There were signs last week that our community functions extremely well: the annual community giving ceremonies by the Revelstoke Credit Union and the Community Foundation. Those two organizations handed out $137,400 to help finance projects sponsored by local nonprofits.
We are very lucky to have such generous and community-minded entities in our midst and they surely deserve our thank you and praise. So, too, should we acknowledge the men and women whose dedication and hard work means that groups like the Arts Council, the Child Care Society, Hospice Society, Illecillewaet Greenbelt Society and other organizations can complete projects and provide services that benefit Revelstokians.
Here, in PDF format, is a list of all the groups that received money from the Credit Union, including five societies that were awarded special capital project grants:
And here, in PDF format, is a list of those that received money from the Foundation:
https://legacy.revelstokecurrent.com//wp-content/uploads/2016/04/online-list-community-giving-02.pdf
As a director of the Illecillewaet Greenbelt Society I — and my fellow directors — greatly appreciate the money we have received over the years for projects ranging from tree and shrub planting to the commissioning of artistic signage and the acquisition of benches and other simple, locally made amenities. We are proud of our 22-acre natural space but as a tiny organization with few members we rely on grants from the Credit Union and the Foundation. Yes, we also receive some money from the Columbia Basin and the City but like all such sources they are project-specific. The Credit Union and Foundation grants are, too, but the fact that they are purely local funding sources is a kind of validation of our work to improve life in our town. And who does not like validation?
I think validation is especially important to the hundreds of volunteers — many of them seniors or near-seniors — who donate their time, talents and strength to keep our network of local non-profits running smoothly. We do all of that because we care about Relestokians and want the best for them. We don’t expect to be paid and while a kind work is always appreciated we know that much of what we do will go unrecognized. However, seeing our groups receive the validation that stems from much-needed funding is worth all of our work in obscurity.
Thanks again to the Revelstoke Credit Union and the Revelstoke Community Foundation for their ongoing support for the work that our non-profits achieve.