Congratulations to our very own, Cindy Richard 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 Lumby Food Bank Society. Cindy has invested countless hours volunteering for the Lumby Lions, who graciously donate to the food bank annually. The food bank services over 75 families a month, as well as supporting a number of programs in the community, such as School Breakfast and Lunch programs. Currently they are trying to start a Youth Drop In After School program, a place where children can hang out, play some foosball, read a book, ect. We thank you Cindy for your leadership in creating a thriving community!

2020 granting is here & we've aligned Island Savings a division of First West Credit Union Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union, Envision Financial, a division of First West Credit Union & Enderby & District Financial, a division of First West CU endowment granting. Check out the link: https://bit.ly/2Ap77vf to submit an EOI by January 15 to learn about next steps. Granting cycle opens Feb 3, closes March 2.

Congratulations to our very own, Meaghan Racine 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 Ozanam Recovery House. Ozanam Recovery House is a 19 bed transition home located in Kelowna, the focus is to support men who are struggling with addictions, mental health issues or both. The mission for Ozanam is to provide the residents with a home, health and hope. Meg currently sits on the board and has donated an endless amount of hours to this incredible organization. Thank you, Meg, for being a community superstar!

Congratulations to our very own, Paul Brodeur who is being recognized by Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union, for his leadership in the community through our Employee Lead Well Program. As part of this recognition he received $500 to donate to the charity of his choice, he chose the Immaculata Regional High School Parent Support Group in support of their Financial Literacy Program. Paul helped develop this seven-week program which covers topics such as budgeting, goal planning, credit, investing, how the market works and the power of compounding interest. The program was delivered to 29 students from grade 8 to grade 12 with homework promoting conversations with their parents about what they had learned. Thank you, Paul, for your commitment to making a difference in your community!

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