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Greater Saint John announces major grant to organization advocating for water clean-up
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION MAKES ANNIVERSARY GRANT TO ACAP SAINT JOHN
GREATER SAINT JOHN CHARITIES RECEIVE OVER $172,866
The Greater Saint John Community Foundation is announcing details of a special anniversary grant of $15,000 they are providing to ACAP Saint John at a ceremony Monday, 12:30pm, Nov.9th.
The donation is being characterized as a way of supporting the community’s interest in our natural environment and as a tribute to the outstanding work of ACAP Saint John over more than 18 years. It is the largest environmental sector grant the since the Foundation began granting 33 years ago. The funds will be directed to young people whose chosen career is in this field, who are seeking work and employment experience in their home community, while working on challenges facing the waterways of Greater Saint John.
The announcement will take place in conjunction with a public Open House on their Marsh Creek Restoration Initiative which ACAP is hosting at the Saint John Hilton. Fifty one charitable causes are supported in the $172,866 total grants announced for the Foundation’s fiscal year. The announcement is timed to coincide with the celebration of National Philanthropy Day, November 15.
The Anniversary Grant was inaugurated in 2006 to mark the Community Foundation’s thirtieth anniversary. Each year, the major award of $30,000, or $15,000 in two segments, spring and fall, goes to a community charitable group which best address clearly documented priorities in Greater Saint John.
The Foundation’s annual Report Card on Greater Saint John’s quality of life, Vitals Signs, has identified a number of community challenges such as water quality and Harbour cleanup in their four annual Community Report Cards. Vitals Signs is used as a grant-making guide. The Foundation is active in the Environmental field.
It has organized and presented six recent public events as community services: six Annual Harbour Passage Garden Parties, as well as symposia on Children’s Environmental Health, Climate Change, Drinking Water and last month, an Open House and tour of Somerset Square, Saint John’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building, which has just received the prestigious Gold Level of accreditation, a first for Atlantic Canada.
“Our Community Foundation was established in 1976 to improve the quality of life for our citizens” said Cheryl M.G. Robertson, Foundation Chair, who will make the announcement. “Often a modest grant will go a long way, but occasionally, a more substantial sum can truly make a difference to a charitable group. It may dream of a unique project but have few potential funding sources and struggle just to make ends meet. We evaluated many excellent projects put forward along with many regular applications for funding.
We congratulate ACAP Saint John, for taking the lead in many key local environmental issues” she added. Anniversary grants can positively affect the arts, social services, health, education, the environment, heritage or recreation and have been awarded to First Steps, the Salvation Army, the Saint John YM-YWCA and the Crescent Valley Resource Centre to date. Public spirited donors can continue to contribute to the Community Foundation’s Anniversary Fund, which is permanently endowed and continues to provide funding for Anniversary Grants each year.
The Atlantic Coast Action Program Saint John, founded 18 years ago, is a community based, non-profit organization that encourages local involvement from all sectors: industry, business, educators, environmental organizations and the three levels of government. It has organized numerous “beach sweeps” and been a tireless advocate for “harbour cleanup”.
From Cape Spencer to Musquash, along the St. John and the Kennebecasis Rivers, and their tributaries, the Nerepis, Musquash and, Little Rivers, Marsh and Hazen Creeks, the group’s primary goals are: to work with the community to improve the environmental health and integrity of our waterways and respond to the public’s demand to be more involved in environmental decision making. Created as one of thirteen environmental "hotspots" in Atlantic Canada through the Federal Government's Green Plan of 1990, a community based approach to managing our aquatic environment has been its hallmark.
The Greater Saint John Community Foundation serves as a trustee for charitable, educational and cultural purposes. It administers funds, large and small, donated by public-spirited citizens for the benefit of the people of Greater Saint John. Earnings from permanent endowment funds are donated to local charities for many worthy causes - youth, seniors, health & medicine, education, the arts, environment and social services. It is a member of Community Foundations of Canada, over 160 independent Community Foundations working together to help improve the quality of life in communities across Canada. Since 1976, the foundation’s assets have grown to approximately $8 M. In 2008, it donated in excess of $271,000.00 to over 75 local charities. Fifty one charitable causes are included in the $172,866 in grants announced (see attached).
For further information or to contribute contact:
The Greater Saint John Community Foundation
Jane Barry, Executive Director, P.O. Box 20061, Brunswick Sq., Saint John, N.B. E2L 5B2
Street address: Business Resource Centre, Fourth Floor 40 King St., Saint John, NB
tel. 506-672-8880 fax. 506-672-8881 e-mail sjfoundation@nb,aibn.com www.saint-john-foundation.nb.ca
