Our third wave of Community Response Funds is hitting British Columbia mailboxes with another $121,120 going out to 15 charitable organizations. Since the First West Foundation launched the Response Fund in May, $476,820 has been granted to organizations focused on basic needs and food security in Envision Financial, a division of First West Credit Union, Enderby & District Financial, a division of First West CU, Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union and Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union regions. Combined with annual granting, a total of $1,164,440 has been infused into communities across BC so far this year.
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Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union296 employees on Do Some Good
Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union, is a premier provider of banking, borrowing, investment and insurance services for residents and businesses throughout Van...
We're committed to giving back to the community!View the Pledge
499 Canada Ave
Duncan, British Columbia
V9L 1T7
Top company causes
Arts & Culture
Food & Nutrition
Financial Literacy
Top employee causes
Food & Nutrition
Animal Welfare
Health & Well-being
Community and Economic Development
Environment
Food & Nutrition
Animal Welfare
Health & Well-being
Community and Economic Development
Environment
$665K
Dollars Donated
5K
Hours Logged by Employees
$119K
Monetary Equivalent of Hours
Island Savings' Full Cupboard program raises food, funds & awareness for local food banks across the region. We're proud that in 2019, together with our employees and community partners, we raised $77,550. That's the equivalent of 232,650 meals for children and families in our communities.
The Full Cupboard
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Victoria
Vancouver Island University
Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association
Cowichan Capitals
First West Foundation
Campaign ManagerCanada150
It is great to see a Good Company, such as Island Savings, giving back to their local community. Local acts of kindness, volunteerism and donations help to make our country the amazing place that it is today. A big thanks to Island Savings for their contributions to building a stronger and more connected community.
Growing support for our community
A $500 donation from the Community Help Fund of Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union and First West Foundation is on its way to Nanaimo Community Gardens Society. Learn more about how you can help our community gardens thrive.
Tell us about your charity and how the community can help your organization
We envision our community abundant in food, and our culture and economy respectful of our dependence on the earth’s resources for survival. In this time of Covid, it is of even greater importance that our society is able to provide educational programming to help our community provide for itself. Having a healthy local food system and robust urban agriculture can help mitigate the effect of increasing food costs and decreasing availability or selection. Individuals, families and organizations can benefit from all the work that our volunteers do at our 2 community garden sites which are venues for field trips, tours and group participation. Workshops, hands-on volunteer activities and plant sales benefit our community and provide increased capacity in our residents for growing their own food and providing for their friends and families.
We value:
- broad community access to locally-grown, nutritious foods
- community food self-reliance and the preservation of biodiversity in our food plants
- growing, celebrating and sharing food together
- the sharing of knowledge, skills and resources which help people develop food self-sufficiency
- creating inclusive gardens that provide opportunities for maintaining health and healing
- the preservation of agricultural lands and the livelihoods of all people involved in getting food from seeds to our plates
- the conservation of land, water, air, soils, and ecosystems
Donate
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/nanaimo-community-gardens-society/
Congratulations to #SimpleGenerosity volunteer recipient from Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union, Angela Walmsley. Angela has awarded a $1,000 SimpleGenerosity donation to Nanaimo Community Hospice Society!
Angela, with her dog Hudson, began volunteering with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Unit three years ago and since May 2019, she has volunteered as a Unit Facilitator for the Nanaimo Therapy Dog Program (TDP), facilitating recruitment, evaluation, scheduling, and training for new therapy dog teams.
Angela and Hudson volunteer their time at various places in the Nanaimo community, including the Wexford Extended Care, North Oyster School, Nanaimo RCMP Victim Services, the Nanaimo Hospice Community House, and Palliative Care Unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. They also volunteer at Vancouver Island University during exam times and other community events. Together, they provide those in need with a moment of joy, compassion, and companionship, which has helped decrease stress, pain, and improve mental health and quality of life for many of the people they visit.
Angela has selflessly given her time, kindness, and dedication to the TDP in Nanaimo and it has thrived under her leadership. She has been an active volunteer since she began in 2015, logging in close to 1,000 hours.
Thank you for inspiring us Angela!
Angela, with her dog Hudson, began volunteering with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Unit three years ago and since May 2019, she has volunteered as a Unit Facilitator for the Nanaimo Therapy Dog Program (TDP), facilitating recruitment, evaluation, scheduling, and training for new therapy dog teams.
Angela and Hudson volunteer their time at various places in the Nanaimo community, including the Wexford Extended Care, North Oyster School, Nanaimo RCMP Victim Services, the Nanaimo Hospice Community House, and Palliative Care Unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. They also volunteer at Vancouver Island University during exam times and other community events. Together, they provide those in need with a moment of joy, compassion, and companionship, which has helped decrease stress, pain, and improve mental health and quality of life for many of the people they visit.
Angela has selflessly given her time, kindness, and dedication to the TDP in Nanaimo and it has thrived under her leadership. She has been an active volunteer since she began in 2015, logging in close to 1,000 hours.
Thank you for inspiring us Angela!
Congratulations to #SimpleGenerosity recipient from Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union, Pete Thompson! Pete has awarded a $1,000 #SimpleGenerosity grant to St. John Ambulance.
Volunteering with St. John Ambulance for almost 15 years, Pete serves as Divisional Community Services Coordinator and Divisional Superintendent. A member of the St. John Ambulance Medical First Responders team in Victoria since 2005, Pete’s division provides first aid and healthcare services to events in and around the city. It is one of the busiest divisions in BC, providing services to hundreds of events, such as Canada Day festivities, Remembrance Day celebrations, concerts, and local fairs, ensuring that Victoria eventgoers are safe.
Pete has made a special contribution to the marginalized members of the community. He brings his input to the Downtown Service Providers organization, continues the division’s first aid clinic at the Our Place drop-in and residential centre, and has led the start-up of a similar clinic at Rock Bay Landing. Since joining Division 176, Pete has been able to record over 8,500 volunteer hours. Peter’s promotion of a culture of caring and compassion has had a profound effect in his community.
Peter is an exceptional volunteer and continues to help enhance safety and healthcare in Victoria.
Thank you for inspiring us Peter!
Volunteering with St. John Ambulance for almost 15 years, Pete serves as Divisional Community Services Coordinator and Divisional Superintendent. A member of the St. John Ambulance Medical First Responders team in Victoria since 2005, Pete’s division provides first aid and healthcare services to events in and around the city. It is one of the busiest divisions in BC, providing services to hundreds of events, such as Canada Day festivities, Remembrance Day celebrations, concerts, and local fairs, ensuring that Victoria eventgoers are safe.
Pete has made a special contribution to the marginalized members of the community. He brings his input to the Downtown Service Providers organization, continues the division’s first aid clinic at the Our Place drop-in and residential centre, and has led the start-up of a similar clinic at Rock Bay Landing. Since joining Division 176, Pete has been able to record over 8,500 volunteer hours. Peter’s promotion of a culture of caring and compassion has had a profound effect in his community.
Peter is an exceptional volunteer and continues to help enhance safety and healthcare in Victoria.
Thank you for inspiring us Peter!
We know you love community as much as we do! So, with that in mind, we're pleased to announce 14 grants, totaling $109,950 heading to Vancouver Island charities with our 2020 Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union community endowment grants. Looking for more details? Check out: http://bitly.ws/8RpB
Feeding our community
Our friends at Cowichan Green Community have been working hard feeding families across the region. The Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union and First West Foundation Community Help Fund is pleased to provide a $500 grant to help kickstart a community fundraising initiative. Join us and ensure Island families have the food resources they need.
Tell us about your charity and how the community can help your organization
CGC is a dynamic, multi-tasking organization that has mobilized to respond to the needs of our community due to Covid19 and the negative effects its been having on food security. For over a decade, we've been focusing on improved access to local food, improving our food systems, creating policy to support more urban and rural agriculture, and sharing knowledge to everyone from youngsters to elders to just 'grow more food!' Through these past few months, we've created an Emergency Food Access Task Force and have helped other organizations fundraise and apply for grants to support all our important work from Malahat Nation to the Chemainus Neighbourhood House. It's been inspiring to lead this group and see the collaboration and cooperation with everyone coming to the table for a common 'cause'. We need/want to keep this group going, organizing meals to the shelters, supporting additional education, community gardens, and ensuring everyone is healthy and happy. All funds raised are going to this Task Force to help provide grocery gift cards, hampers, and meals. Thank you for your support!
Donate
http://www.cgcf.ca
Supporting local youth
Resources and capacity needs to increase supports for local youth gets a $10,000 boost from the Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union and First West Foundation Community Response Fund. We're also donating an additional $500 to help kickstart fundraising efforts. Join us and help our youth thrive.
Tell us about your charity and how the community can help your organization
Our vision is that all youth are living healthy, fulfilling lives. We come alongside youth in mentoring relationships to support them as they transition out of care. We hope to provide youth with practical support skills so they may thrive while reducing their presence on the streets during the evening hours. While significant challenges still face too many young women and men on Victoria’s streets, we have observed real progress with our program. The Sanctuary team intentionally plans programs while allocating staff and volunteer time, and as a result, we maximize what the Centre can offer the youth who attend Sanctuary. The specific goals the Centre has are to increase the opportunities for youth to access: employment; counselling; addictions and health service referrals; access to permanent housing; and overcoming vulnerability related to relationship issues.
Our staff and volunteers provide a tremendous amount of emotional and sometimes hands-on support through time spent assisting youth with their day-to-day needs. This includes practical activities such as helping with moving, providing rides to-and-from appointments, going for coffee and locating suitable rental suites. We write reference letters to landlords for the youth and assist them with employment searches.
Extensive research by homelessness and youth agencies shows that the number one precursor to youth avoiding long-term homelessness is when they find consistent, mature, and emotional support. Our experience has identified that the best time for mentoring happens at the late stages of adolescence or when youth age out of foster care. We aim to come alongside youth so that they can more successfully gain independence, access housing, and live in a safe community. Sanctuary receives approximately 3000 visits per year. We see over 200 different youth living primarily in the City of Victoria, Esquimalt, Vic West, and Saanich. We have a list of over 100 youth who regularly, on any given weekend, drop by the Centre.
Donate
https://www.sanctuaryyouth.org/donate
Community gardens are thriving
How is your garden growing? The Community Help Fund from Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union and First West Foundation is granting $500 to help raise funds to support the continued sustainability of the gardens at Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust.
Tell us about your charity and how the community can help your organization
Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust preserves farmland, a mission essential to all of us. As part of this mission the FLT operates community gardens, and provides education and experience growing, preserving and cooking locally grown food. Everyone on Salt Spring Island is a steward of the good way of life on the Island. The Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust is one wonderful way everyone can participate in the preservation of farmland and the culture of farming and great food, to benefit everyone now and for future generations. What will happen if there is no more farmland and farming on the Island? It could easily happen, but let's all work together so Salt Spring Island is a model of joyful food sustainability.
Donate
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/salt-spring-island-farmland-trust-society
Growing support for our community
A grant of $7,500 from the Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union and First West Foundation Community Response Fund is on its way to 1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre. We’re adding a Community Help grant of $500 to kickstart fundraising efforts which will help extend food supports beyond the weeks of summer.
Tell us about your charity and how the community can help your organization
1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre is a registered non-profit charity that has been committed to serving the varied and changing needs of single parent families in the Greater Victoria area since 1978. We provide practical support, opportunities for growth and a sense of hope to one-parent families across Greater Victoria. Guided by skilled and committed staff and trained volunteers, as 1Up we offer important services to create foundations for personal and community growth in a welcoming and non-judgmental environment. We are committed to offering effective services that accommodate individual differences and respond to changing needs. Currently we are serving over 1,800 families in the Greater Victoria community.
The community can help our organization by making monetary donations to our programming or giving donations of goods. We accept good condition clothes for men, women, children, teens and infants for our free clothing store. We also accept food donations of non-perishable goods and are seeking partnerships with local grocery stores who would like to give us excess food they cannot sell.
Our website www.singleparentvictoria.ca has a direct place to donate using gift tool from our home page. There is also a link there to other ways to give. Thanks!
Donate
https://www.singleparentvictoria.ca
We're sending blankets and teddies to our friends YMCA of Okanagan Young Parents Program! COVID19 restrictions on volunteer opportunities kickstarted a virtual volunteer role for our team members Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union. Employees from our regional partners, Envision Financial and Island Savings jumped in too and created blankets filled with love for 16 children.
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We're committed to giving back to the community!View the Pledge
499 Canada Ave
Duncan, British Columbia
V9L 1T7
Top company causes
Arts & Culture
Food & Nutrition
Financial Literacy
Top employee causes
Food & Nutrition
Animal Welfare
Health & Well-being
Community and Economic Development
Environment
Food & Nutrition
Animal Welfare
Health & Well-being
Community and Economic Development
Environment