Mar 8: NonProfit Organizations Invited to Apply...
Non-Profit Organizations Invited to Apply for $1-Million Vancity Award
Award question and answer session to be held March 20th in Burnaby
Vancouver, March 8, 2002 - Vancity Credit Union is now accepting applications for the second annual $1-million Vancity Award to support bold and innovative projects in the communities Vancity serves.
Launched last year, the Vancity Award is given out annually to a non-profit organization for a major project that supports the social, environmental or economic well-being of the community. Funding may go towards development, capital, operational, or endowment needs. The winner is selected by Vancity members through a voting process.
Vancity is now accepting applications by mail and fax until April 12, 5:00 p.m. (PST). Non-profit organizations in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Victoria are invited to submit a two-page letter of intent.
Details including award , answers to about the program, and a are available online. In addition, a question and answer session will be held on Wednesday, March 20, 2002, 7:30 p.m. at the Executive Hotel in Burnaby at 4201 Lougheed Highway (near Brentwood Mall).
Letters of intent will be reviewed by a committee made up of Vancity staff, members and board members. Following this, some organizations will be invited to submit a project proposal later in the spring. Vancity members will be able to vote on a list of finalists in the fall.
The Vancity Award builds on Vancity's extensive community awards and funding programs, including the Community Partnership Program, the Vancity Community Foundation, and the EnviroFund TM, which recognize and support organizations which are making a difference in the community. In 2001, Vancity shared 30 per cent of its net profits with its communities and members. The $3 million shared with communities was the highest amount in Vancity's history.
Last year's award - the first ever - went to B.E.S.T. (Better Environmentally Sound Transportation) for its Vancity Greenway project. This bike path and leisure trail will connect Lower Mainland communities, including Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam and New Westminster. Work is scheduled to start on the greenway this year.
Vancity is Canada's largest credit union, with $7.5 billion in assets, 275,000 members, and 39 branches throughout Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Victoria. Vancity owns Citizens Bank of Canada, serving members across the country by telephone, ATM, and the Internet. Both Vancity and Citizens Bank are guided by a commitment to corporate social responsibility, and to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.