The Elkford Community Fund is celebrating its launch and the founding donors who made it possible.

Starting with a kick-off donation of $5,000 from East Kootenay Community Credit Union (EKC) in September 2018, and thanks to the generosity and vision of 45 founding donors, the permanently invested Elkford Community Fund now totals over $100,000.

Jody Burk, EKC CEO stated, “We are pleased to see EKC’s original donation has grown, thanks to the continued generosity of the people in Elkford. As your local credit union, we see the value of Elkford Community Fund, complementing our goals to make our communities even better places to live, work, and play.”

Columbia Basin Trust played a key role in establishing the fund, providing a $50,000 grant, to match the over $25,000 raised in Elkford, as well as $25,000 provided by CFKR, through an anonymous donor.

“Congratulations to the members of the Elkford Community Fund committee, the fund donors and the people of Elkford who will benefit from this resource for many years to come,” said Aimee Ambrosone, Columbia Basin Trust Director, Delivery of Benefits. “One of the Trust’s strategic priorities is to help communities identify and address their own priorities. Through this fund, Elkford now has its own long-terms means to support projects that are important locally.”

According to Terry Vandale, Chair of the Elkford Community Fund Steering Committee, “The community and all of our Founding Donors made this fund possible. So many of our local businesses, non-profits, and individuals donated to this permanent community ‘nest egg’ for Elkford—it’s just amazing.”

Vandale presented the commemorative founding donors plaque to the District of Elkford (DOE) at the May 13 council meeting, the first in the new district office building, which was also ceremoniously opened yesterday.

The District of Elkford has very kindly funded the production of the plaque and will be providing a location to display the plaque in a DOE building. In addition, the DOE will be making a contribution to the Elkford Community Fund.

The Elkford Community Fund, which operates under the umbrella of the Community Foundation of the Kootenay Rockies (CFKR), will earn interest throughout 2019, returning approximately $2,500 in grants to local non-profits for its first year of granting in 2020. From 2020 onwards, the Elkford Community Fund will continue to provide grants to Elkford non-profits, every year, forever. The Elkford Community Fund’s inaugural grant application process will open on January 1, 2020 and close on March 1, 2020.

Operating under the auspices of CFKR, the Elkford Community Fund takes a broad and inclusive view of what a community is and provides grants to the widest possible range of organizations and initiatives, including: Animal Welfare; Arts, Culture, and Heritage; Education; Environment; Mental Health and Addictions; Outdoor Recreation, Physical Activity, and Sports; Seniors’ Programs; and Social/Health Services.

The Elkford Community Fund Steering Committee is the local point of contact for the fund. The Steering Committee members are Terry Vandale (Chair), Shawna Klein, Jessica Bohn, Ethel Robinson and Thomas Skelton.

The Elkford Community Fund continues to welcome donations. As the permanently invested fund grows, the annual, perpetual grants to local non-profits will grow as well.

The fund is pleased to accept online donations via this link.

Donations can also be made via cheque (made out to ‘CFKR’, memo ‘Elkford Community Fund’), cash (delivered to the EKCCU-Elkford Branch, attention Shawna Klein), or e-transfer to [email protected] .

For more information about the Elkford Community Fund, please visit our Facebook page and the CFKR website.

Lynnette Wray, CFKR Executive Director, can also be contacted by phone (250-426-1119) or email ([email protected]).

CFKR was federally incorporated in 2003 and is a CRA-registered charity. CFKR is governed by a 13-member volunteer board and employs one staff person. CFKR currently holds a total of approximately $2.5 million in 34 permanently invested endowment funds, including the Elkford Community Fund, Sparwood Community Fund, and Fernie Community Fund.

CFKR’s Vision: Together, making our communities even better places to live, work, and play, now and forever.

CFKR’s Mission: We build permanently invested endowment funds, provide grants to qualified donees to address local community needs, and offer positive leadership to explore community priorities.

CFKR’s Values: Community, Accountability, Responsiveness, Excellence, and Sustainability (CARES)

Lead image: From left to right- Ethel Robinson (Elkford Community Fund Steering Committee Member), Terry Vandale (Chair-Elkford Community Fund Steering Committee), District of Elkford Mayor Dean McKerracher, and Jessica Bohn (Elkford Community Fund Steering Committee member). Photo submitted

Community Foundation of the Kootenay Rockies

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