Each year prior to Christmas the Observer provides non-profit, charitable organizations an opportunity to tell the community what they do, who they serve and what they need in terms of contributions or volunteers, so people in the community have the opportunity to support them.
Here is a list of the organizations who provided information about the help they could use this year:
222 Shuswap Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron
The 222 Shuswap Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron aims to provide leadership, citizenship, physical fitness and stimulate an interest in flight training and aviation to youth aged 12 to 18.
Cadets participate in a variety of fun and challenging activities such as model airplane building, marching band, outdoor survival, biathlon and marksmanship. Air Cadets aids in developing knowledge of Canadian history and democracy, as well as advancements and technologies of the Canadian aerospace program. The cadet program focuses on social development, decision-making and leadership. As cadets acquire skills and knowledge, they pass it along to younger cadets. Every cadet will have the chance to participate in flight activities, and some top senior cadets may even earn a scholarship to obtain their private pilot’s licence. Whether earning a glider pilot licence or private pilot licence, these cadets wear their wings with a pride rarely found in today’s youth. Contact: RCAC 222 Shuswap Squadron, PO Box 176, Salmon Arm, V1E 4N3. Phone: 250-833-0222.
EQuisdom Therapeutic Horsemanship Association
EQuisdom Therapeutic Horsemanship Association is a non-profit organization. Participants partner with enthusiastic horses and experience partnership, encouragement and learning, with acceptance for just being themselves. Mounted and unmounted programs are offered in group or private sessions, customized to the needs of each individual involved. Exercises are incorporated to: raise self-awareness, identify healthy boundaries, enhance relationships, build confidence, and improve cognitive and physical function.
Imagine your happy place, where you go to relax and relieve stress! Our participants have constant struggles and challenges in their lives. Their special place is feeling the horse’s heartbeat or breath on their hand; being surrounded by comforting sounds and smells; building relationships with this majestic creature by spending quiet time grooming, playing games and feeling the rhythm of the horse under them. Seeing the world from a new perspective, enjoying this new freedom, breathing the fresh air and opening doors for mind and body they never dreamed possible…. We need passionate volunteers to support us in providing these fabulous programs and funds to expand programs to reach more community members.
Please contact: Karen Tanchak, 250-832-1596, email: oms@tanchak.com or Teresa Titterington, phone 778-489-5285 or email: cbtitterington@shaw.ca
FACES Children’s Programming
FACES is a program offered through the Arts Council for the South Shuswap, a non-profit registered charity in the Shuswap. Children ages three to 19 can take all forms of dance, private music lessons and visual art lessons from September to May each year. The Arts Council works hard to bring in granting monies from all levels of government to help offset tuition costs for kids taking in the arts. It is the council’s mandate not to have any child deprived of dance, music or art lessons due to monetary restrictions.
Giving a donation to the FACES program at the Arts Council will ensure that boys and girls of the Shuswap will be able to receive the experience of lessons, perhaps sparking a new life-long interest! Donations can be made by either calling administrator Karen Brown at 250-515-3276 or by adding to the charity’s endowment fund through the Shuswap Community Foundation. Many thanks.
Friends At Christmas
Friends At Christmas is 17 churches in Salmon Arm that come together to provide a free Christmas Day Dinner to our community. We provide dinner for 200 people, fellowship, Christmas carolling, and a great meal for anyone wishing to attend. It is free and everyone is welcome.
It takes many people to put this wonderful community event together and we are calling for volunteers to help make this year’s dinner a beautiful Christmas Day for all who attend.
Volunteers are welcome and encouraged to join us for a complete turkey dinner; just let us know you wish to stay for dinner.
Contact our Volunteer Co-ordinator, Shelley, at 250-515-1952 (after 6 p.m.) to find a job you would be comfortable volunteering for, such as drivers, servers, hostesses, dishwashers, cooks or a greeter.
Grandmothers to Grandmothers
The Grandmothers-to-Grandmothers is a non-profit group of women in Salmon Arm who fundraise to assist marginalized grandmothers in Africa to raise their orphaned grandchildren and others whose parents have died from disease. Proceeds go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers’ campaign. This campaign employs designated fieldworkers in Africa to seek out the women most in need of shelter, food, schooling for the children and caregivers.
Assistance is provided for the women to engage in projects such as gardening, animal husbandry, sewing or craft-work which leads to self-sufficiency. Fieldworkers remain with women for a period of time to ensure proper usage of funds, and continue monitoring thereafter.
Our fundraising relies on the donation of quality handmade items from generous people in the community and are most gratefully accepted.
Sales are held first Fridays of the month, a springtime silent auction and a week-long Christmas sale Nov. 26 to Dec. 1, all held at Piccadilly Mall.
Monetary donations and memorials are eligible for tax receipts from the Stephen Lewis Foundation, where administration is kept to 10 per cent or lower.
For further information, please call Claudette @ 250-832-8111, or Marlene at 250-832-8718.
Visit www.grandmotherscampaign.org or www.stephenlewisfoundation.org for more in-depth information.
Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society
Forty-five per cent of adults in B.C. have some difficulty with daily living tasks due to limited literacy skills. Strong literacy skills improve an individual’s health, job opportunities and financial stability as well as increasing community participation, communication and inclusion.
The Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society (LASS) supports community literacy through awareness, collaborative partnerships and educational programming for all literacy levels and ages, from preschoolers to seniors. This award-winning charitable organization promotes literacy in the North Okanagan-Shuswap by customizing programming to the needs of these communities.
This year LASS is looking for community donations to help support many of the wonderful children’s and family literacy programs in our community, including: Books for Babies, One to One Children’s Literacy Program, and Family Literacy Week celebrations such as Unplug and Play.
For more information on how to support LASS, through a donation or by volunteering, please contact Darcy Calkins, Literacy outreach co-ordinator, at 250-463-4555 or admin@shuswapliteracy.ca. Thank you for supporting literacy in our community! Go to: www.shuswapliteracy.ca
NeighbourLink Shuswap
NeighbourLink Shuswap is a registered non-profit community outreach program networking community information and resources, emotional support, free legal referral opportunities, a community re-purpose furniture program to assist seniors, young families, single parent families and newcomers to Salmon Arm needing furnishings and home goods for their homes. The Second Harvest Food program also falls under the NeighbourLink umbrella.
We are expanding our programs to include home and hospital visits, and drivers for seniors to appointments within Salmon Arm. We also offer food delivery, home services, yard work and general support to those in our community requiring assistance with their daily living projects.
Currently we are seeking volunteers to assist with the furniture re-purposing program. If you have a truck or vehicle that can carry furniture and home items, are able bodied and want to help your community, please contact NeighbourLink Shuswap at 250-832-3272 for further information and answers to any questions you may have.
Salvation Army
With another Christmas upon us we are mobilizing. Our shelter is open and already near capacity, our meal program is in full swing, our foodbank is gearing up for Christmas Hampers, and our elves are busy setting up our Christmas Store.
We are not able to do this on our own; we need your help to put a smile on a face, a face that would otherwise not have a Christmas. We are looking for kettle volunteers, to help fill the remaining 900-plus spots. We could use toys for the Christmas store especially those for children over 10 through to teenage years. Hockey tickets, and theatre tickets would be fantastic gifts. We are also in need of proteins at the foodbank, and toiletries for our shelter guests.
Thank you in advance for your help, as we together do the right thing, and help our neighbours.
Last year the Salvation Army right here in Salmon Arm helped nearly 50,000 people.
Your gifts stay right here in the Shuswap area to help those who need it most.
Please call for more info: David Byers at 250-832-9194 or Kettles, 250-803-8768.
Seniors’ Resource Centre
The Seniors’ Resource Centre is a community-based, non-profit registered charity which provides assistance to seniors needing our services and programs. Our dedicated group of volunteers contribute their time to deliver 14 different programs and services to seniors.
Our programs provide assistance with shopping, meal service (frozen ‘Better Meals’), support programs such as Senior Advisor, Friendly Check-In (phone calls to lonely, shut-in seniors) and Caregivers Support Group. We provide a Foot Care program, Medical Drive Program, an adult day program (Day Away), a Tuesday lunch program (Lunch with Friends) and a free Income Tax Preparation program for low-income people of all ages (just under 1,200 were done last year).
In addition to our programs and services, we provide interesting and rewarding opportunities for volunteers. Monetary donations from individuals and community groups help us keep each of the programs affordable to the seniors who need and rely on them. Donations can be mailed to or dropped off at our office (address below).
For more comprehensive information on our centre and programs, visit our website at www.seniorsresourcecentre.org. You can also call 250-832-7000 or drop by the office at 320A 2nd Ave. NE, Salmon Arm, BC, V1E 1H1.
Shuswap Area Family Emergency Society (SAFE)
The Shuswap Area Family Emergency Society (SAFE) offers free services to families who have been affected by violence and/or other life-altering events that often involve the police.
We have services that provide emotional support to children, youth, woman, seniors and men. These services include: the Transition House Program (24 hours for women with or without children fleeing abuse); the PEACE Program; the Police Based Victim Services Program; the Stopping the Violence Counselling Program; the Community Counselling Program; the Outreach Program and the Community Based Victim Services Program.
How can you help? You can donate by mail, in person or online at www.canadahelps.org. We will send a tax receipt. Please make cheques payable to: SAFE Society, PO Box 1463, Salmon Arm, BC, V1E 4P6.
We gratefully accept donations of: diapers, canned and dry food items, cleaners, all paper products, feminine hygiene products, kids snacks – anything you would have in your own home helps us.
Shuswap Branch of the BC SPCA
The Shuswap Branch of the BC SPCA cares for hundreds of surrendered, stray and abandoned animals that arrive at the facility in Salmon Arm. For those looking for a companion animal, the branch has adoption services for cats, dogs and, occasionally, other small animals. Over a number of years the branch has been spaying/neutering all adoptable animals as well as providing services to branch animals such as medical care, behavioural modification and microchips for permanent identification with the BC Pet Registry.
The branch advocates for good welfare for all animals in the Shuswap which extends to farm and wild animals. This year, the branch had a wonderful opportunity to provide free spay/neuter surgeries to community-owned cats within the City of Salmon Arm through a PetSmart Charities grant.
In addition to monetary contributions, the branch appreciates donations of daily-use items such as garbage bags, Dawn dish soap, paper towels, unscented laundry soap, copy paper, towels and sheets. Donations to the branch can be mailed or dropped off at 5850 Auto Rd. SE, Salmon Arm, BC, V1E 2X2. Inquiries can be made to 250-832-7376.
Shuswap Children’s Association
Dear Santa: We are Shuswap Children’s Association, helping lots of families with special kids who sometimes need extra help. We’re busy starting The Nest, a new program for autism, and moving The Loft program out of the Downtown Activity Centre so we’ve had some extra expenses for construction of the new offices. We need some things to make the programs comfortable and fun for the kids:
• Lego, Sensory Therapy Swing, new board games, laminator, desk chairs, therapy ball, floor mats, visual timers, Bluetooth speaker, wireless headphones, apartment-sized deep freezer, Smart TV and area rugs.
For some of our families who are having a tough time, it would be nice if we could pass along:
• Gas cards, grocery cards, waterproof mittens.
And of course, cash is always a perfect fit because many of the things we need are very specialized and we can find just the right equipment supplier.
Santa, we really look forward to you coming down our chimney at 240 Shuswap St. NE. If you want to know more about our wish list, please phone us at 250-833-0164.
Lots of love, www.shuswapchildrens.ca.
Shuswap Community Foundation
What is a community foundation? A community foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that contributes leadership, and financial support to initiatives that benefit your community. Community foundations have a deep knowledge of local needs and opportunities. They act as champions for issues that matter, and direct grants to everything from shelter, education, and care for those in need, to the arts, environment, and recreation.
What does Shuswap Community Foundation do? We solicit donations from the community, build those funds into an endowment fund and then grant the income from that fund to community groups that support arts and culture, the environment, health and wellness, social causes, education and many other projects.
Our goal: To inspire community giving by providing an opportunity for anyone to leave a lasting legacy through building a permanent endowment fund.
Our mission: Inspire community giving by providing an opportunity for anyone to leave a lasting legacy through building a permanent endowment fund; •Foster donor confidence and community trust through responsible management and investment; •Honour the memory of families, community members and loved ones. •Support community causes and charitable organizations; and •Provide responsible granting that will enrich life in the Shuswap.
Shuswap Family Centre
The Shuswap Family Centre is a non-profit organization that has been providing needed services to the communities of Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Sorrento and Enderby for 30 years.
The Shuswap Family Centre supports families and individuals of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. We provide programs such as Adoption Resource and Support, Child and Youth Mental Health Outreach, Community Kitchen, Community Support Counselling, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Intense Family Preservation, Young Parent Support, Sexual Abuse Intervention Program, Pregnancy Outreach Program, Parents Together, Nobody’s Perfect Parenting, Community Teaching Garden, Family Development Program and Connect Parent Program.
We are always in need of donations as many of our programs are only partially funded which places a heavy burden on our organization to cover the additional costs to providing quality service. Items in need include: diapers all sizes, baby wipes, baby formula, maternity clothes, scotch tape, gift wrap, batteries, gas and food cards, movie, swimming, skating and bowling passes and, of course, monetary donations are always needed.
Donations can be mailed to or dropped off at, 681 Marine Park Dr. NE, Salmon Arm, V1E 2W7. Phone 250-832-2170. Fax 250-833-0137. Thank you for supporting our community.
Shuswap Food Action Society
Shuswap Food Action Society is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that empowers people through advocacy, education and action to promote food security.
We would like to see a Shuswap that has healthy, affordable food available to all in a successful local economy. Initiatives include food skills programming (cooking workshops, canning workshops, our intergenerational cooking program, Kindiebuddies), education events (Food Conversations, movie nights, education booths at local events) and promoting activities that build community around food or support transition to a more local, sustainable food system.
Donations can be made online via paypal at our website: www.shuswapfood.ca
Shuswap Theatre
Shuswap Theatre has been entertaining audiences in the area for over 40 years. Our vision is: “To enrich the lives of community members through diverse and inspiring live entertainment and opportunities for creative dramatic experience.”
As a non-profit organization, we rely on volunteers to do all the necessary jobs that go into producing three or four productions a year as well as our summer festival. We are very fortunate to have our own building, but, as it ages, it requires more and more upkeep. At the moment, we are planning to replace the stage flooring and will need a new roof in the foreseeable future. Other projects will allow us to upgrade our technical and artistic capabilities to create even more magic.
Donations of any size are gratefully accepted. They can be made directly to Shuswap Theatre, Box 2432, Salmon Arm, V1E 4R4 or through CanadaHelps.org from our website (shuswaptheatre.com/donate).
All donors receive a charitable tax receipt.
Donations can also be made to the Shuswap Theatre Community Endowment Fund with Shuswap Community Foundation (shuswapfoundation.ca).
Special Olympics BC – Salmon Arm
Special Olympics BC – Salmon Arm is a volunteer-driven organization that offers sports programs and health initiatives to individuals with intellectual disabilities. These individuals cannot enjoy many advantages that we take for granted because this sector of our society is often not welcomed into other circles. But people with intellectual disabilities can, and will, succeed when given the opportunity. SOBC merely levels the playing field by giving them a chance to shine.
Special Olympics is powerful and effective. It engages athletes of varying ages and skill levels. It changes the way its athletes are perceived and treated. It helps them enrich their lives by giving them the opportunity to cultivate friendships, celebrate personal achievement and become self-confident through positive sport experiences.
SOBC – Salmon Arm programs include basketball, bocce, snowshoeing, bowling, and Club Fit. All gifts support local programs. Financial support covers facilities rental costs, sports equipment and uniforms, transportation and registration costs to competitions, and coaches’ training costs. Volunteer support provides the mechanism through which we provide these programs.
Thank you for your support, for being a fan of courage, dignity and inspiration.
Contact salmonarm.sobc@gmail.com or Ernie at 250-833-0157.
Related: 2014 - Guide to Giving
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