Over $59,000 Awarded to Local Projects That Support Children, Youth, and Families at Risk

We’re excited to announce the recipients of this year’s Smart and Caring Community Grants!

This year, we hosted our annual cheque ceremony in the courtyard of the Gur Sikh Temple, a national historic site and the oldest existing gurdwara in Canada. We are so grateful to the Khalsa Diwan Society for sharing this space with ACF for this year’s event.

We awarded a total of $59,465 in support of 9 local charities supporting local children, youth, and families at risk. Through the generosity of our incredible donors, the following programs, projects, and initiatives have received a Smart & Caring Community Grant this year:

• Abbotsford Hospice & Grief Society – Children and Youth Grief Support Program
  Supporting grieving children and families in our local schools, while providing training and education for teachers and staff, with a focus on our indigenous community.
• Abbotsford Association for Healthy Aging – Seniors Social Cafe
  Facilitating and fostering friendships amongst older adults to help reduce social isolation and loneliness. Seniors Social Cafes are tailored to seniors to build on community connections and supports.
• Abbotsford Youth Commission – FOCUS: A Mental Health and Resilience Group
  FOCUS is a mental health group for youth with workshops that build skills around resilience, emotions, coping strategies, anxiety, stress, and self care.
• Creative Centre Society for Mental Wellness – Young Adults with Severe & Persistent Mental Illness Support Program
  This program is to support young adults with severe mental illness; foster recovery, community integration & societal contribution through volunteering opportunities. Program expansion will offer additional spaces for vulnerable youth & a teaching kitchen.
• Care for Women – Community Expansion
  To expand existing services for an additional 20 pregnant vulnerable and at-risk mothers and their babies with practical and emotional help with a 1:1 mentor in their home, meals, cleaning, transportation to medical appointments, and community resources over 8 months.
• Gathering Markit – School Lunch Kits
  These lunch kits come with a choice of drink, yogurt, granola bar, choice of fruit, fresh veggies, cheese and crackers. Parents can choose what their kids will eat for only $1 a kit. No more relying on school handout programs!
• InAsMuch Community Society – Helping Newcomers Thrive in Canada Through Mental Health and Parenting Supports
  Adapting to Canadian life can be challenging for newcomers, especially for refugees. This project will provide parenting helps, and tools to encourage good mental health so newcomers can thrive here.
• Salvation Army – Back to School Backpack Event
  One of their most highly requested services for families, they provide students in middle and high schools with packs and supplies along with a gig card for each family to ease their budgeting challenges.
• Volunteer Cancer Drivers – Abbotsford Cancer Patient Complimentary Transportation Program
  This project provides complimentary, safe, compassionate and on-time transportation for Abbotsford Cancer parents to and from their essential care at designated Lower Mainland cancer centres.

We welcomed recipients to receive their funds and take a moment to share their impressive work with those in attendance. At the event, Kam Grewal, our Community Grants Committee Chair and member of our Board of Directors commented, “These projects help build and continue to improve Abbotsford residents’ quality of life and provide a variety of ways to engage with the community to promote physical, mental and social well-being.”

Pictured to the left: Kam Grewal, Community Grants Committee Chair and Kiran Mann, Community Grants Committee member, with this year’s Smart and Caring Community grant recipients.

Areni Kelleppan, our Executive Director, noted that, “It’s a testament to the generosity of our donors that ACF, since the start of its community grants programs, has been able to provide over $1.8 million in funding to organizations serving at the frontlines of some of our most complex social challenges.”

Funds are raised for our Smart & Caring Community grants program in a variety of ways, including the annual Smart & Caring Golf Classic, with the 9th annual event being held on September 12, 2024. To register for the tournament or help support the Smart & Caring Fund in other ways, please go to our Smart & Caring Golf Classic page.