Our Kamloops team hosted the 4th annual Kamloops Blazers Feed the Valley Night! Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers that came out, and a special nod of appreciation to those who braved the -13 weather to collect donations for the Kamloops Food Bank! Thanks to generous donations from fans, the team raised an incredible $2,350 and 2,800lbs of food!

We had an awesome fundraiser for Central Okanagan Community Food Bank this past Wednesday! Together with The Little Hobo Soup & Sandwich shop, Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union Downtown Kelowna Branch co-hosted our first "Combat Hunger with Little Hobo Hotcakes" event! We had hotcakes, bacon, and coffee/juice available for $10 with all proceeds supporting the food bank. We raised $2400 and 200lbs of food in 2 hours!! It was a very successful morning!

We are proud to support the Okanagan Fruit Tree Project Society with a $10,000 Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union Community Endowment for their Okanagan Gleaning expansion into the community of Oliver. Thanks for having us, we had a blast picking apples! Demand for fresh fruit and vegetables grows with each season and partner organizations work to support their food insecure clients with nutritious food. This program offers a fun, inclusive, healthy, educational and flexible community building experience while the diversity of volunteers continues to astound. The Society finds a way for all to be involved if they want to be and we absolutely love that!

Congratulations to our very own, Rikki Bassett who is being recognized by Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union, for her leadership in the community through our Employee Lead Well Program. As part of this recognition she received $500 to donate to the charity of her choice, she chose the Inspired Word Café. The Inspired Word Café Society (IWC) is a community arts-organization that provides accessible performance poetry and literary arts events, training, and workshops for professional and amateur writers and performers across the Okanagan. They strive to promote inclusiveness and offer a platform that is accessible to everyone, especially the marginalized by offering events that are low-cost or free. Thank you Rikki for being a part of this inspiring organization and making a difference in your community through the arts!

We're wheeling into some fun with YMCA of Okanagan! They're a recipient of a #SimpleGenerosity Neighbourhood Grant from Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union. The grant is being used to purchase scooters and a wagon for the kids at Queen's Park YMCA Child Care in Penticton! Currently they don't have any scooters or bikes that belong to the centre; everything is borrowed from the Penticton Child Care Society’s lending library. Queen’s Park YMCA Child Care centre opened in March 2019 and is providing high quality Early Learning & Care, and School-Age Care for 66 Penticton children, ages 0–12. Thank you for spreading #SimpleGenerosity in our community! Have an idea to bring your community together? Apply on Do Some Good for a grant of up to $500; http://bit.ly/2MlL26T

Get your move on! The Westside Senior Citizens Association in West Kelowna received a #SimpleGenerosity Neighbourhood Grant from Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union to support their Keep Fit programming - supporting local seniors with wellness and fitness seminars, learning new skills and meeting great people! Have an idea for a community initiative, program or event? Apply on Do Some Good today for a grant of up to $500; http://bit.ly/2MlL26T

An exciting new initiative, bringing together almost 20 services for youth and their families under one friendly roof, Foundry Penticton (Youth Navigator and Peer Support Services) launched in summer 2019.

The youth resource centre will have a team of doctors, therapists, mental health and substance use counsellors, social workers and peer listeners coordinating their services at no cost for youth aged 12 to 24 years old.

The Foundation team, board members and branch staff were fortunate to have a site visit and learn more about their services and how they will impact the local community. Thanks in part to a $25,000 combined grant from the Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union Community Endowment, housed with First West Foundation and First West Credit Union Community Investment, Foundry Penticton is poised to do even greater things in the local community. We can’t wait to see the good that comes from this tremendous new initiative.

We are tremendously proud of our partnership with the YMCA of Okanagan and their Young Parent’s program. A recipient of Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union, Community Endowment funding for three years in a row, this year’s $13,500 grant is providing support, food and incidentals for up to 25 at-risk young parents who are returning to Kelowna Secondary School with children as young as six weeks old. Facing housing, mental health, life management and educational concerns, these young teen parents have often experienced drug and alcohol issues, sexual exploitation and/or abuse. The Young Parent’s program provides free food, counselling, parenting training, employment preparation, certifications, and childcare for their children who also receive developmental and nutritional support. The goal of the program is to provide comprehensive childcare while supporting the young parents in their education and future goals. Thank you for the wonderful site visit; it is inspiring to hear about young lives supported and transformed.