Squamish Community Foundation Grants $10,000 to Local Non-Profits

By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: Oct 11, 2013

Five local non-profits were awarded grants worth $10,000 by the Squamish Community Foundation at the Squamish Adventure Centre on Oct. 10.

Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Easter Seal House Society, Squamish Food Bank, and Squamish Helping Hands Society were some of the organizations that were handed out cheques.

CNIB received $1200 for Project Read, which will enable them to buy Daisy Players or Talking Books for blind or partially blind people in the region.

Big Brother and Big Sisters Sea to Sky received $500 to increase the number of community matches to 12 and procure other important items for the program.

Easter Seal House Society was granted $2500 to help subsidies the cost of medical travel from Squamish to Vancouver.

Squamish Food Bank, meanwhile, received $3000 to assist with obtaining food for their bi-weekly distribution.

Squamish Helping Hands Society received $2800 to assist with the set up and supplies at a new location.

“This is phenomenal help for CNIB,” said Dave Thomson, the director for development at CNIB.

Thomson said the talking books will be distributed in the region.

Haberl said the foundation invests money given by donors and uses the return on that investment for grants.

In time, he said the foundation expects to have over a million dollars in its budget for grants.

“We want to be leaders in local philanthropy and we want to set an example for philanthropy in Squamish,” he said.