In response to Abbotsford declaring a state of emergency on Nov. 17, UFV has jointly established the Abbotsford Disaster Relief Fund in coalition with the Abbotsford Community Foundation (ACF) and the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce (ACOC).
According to the ACF website, “This fund will support front-line agencies providing essential services to affected families and businesses.” It will also provide grants directly to businesses that have been affected by flooding and related damages.
As for the role each organization will play within the coalition, the ACF will accept donations, issue tax receipts, and distribute funds; the ACOC will leverage its network and stakeholders in business to raise funds; and UFV will contribute “marketing and communications expertise, volunteers to help process donations, and fundraising leadership,” according to Anita Nielsen, the UFV Executive Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations.
With regard to how businesses or agencies can apply for grants through the fund, Nielsen said: “Agencies will apply to ACF, and businesses will apply to ACOC. These applications will be made available shortly and our goal is to issue grants quickly and efficiently.”
Nielsen has been working with the ACOC and ACF for the past year on a study of the not-for-profit section. When the state of emergency was declared by Abbotsford, Nielsen reached out to the two organizations with hopes of partnering to raise funds for those impacted by the flooding. This collaboration brought together three organizations that “were already partners working closely together on community initiatives.”
“They agreed immediately and within six hours we had a logo, a donation page, a press release, and by end of day had already received several hundred donations,” said Nielsen.
As for measuring the success of the fund so far: “In their 43 year history, the ACF has not seen this number of donations — it’s a record,” Nielsen said. “The community — individuals, organizations, and businesses — have responded with great generosity and compassion during uncertainty and amidst massive disruption across the Fraser Valley.”
Funding is expected to be needed long term by Nielsen: “We know rebuilding after such a colossal disaster will take months, even years, so we anticipate granting funds in the short, medium, and long term.”
Donations to the Abbotsford Disaster Relief Fund can be made on their website, abbotsfordcf.org/grants/disaster/
Image: Mitch Huttema/UFV
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.