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Community Foundation of Whistler grows again

Six new endowment funds have been added to the Community Foundation of Whistler. The new funds include the American Friends of Whistler Fund, the Ciceri Family Fund, the Glacier Creek Development Fund, the J.J.

Six new endowment funds have been added to the Community Foundation of Whistler.

The new funds include the American Friends of Whistler Fund, the Ciceri Family Fund, the Glacier Creek Development Fund, the J.J. Whistler Bear Society Fund, the Pemberton Community Fund and the Whistler Museum and Archives Society Fund, bringing the total number of funds held by the Foundation to 16.

The new funds will allow the Foundation to target an even wider range of community challenges since the Ciceri Family Fund, for example, will target lifelong education activities.

The Foundation already gives to charitable organizations that support the environment, children, youth, families, and capacity development in non-profit organizations.

The Pemberton Community Fund and the Glacier Creek Development Fund will also allow the Foundation to stretch its sphere of influence.

They will provide grants to charitable organizations in the Pemberton area. According to Nancy Wilhelm-Morden, CFOW Board Chair, "the Foundation sees it’s role as evolving to play a leadership role in the Sea to Sky corridor."

The Environmental Legacy Fund, one of CFOW’s largest and fastest growing funds, has recently grown again with the donation of $300,000 from the Resort Municipality of Whistler, funded by the Solid Waste Management Program.

Last month, as part of the CFOW’s community leadership role, the Foundation held its first brown bag luncheon, on Communication Saavy. Nine non-profit organizations from Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton participated.

The next brown bag lunch, on Sustainable Funding, is planned for March 30. Jennifer Johnstone from the Vancity Community Foundation will speak.

It is hoped that another fund created in honour of Jill Ackhurst will also soon be in place. Ackhurst died on Dec. 27, 2003 of cancer. Her life was dedicated to community services and she was the chair of the Whistler Community Services Society, an active member of the Whistler Rotary Club, an adult educator with First Nations.

The CFOW, founded in 1999, currently has assets that total nearly $1.6 million. Its role is to bring together people who care about their community with the aim of strengthening the community by facilitating philanthropy, partnering with donors to build permanent endowments, and other funds from which it supports community projects and provides leadership on issues of broad community concern.

In 2000 Canada’s 110 community foundations held combined assets of more than $1.4 billion and earned more than $50 million to support priorities across Canada.