundation. “All together, we received over $775,000 of applications and our review committee, comprised of community members representing Campbell River and the North Island, had to make hard decisions about which organizations would be receiving funding. The CSRF criteria indicated that this funding was for projects between $10k and $100k.
“This funding helps ensure organizations serving our population are resilient and sustainable from the inside out, so they can continue to provide services to those who need them no matter what external environmental factors may arise,” she said.
The following projects are being supported in Campbell River:
• $54,643.00 was invested in the Vancouver Island Mental Health Society on behalf of the Campbell River Coalition to End Homelessness to modernize and create resiliency through capacity building to better respond to the increased demands in the sector.
• $24,400 was invested in The Campbell River and District Food Bank Society to purchase technology and expand services.
• $14,376 was invested in The John Howard Society to upgrade technology systems for more flexible operations.
• $42,783 was invested in The Campbell River Art Gallery to conduct a comprehensive strategic planning process and policy review to stabilise operations, build capacity, and create a solid governance foundation.
• $20,000 was invested in The Museum at Campbell River to implement a new accounting and inventory management system and communication plan for the Museum Shop.
• $20,380 was invested in the Mental Health Recovery Partners North Island to adapt and pivot services to better serve those affected by mental health in the pandemic.
• $10,754 was invested in Opportunities Career Services Society and the Campbell River Literacy Association to improve the resilience of both organizations through a merger to expand and combine services.
• $24,369 was invested to fund Willow Point Lions Club to update systems and technology for better access.
The following project is being supported in Port McNeill:
• $58,762 was invested to fund Marine Education and Research Society to modernize their website and contact management system and provide online communications to better effect marine conservation and more efficiently raise funds for programs.
The following project is being supported in Alert Bay:
• $100,000 was invested to fund Whe-La-La-U Society to embark a comprehensive community
consultation and strategic planning process to develop a dynamic and inclusive direction for their community.
The following project is being supported in Sointula:
• $13,295 was invested to fund Sointula Museum and Historical Society to support a digital transformation through upgraded IT/digital infrastructure that will expand online presence and programming and create more interactive methods of engagement.
“Community service organizations are at the forefront of addressing communities’ needs,” said a release from the Community Foundation. “Since the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have struggled with increased demand for their services, but reduced revenues, declines in charitable giving due to the rising cost of living, and a greater need to make use of digital tools. Many organizations are struggling to recover and adapt their services to the changing needs of their community.”