Maple Ridge Community Foundation gives $73,500 in grants to local non-profits

The Maple Ridge Community Foundation donated over $70,000 to local non-profits this year during their granting ceremony.

Brenda Norrie, the business relationship manager with the foundation said that the organization granted a total of $73,500 this year to 23 non-profits. Some of the organizations that received the grants included Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Fraser Valley for $5,000, Friends in Need Food Bank’s school meal and sack program for $5,000, Golden Ears Athletics for equipment upgrades for $1,000, JA Group of BC $1,000, K.E.E.P.S. $1,000, and ACT arts centre $1,500.

“The grants provided by the Community Foundation support our local non-profits in many areas, including food security, seniors, the environment, education, children & youth and more. We believe that all residents in Maple Ridge have been, and continue to be, touched by grants from the Community Foundation in some way – either directly or through their family, friends, neighbours or someone they know,” said Norrie.

The applications submitted this year totalled over $122,000 in funding requests for programs that totalled over $800,000 in operating cost – so the need is great in our community, she said, noting that the funding requests this year were 35 per cent higher than last year.

Ernie Daykin, the grants committee chair, noted that the annual event is made possible each year by a collective group of donors, some that are families with two or three generations of history and that are continuing a legacy of giving in the community. He also said that many new donors have been coming along, building new legacies.

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“Hosting our fall granting ceremony virtually means anyone can participate from the comfort of their home, and can hear the stories and learn about each of the programs we are able to fund. It’s really eye-opening to see all of the incredible programs being run in our community, by our community, for our community,” said Daykin.

The granting ceremony was held virtually on Dec. 9 and a video of the online ceremony is now available on YouTube.

The foundation, which strives to make giving easy by providing ways to connect donors with causes that matter in their own community, and by facilitating individual, corporate and foundation philanthropy, has awarded thousands of dollars in grants to a wide range of registered charities, since 1976.

“Every donation, no matter how small, pools together for the greater good. We’re truly building a better community, together!” said Norrie.

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