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FUNDED PROJECTS 2007-08 We hope the following updates on the grants funded by your CCF contributions gives you a glimpse into some of the great work being done in the inner city.. We applaud these community groups and their efforts to make a difference. We are delighted that we could support them by providing funding for the tools and necessary equipment to do their work. We focus our capital grants on three areas that we feel are the most in need and are making the best possible positive impact in the inner city.
2007 / 2008 Grants Grants to support Children and Youth Take a Hike Youth at Risk Foundation – “I stopped doing drugs and started hiking”. This comment, made by a student who participated in the Take a Hike program, illustrates the real impact this organization is making. Take a Hike engages at-risk youth through a unique combination of outdoor adventure-based Hastings-Tillicum Community School – CCF funds have been used to purchase the equipment needed to expand this school’s Kids First after school program which was started to provide a safe and supportive environment for children who were left unsupervised in the hours following their school days. This program provides inner city children with the opportunity to identify personal interests, talents and attributes in a nurturing environment while helping them develop both academic and life skills. The program also provides the students with focus, direction and a sense of belonging. The school has found the program has benefited the students greatly and has given them a stronger connection to their school, community and caring adults. http://hastings.vsb.bc.ca Urban Native Youth Association – As limited or no access to transportation is a significant barrier for many Aboriginal youth and families, CCF provided a grant to enable this association to purchase a much-needed 15-passenger van. This van is being used to give Aboriginal youth access to culturally relevant programming, workshops, recreational activities, one-to-one support and transportation to other resources in the community that helps them develop skills for safer, healthier lives. The Urban Native Youth Association is the only service provider to Aboriginal Youth in the Greater Vancouver area and has been doing so for over 18 years. They deliver a wide range of services that help Native youth to meet their immediate and long-term needs. Their numbers are impressive as they currently offer 18 preventative programs, employ over 85 full and part-time staff, have 95 community partners and work with over 60 volunteers to provide more than 5,000 interactions with youth each year! Youth are consulted in the development of new programs and services, as the Association believes that youth are the experts in their own lives and are in the best position to bring forward youth issues. They strive to have at least 4 of 9 board positions filled by Native Youth. We hope their new van will open up even more avenues and opportunities for this community. www.unya.bc.ca Urban Promise – The objective of Urban Promise’s program is to teach children and young adults the skills necessary for academic achievement, life skills, spiritual growth and Grants to address the most urgent community needs
Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House – Back in November 2007, Joyce, a long time community resident and activist in the downtown eastside, showed CCF that they were using only a 2 burner hot-plate and a very old fridge in a very small space to facilitate their nutritional food services and programs. Dozens of volunteers, including our tour guide, Joyce, are building a very grassroots community organizing place at the new Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House. At the heart of their work, is the belief that food can be a communicative instrument of change and community building. That is why they are committed to a “Food Vision” which includes preparing healthy whole foods purchased from local sources and using the offering of food as an opportunity to reflect on participants’ inherent dignity and right to quality food. They have witnessed first-hand how people feel inherently better about themselves as well as the world at large when they are presented with creatively prepared and warmly offered food. DENH staff describe their twice weekly Community Kitchen sessions as rollicking events where “everyone is so animated, so enthusiastic, so pleased as punch to be there and be working together. They resemble more a party than a nutritional net for the materially impoverished”. With your support, they have renovated their kitchen so that they can now more “adequately communicate the sweet glories of baked brussel sprouts” (in their own enthusiastic words) while feeding over 200 highly vulnerable members of the downtown east side community. The Neighbourhood House also provides a warm and clean space for the development of community and outreach programs such as arts and healing workshops. CCF is pleased to have helped the DENH renovate their kitchen so that they can continue to nourish the community’s health and social well being. “Yes, the food here is different. It is not only some of the healthiest food around, but delicious. It is also beautifully presented and served and very fresh . . . It does make me feel better. I hope the food program here will be well supported and encouraged. Thank you.” www.gnh.vcn.bc.ca The Vancouver/Richmond Mental Health Network Society – When you connect to this society’s Community of Hope – Community of Hope runs the only dedicated soup kitchen for the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. This group also provides services as a drop-in centre to at-risk youth, urban Aboriginals, immigrants and low income residents for this area as well as the Grandview and downtown eastside communities. Your donations to the Central City Foundation helped us make a grant to renovate Community of Hope’s building so they now have office spaces for free medical check-ups and professional counselling services. The new Community Room is a safe place for foster families to spend time together and is also where ESL classes and after-school care activities are held. The renovation also included building a three bedroom temporary women’s shelter. Community of Hope reports, “Seeing the building change from an older, run-down building into a clean, brighter, more welcoming environment has helped people see at is their own. They want to treat it better . . . Ultimately this gives them a greater sense of hope“. Atira Women’s Resource Society – When faced with a bed bug infestation that meant having to remove all of the furniture and residents’ belongings at the Bridge Housing for Women, Atira asked for the CCF’s help. We responded with a matching grant of $15,000 which was used to purchase dining sets and loveseats for each of the affected units as well as care packages for each resident. Bridge Housing for Women offers 36 independent units of long-term, supported housing for women, including eight suites designated for women with significant mental health diagnoses. Staff are on site seven days a week and provide one-to-one support, referrals, resource information and advocacy. A variety of support groups and activities are available on site. Atira Women's Resource Society is a not-for-profit organization committed to the work of ending violence against women through providing direct services and increasing awareness of and education around the scope and impact on our communities of men's violence against women and children. www.atira.bc.ca Kiwassa Neighbourhood House – Before CCF provided a grant to upgrade the server and computer network at Kiwassa Neighbourhood House, this organization was experiencing frequent server crashes and were hindered by their outdated computer server and tired network. This Neighbourhood House has provided a wide-variety of community services and programs in East Vancouver since 1949 reaching children, youth, and families, with an emphasis on the special needs of the socially, economically, and culturally disadvantaged, including many new immigrants and aboriginal families. www.kiwassa.bc.ca Grants supporting Community transformation H.A.V.E Culinary Training Society – This society has cooked up a great program providing culinary training and employment placement for the downtown eastside and Strathcona residents who face significant JustWork Economic Initiative – Have you ever heard of a “pug mill”? Apparently pottery and clay can be recycled by a machine that is humbly called a “pug mill”. Some of your gifts helped CCF make a grant to Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre – Women make up 40% of the population in the Downtown Eastside yet there are few services that are relevant and accessible to women. The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre is one of the only safe places in the inner city specifically and exclusively for women. For the YWCA Vancouver – Crabtree Corner is a Family Support and Emergency Child Care Centre – a place of warmth and refuge for women and children living in poverty. The daily drop-in program is an entry point to a full range of services for women and children in the Downtown Eastside, where life expectancy for women is only 40 years. For women who have experienced a lifetime of hardship, accepting help from strangers can be difficult; but that feeling soon passes as they develop friendships, trust, and an interest in improving the quality of their lives. Crabtree Corner used a CCF grant to fund a 2 year lease of a 14 seat van to provide transportation for the various programs they provide such as outings outside of the Downtown Eastside. These outings are often the only opportunity for many families to participate in activities like visiting the aquarium or going for picnics. Such events strengthen family ties and give children happy memories. The van is also used to facilitate their food programs, donation pick-ups and Harm Reduction program. YWCA’s statistics show that women using Crabtree Corner services are more likely to improve their health and their children’s health by dealing with addiction problems, feeding their children and themselves properly, finding a job and moving to safe, clean housing. “I love the fact that in the group, that there is always someone one step ahead of you, and one behind, and from each you can take what you need to find your own path. Every woman deserves this luxury. This guidance. And it is within this Single Mothers Support Group that I have found that lifeline”. http://www.ywcavan.org/content/Crabtree_Corner/258/31/113 Tradeworks Training Society – This Society has started a new social enterprise called “Tradeworks Custom Products” which is the only program in the Downtown Eastside that is supporting women’s employment in trades and technology by way of a manufacturing business. Tradeworks applied their CCF grant to purchase a laser engraving system which has enhanced their production of small wooden products. This equipment enables them to offer key training opportunities in computer-assisted design and manufacturing. Women participating in this program are low income, usually recovering from substance abuse or other personal trauma, and lacking confidence and a sense of usefulness. This program has shown how a simple change in weekly regime and new social context can be transformational. Learning new skills, completing a woodworking project, having a place to come and apply yourself, having supportive peers and realizing the abilities that you do have are all benefits of this program. Tradeworks seeks to provide employment to less advantaged women, building their self-confidence and skills so that they will become self-reliant and move into the larger workforce. They use recycled, reclaimed or sustainable harvested wood for their products. They can make and engrave your next batch of corporate or personal gifts and you will be helping women who are improving their lives. www.tradeworks.bc.ca Potluck Café Society – In April 2001 Potluck opened its doors and has created a highly acclaimed Social Enterprise operating in the Downtown Eastside. Since that time, Potluck has served over 200,000 meals to neighbourhood residents and has employed numerous downtown eastside residents with varying abilities. The Society’s vision is to create permanent jobs for residents of the Downtown Eastside, to make food more accessible and affordable in the community and to maintain a sustainable enterprise in order to contribute to the revitalization of the community. CCF funds helped Potluck purchase essential equipment and supplies required to keep up with the demands of their client base of over 800 corporate customers, small and large non-profits and special events. With 100% of their operating revenue reinvested in the Society, Potluck purchases and prepares 110 nutritious meals per day or 3,000 meals per month for residents in the inner city. Potluck has provided training and employment opportunities for dozens of inner city residents – many of these people have moved on to other organizations and continue to be employed in a full-time capacity. Others remain employed at Potluck. They also hold a Community Kitchen session twice per month with where Downtown Eastside residents participate and learn basic nutrition and cooking skills and learn how to prepare nutritious meals on a budget. You can dine at their café (30 West Hastings) or have this talented group cater your next special occasion! www.potluckcatering.com Spring 2008 Grants Grants supporting Community transformation Lu’s: A Pharmacy for women by Vancouver Women’s Health Collective Society – When the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective was faced with cuts in provincial and health authority funding, they Grants to address the most urgent community needs The Dugout Drop-In Centre Society – Our annual grant to the Dugout Drop-In Centre Society was awarded to provide provisions to the centre for the coming year. CCF was one of the founding organizations involved with the Dugout and has continued to provide financial support and assistance to the Dugout for more than 40 years. The Dugout is a an inner city soup kitchen benefiting over 200 people per day 365 days a year. At the Dugout individuals can also seek advocacy, referrals and basic one on one counselling. Talitha Koum Society – Starr Peardon began her long journey to recovery from heroin addiction while she was serving time in prison. During this time of healing and growth, she dreamed of opening a home for women in conflict with the law. As the founding and current Executive Director of the Talitha Koum Society, she has made this dream come true. This society has three residential houses which are dedicated to rehabilitating and supporting women of the downtown area who have a history of substance abuse, poverty, lack of education and incarceration. One of the houses is dedicated to supporting women who have children or are expecting a child either through pregnancy or the result of their efforts to regain custody of their children previously taken into care. Up to 25 women pass through Talitha Koum houses every year with the help of staff and community volunteers. The program is based on the philosophy that wholeness comes through the development of balance between body, mind and spirit. They address dependence and helplessness by promoting healing and self-esteem through non-judgemental acceptance and respect. They also emphasize family reconciliation with the family as a partner in the treatment process whenever possible. CCF is pleased to have provided a grant to fund the repairs and upkeep of the three houses to enable this Society to continue to support women and families in the inner city.BACK TO TOP>> Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre Association – Imagine, a lunch service with 125 women, 2 wheelchair scooters and 1 toddler trying to move around a space the size of a singles tennis court furnished with tables and chairs. Toddlers, babies, elders (speaking various languages) and teenagers all intermingle with women, some with mental health issues and some heavily involved in their addictions. Well, the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre describes this daily occurrence as “a beautiful, humbling and transformative experience, it can also be volatile and stressful”. With such strain on the Centre, crucial funds were given by CCF to renovate the existing bathroom and shower facilities (increasing the number of showers and toilets by 30%) and to add a community laundry facility for the residents of the area. The Womens Centre offers a drop-in centre 7 days per week for women escaping violence or at the risk of homelessness. The Centre’s mission is to provide basic needs and promote positive change for women and children in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. They provide practical support to over 300 women and children daily to survive the conditions of ill health and violence that surround them. They work to provide security and support to encourage women to make long-term change by identifying and removing barriers to full participation in the larger community. www.dewc.ca Wish Drop-in Centre Society – This Society’s mission is to increase the health, safety, and well-being of women involved in the survival sex trade in the downtown eastside. Approximately 450 women come to this drop in centre in a week seeking a safe and warm place where they can attend to their basic needs – including a hot meal, shower, clothing and referrals for healthcare, shelter and detox support. CCF funds are being put to good use to furnish the new WISH Wellness Centre, which will be open 24 hours a day to ensure women will always be able to find help and support in the community when they need it. This wellness centre will include a Women’s Health Clinic run in partnership with the BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Cancer Agency and BC Women’s Hospital. A study of the health needs of the WISH Drop-in Centre called the MAKA Project determined that 26% of women reported being HIV positive, 67% reported HCV positive, 65% live in single room accommodations, shelters and on the street. 65% of the women interviewed entered the sex trade before they were 18. WISH is making a difference in addressing the safety and health conditions of these women. www.wish-vancouver.net Grants to support Children and Youth Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society Urban Promise – Urban Promise provides afterschool programs and summer day camps for elementary aged school children who would otherwise be vulnerable during these times. It provides a safe place for these children to do homework, receive food and make friends in a fun and caring environment. CCF’s grant has made it possible for Urban Promise to purchase a laptop computer and camcorder which will be used by facility staff to document their programs. It will further enable the instalment of a recreational kitchen which will be used by the children when at the centre. The Executive Director of Urban Promise describes his experience: “After years of working with children and youth, I continue to be energized and encouraged by the potential that I see in them. I see their potential to make a difference and to be a positive influence to those around them . . . we have the opportunity to see children from as young as age six to staff in their late twenties blossom and begin to shine as they identify and realize their potential. We see it everyday”. www.urbanpromise.ca |
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learning, academics, counselling, and community involvement. Central City provided a grant to this Foundation so they could purchase new equipment such as kayaks, outdoor apparel and essential camping gear. Proper outdoor gear is key to keeping the youth safe and allowing them to focus on overcoming personal challenges and developing positive behaviours. Take a Hike enrols 40 students per year and the graduation rate for these students is 87% compared to the provincial high-school graduation rate of 77%. Since joining the program, students in all grades have demonstrated measurable improvement in their self-esteem, communication, as well as their connection to school and ability to manage stress. Students have also provided over 1,820 hours of volunteer service to the community as part of this program. One student notes “At Take a Hike, my confidence grew; I had goals and I achieved them. My grades improved a lot ‘cause I learned that if you push yourself, you can get the grades you want”. 
website you will see many paintings that are beaming with energy and emotion, the outcome of the Society’s arts group which is obviously providing a great expressive avenue for its members to explore and share their creativity. As well as this arts group, this non-profit organization runs a community education program, a yoga group, sacred circle and recreational groups. The Society, a place run by and for people who have been through the mental health system, also provides members with access to a computer, internet and a library. Your gifts through Central City Foundation enabled the Vancouver/Richmond Mental Health Network to purchase a laptop computer and a laser printer to assist with the administration needs of this growing society so that they can continue to meet the demand for their services. If you can imagine decorating wall space of your home with one of the paintings on their website they are for sale with proceeds going to the society. 
barriers to employment. Their goal is to have 40 participants per year complete the 8 week program that transforms participants into confident cooks. The grant from CCF has been used to purchase the essential kitchen equipment to provide a genuine workplace training experience for residents. By partnering with the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association, H.A.V.E. is changing individual’s lives by providing certified training and connecting graduates with stable employment. In turn, the non-profit restaurant and catering business is also improving the overall economic development of the downtown eastside community. With a very high placement rate into full time employment resulting from this program, graduates have been hired by restaurants such as White Spot and TGI Fridays. Come down to 374 Powell St and treat yourself to lunch at their café where the proceeds of your purchase will be reinvested into the program. For more details and links to some great articles about this program see 
purchase this essential pottery equipment as well as other items such as a kiln for JustWork’s social enterprise called JustPotters. With this equipment, JustPotters is providing instruction, support and employment opportunities for individuals in the inner city who face barriers to employment such as homelessness, mental illness, addiction and physical disabilities. JustPotters also shares this equipment with TPH Studio, a drop-in program for individuals in the Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhood who do not have access to creative space due to economic and social barriers. This drop-in program focuses is on community building through artistic expression. Justwork is a great example of the benefits of social enterprise at both the individual and community levels. Recently one of their hand-built mugs was purchased at a sale at the Britannia Community Centre in their Commercial Drive neighbourhood. The purchaser went directly to a coffee shop nearby and pulled out the mug. The coffee shop owner was so excited upon seeing the mug that he contacted JustPotters and has ordered some for use in his shop. Check out the beautiful pottery – some have hand stamped wishes of peace, love and joy - produced by these artists and keep them in mind if you want to give a lovely yet practical gift with purpose! 
past 30 years, they have been providing essential services to more than 300 women and children every day of the week. With your help, CCF has provided a grant that will assist the centre in the creation of a Women’s Health and Wellness Room – which will provide a place of refuge and resources including a space for clinical consultations with visiting medical professionals, life skills, health and education and lifelong learning. Two new offices have also been created for the Power of Women to Women program and Women Engaged in the Arts – Vision and Empowerment group (WEAVE). Power of Women to Women is a social justice project aimed to empower women in the Downtown Eastside to create social change both as individuals and their communities. The group discusses current issues such as homelessness, violence, poverty, media, government structures and the economy and initiate action and activities to affect change. WEAVE is an arts based social development project which coordinates over 200 art workshops and produces an annual exhibition. The process of self-reflection through art has intrinsic values and the public recognition of women’s voices and visions through the exhibitions has an impact on self-esteem, collective consciousness and public awareness. Office space is also shared with several partner organizations that provide a variety of important programs such as grief and loss support groups, anti-violence programs, and life skills workshops. 
This Society works with offenders and their families so that the offender has the means to make the transition from criminal behaviour to positive social contribution, ending the criminal cycle that would otherwise persist from generation to generation. This work involves one to one discussions around the offender’s life, and more precisely the lives of the people they have negatively affected. With much to overcome, including intergenerational affects of the residential school system, this Society boosts these individuals, their families and their communities. The program ensures cultural relevance for participants by integrating Traditional Aboriginal Culture, including the use of the sweat lodge or long house, smudging, as well as sharing and healing circles alongside other healing elements such as alcohol and drug rehabilitation and peer counseling. The outcomes are exponential, including family reunification, community safety, empowerment of individuals, and strengthened Métis culture and community. 
determined a social enterprise in the form of a pharmacy for women would meet their need to generate income while meeting a need in the community. Their extensive research indicated that women in the Downtown Eastside are not accessing health care at levels to match the demographics of the area as women don’t feel safe in many of the pharmacies, the majority of which are focused on dispensing methadone. CCF is responding to this need by funding for the development of ‘Lu’s: A Pharmacy for Women’ which will be located in the retail space of CCF’s Cosmopolitan Hotel at 29 West Hastings Street. The Pharmacy will be more like a wellness centre as it will also house the current services of VWHC, providing a unique combination of a pharmacy, primary care from health practitioners, and health information services. We are excited about this 
innovative and well-planned venture which will further the Women’s Health Collective’s mission to “value women’s knowledge, support one another to take charge of our own health, and raise awareness and inspire actions for the feminist advancement of women’s health”. The UBC Architecture School is also collaborating to design a warm, inviting and well-designed space which will be built using sustainable and recycled materials. Women who live, work and study in the area are welcome and encouraged to utilize the services at Lu’s, and by doing so, support a social enterprise that is improving the well-being of women in the Downtown Eastside.