Wood Buffalo Community Foundation encourages region to join the Founders' Circle

(Fort McMurray, AB – March 5, 2018) There’s still time to become a Founder of the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation (WBCF). Donations made to the WBCF by June 2018 will give donors the opportunity to count themselves in the Foundation’s Founders’ Circle.

“Everyone who makes a donation in our first year of operation will be recognized as a Founder of the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation,” said WBCF chair Shelley Powell. “No donation will be considered too small to join the Founders’ Circle.”

“Your donation will also ensure the WBCF benefits from the Suncor Energy Foundation’s commitment to match $500,000 per year for the next four years,” said Powell.

The WBCF is a registered Canadian charity. Our mission is to enhance quality of life in our region by supporting community members and organizations in building long term, mutually beneficial relationships between donors and grantees. We provide grants to improve and enhance the stability and sustainability of the community.

For more information, go to wbcfoundation.ca.

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Contact:
media.wbcf@gmail.com

Wood Buffalo Community Foundation Elects New Chair

(Fort McMurray, AB – January 23, 2018) The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation  (WBCF) is pleased to announce Shelley Powell as incoming chair for 2018.

“Shelley brings new energy and leadership experience to take our Board into the next stage of development,” said WBCF’s outgoing chair Maureen Cormier Jackson. “Most of the foundational pieces are in place, but we still have a lot of work to do. I know the WBCF will be in excellent hands.”

Powell recently returned to Fort McMurray as Suncor Energy’s Senior Vice President, Oil Sands Operations, after a seven-year absence. “My family and I are excited to be back,” said Powell. “This is such a hardworking and generous community and I am confident the Community Foundation will only add to the long term success of the entire region.”

Cormier Jackson will remain as past and founding chair of the WBCF.  

“On behalf of the Board and the community, I’d like to thank Maureen for all the work she has done to establish a community foundation for Wood Buffalo,” said Powell. “Because of her dedication and persistence, we are already well ahead of many older community foundations in Canada.”

The Board would also like to thank founding member and director Linda Ball, who is stepping down after more than a year of volunteer service to the WBCF.

The WBCF is a registered Canadian charity. Our mission is to enhance quality of life in our region by supporting community members and organizations in building long term, mutually beneficial relationships between donors and grantees. We provide grants to improve and enhance the stability and sustainability of the community.

For more information go to www.wbcfoundation.ca/board-of-directors.

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Contact:
media.wbcf@gmail.com

Fort McMurray Matters

Wood Buffalo Community Foundation from Fort McMurray Matters on Mix 103.7 in Podcasts

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Suncor Energy Foundation donates $1 million in addition to commitment to match $500,000 in donations annually for four years

The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation (WBCF) would like to thank Suncor Energy Foundation for its incredible donation of $1 million dollars in addition to its commitment to matching $500,000 in donations annually for four years. 

“We’re thrilled the Suncor Energy Foundation is one of our first founding partners. This generous gift puts us well on the path to achieving our $10 million fundraising target,” said Maureen Cormier Jackson, WBCF Chair. “Everyone in this region will benefit from this donation for generations to come. Unlike other charities in the region, we invest the donations we receive and provide grants to eligible community organizations using the interest earned from those investments. We call it ‘investing today for a stronger tomorrow’.”

Find more information about the donation at Suncor.com.

Without the support of Suncor and Suncor Energy Foundation, the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation would not have been able to launch in June. 

Thanks to this donation and commitment to matching funds, the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation is well on its way to reaching its $10 million fundraising goal. 

You can help us reach that goal by making a donation that will have double the impact thanks to Suncor's matching dollars. 

If you donate in the first operating year of the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation, you will become a member of the Founders' Circle. Learn more about why to donate here.

Canada Day - The Multicultural Way

On July 1st, over 3800 community members joined the Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo (MCA) to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary. The morning kicked off with over 1500 people enjoying a pancake breakfast served by the Fort McMurray Giants baseball team. The event started with Oh Canada sung by local community members in Cree, French, and English. Families enjoyed cultural music, Canada themed face painting and arts and crafts. We had incredible support from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the MLA's office, the Fort McMurray and 91.1 The Bridge.

Following the breakfast, the community gathered along Franklin Ave to watch the Canada Day parade. The MCA showed of its Canada Day spirit with a Multicultural float. Countries from around the world were represented displaying diversity of Canada and Fort McMurray.

After the parade, in collaboration with Fort McMurray Heritage Society and 91.1 The Bridge, the Canada 150 Multicultural Summer Festival was held at Heritage Village. There were 2250 attendees who enjoyed food and entertainment throughout the day. Cultural vendors representing 6 different countries sold ethnic foods and community members marched in a parade of nations with their country flag. Additionally, local talent was highlighted with 12 different performers from various cultures.

It was a fun filled day with food, culture, dance, and activities for the whole family to enjoy. A great way to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary. This initiative is made possible by The Community Fund for Canada’s 150th anniversary, a collaboration between The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation, the Government of Canada, and extraordinary leaders from coast to coast, Alberta Culture and Tourism, Suncor, and CNOOC Nexen. We would also like to thank our dedicated volunteers who contributed a cumulative 432 hours over the course of the day.

See original article here

Wood Buffalo Community Foundation awards inaugural grants

(Fort McMurray, AB – June 14, 2017) The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation has awarded its inaugural grants to four local community organizations as part of the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, a collaboration between the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation and Community Foundations of Canada, along with support from the Government of Canada.

In total, more than $49,000 has been granted in the Wood Buffalo region to support community organizations leading celebrations of the anniversary of Confederation and of Canadian history.

“We are thrilled to be able to present these inaugural grants for the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation to deserving community organizations working hard to support residents in our community,” said Maureen Cormier Jackson, Board Chair. “These grants are the first of many to come once fundraising begins in earnest.”

The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation will enhance the quality of life in the region by supporting community members and organizations in building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships between donors and grantees. The foundation provides grants to improve the stability and sustainability of the community.

There are 191 community foundations across Canada investing in building strong and resilient places to live, work and play.

The Grants

The Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo was awarded $15,000 to support the Canada 150 Multicultural Summer Festival at Heritage Village, which includes a parade, multicultural food vendors, cultural performances and the Canada 150 Community Play Project.

The Fort McMurray Heritage Society received two grants. The first, for $9,273 supports expanding Heritage Society Aboriginal Programming. The second, for $4,206, will support the Heritage Village Grand Re-Opening Event, which will coincide with the July 1 celebration of Canada 150.

The Wood Buffalo Regional Library was granted $9,000 to support ‘WBRL Celebrates Canada 150’, a community event consisting of games, crafts and literacy activities with a Canada 150 theme.

The Rehoboth Alliance received a $12,000 grant to support the development and hosting of a Youth Symposium.

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Contact:
Sarah Anderson
780-838-1601
media.wbcf@gmail.com

Wood Buffalo Community Foundation launching June 8

(Fort McMurray, AB – June 5, 2017) The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation will launch on Thursday, June 8, 2017 with a free community event at Shell Place. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about the initiative and the role community foundations can play in the region.

Date: Thursday, June 8, 2017
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
Location: Shell Place, 1 C.A. Knight Way, Fort McMurray
Register: Eventbrite.ca

There are 191 community foundations across Canada which have a total of $5.1 billion in assets. In 2015, community foundations granted $243 million to registered charities across the country.

“Wood Buffalo is joining this movement at an important time for this community,” said Maureen Cormier Jackson, Interim Chair of the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation. “It is a huge opportunity to leverage the many benefits of community foundations now when the region is in recovery and working towards long-term stability and sustainability.”

The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation is an exciting new part of the global movement of community foundations, which support many types of community projects and organizations in flexible ways by granting income earned on endowed funds. This funding will help to enhance overall quality of life by supporting community members working to improve the strength and resiliency of the region.

Wood Buffalo has strong social, health, educational, environmental and sport sectors, which require significant long-term funding support.

The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation is working to raise $10,000,000 in donations from current and past residents, business owners and companies who have made Wood Buffalo their home. Grant making has already begun and the inaugural grant recipients will be announced at the launch event. When the fundraising goal is met, the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation will be able to provide annual grant funding of $400,000 to community organizations. This fund will continue to grow over time.

Please join us to learn about this important initiative. The event is open to all who want to learn about the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation and the support it will bring to the region.

Contact:
Sarah Anderson
780.838.1601
media.wbcf@gmail.com

June 5, 2017 Inaugural Grants in Partnership with Community Foundations of Canada

On Thursday June 8, WBCF in partnership with Community Foundations of Canada will announce the recipients of the Canada’s 150 Fund grants to our community. Four projects will receive a total of $37,000 which is very exciting for our inaugural grant announcement upon joining this great movement of community foundations. Come back on June 9, 2017 to learn who the hard-working not-for- profit organizations are who are the beneficiaries of the Canada 150th Fund to celebrate the inclusion and diversity of our region. We are very excited to be part of the community foundations movement and demonstrate how powerful this is going to be our Wood Buffalo.

WBCF Launch Event

LAUNCH EVENT: JUNE 8  |  6:00-8:00 PM  |  SHELL PLACE

The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation (WBCF) is an exciting new part of the global movement of Community Foundations. Community Foundations support many types of community projects and organizations in flexible ways by granting income earned on endowed funds. Wood Buffalo has strong social, health, educational, environmental and sport sectors which require significant long term funding support, particularly with the economy tightening in the oil and gas sector in Alberta which has previously been a major source of funding.

Our goal for the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation Fund is to raise $10,000,000 through donations from current and past residents, business owners and companies who have made Fort McMurray home.

We also want to raise donations from people and businesses who have benefited from and support the need for a community foundation in our region. 

Our plan is to grant 4% of our investment which means that once we reach this goal $400,000 would be available annually for community grants. This would continue to grow over time which is extremely exciting for the registered charities in the region.

Wood Buffalo Community Foundation is hosting a Launch Event on Thursday June 8th from 6:00 – 8:00pm at Shell Place, MacDonald Island. Please join us to hear about this important initiative.

For more information, please contact Linda Ball, Interim Board of Directors, at linda.ball.pr@gmail.com

This is an open event. Please register at Eventbrite.ca