Nanaimo Foundation delivers $466,000 to nine community organizations including PHC

Nanaimo Foundation

Press Release

People for a Healthy Community on Gabriola is one of nine organizations sharing $466,000 in funding from the Nanaimo Foundation.

This past week, the Nanaimo Foundation announced $466,000 in funding to support nine projects in the Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Cedar, Gabriola Island, and Lantzville region through the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund.

The Community Services Recovery Fund is a one-time investment of $400 million to help community service organizations (charities, non-profits, Indigenous governing bodies) adapt, modernize and be better equipped to improve the efficacy, accessibility and sustainability of the community services that they provide through the pandemic recovery and beyond.

The following projects are being supported in the Nanaimo region:

• $84,491 was invested to fund Nanaimo Child Development Centre to update technological infrastructure such as a new server and equipment

• $85,338 was invested to fund People for a Healthy Community on Gabriola Island Society for a new contact data management system

• $38,301 was invested to fund Nanaimo Youth Services Association to build a new cloud system that will connect staff and clients

• $18,720 was invested to fund Loaves and Fishes Food Bank to build a new website

• $82,600 was invested to fund Port Theatre Society to automate their IT process

• $15,550 was invested to fund Nanaimo Blues Society to update internal systems and processes

• $10,500 was invested to fund Nanaimo International Jazz Festival to build a new website homepage and revamp social media

• $30,500 was invested to fund Vancouver Island Symphony to develop a 2023-2027 Strategic Plan

• $100,000 was invested to fund Snuneymuxw First Nation to implement HRIS System and Records Management

Community service organizations are at the forefront of addressing communities’ needs. Since the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have struggled with increased demand for their services, 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 the Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Cedar, Gabriola Island, and Lantzville region. 

Brenda Fowler, Executive Director for PHC said, “We are very honoured to be selected by the Naniamo Foundation for this post Covid Community Services Recovery grant.

“When you are a not for profit like People for a Healthy Community where the priority is program delivery, what suffers is internal organizational processes, procedures and systems.

“The very things that support effective communications, need assessments and efficiencies. If a not-for-profit can become efficient it can become more effective. Local computer professionals are now hired, and the grant will cover training, some hardware and annual software costs. The new project will establish a central database, it will speed up program registrations, it will improve inter-team communications and will enable us to contact members, participants and donors in a timely way. This project – like the food and seniors program vans – is fully funded by the Federal government. These infrastructure projects will support our ability to expand our services and programs. We are extremely fortunate to have access to this funding”