Enderby, B.C. – Enderby & District Financial, a division of First West Credit Union, is donating $27,925 to 27 local charities through a Comments of Kindness campaign, made possible by the First West Foundation. This giving campaign is part of the credit union’s Simple Generosity program and funds will support our community in the North Okanagan area.
Throughout June and July of this year, the Comments of Kindness program collected “thank-you’s” from social media users via the Enderby & District Financial Facebook and Instagram accounts. Each comment that mentioned a CRA registered charity operating in our trade area resulted in a $25 donation to the identified charity. The program was launched to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the First West Foundation. In total, Enderby & District Financial’s social media followers awarded $27,925 directly to registered local charities.
Of all charities supported, the top 10 were considered for a $25,000 donation. The Simple Generosity committee—comprised of a cross-section of employees and board members— used a defined set of criteria to select The Enderby and District Community Resource Centre Society as the $25,000 recipient.
Curt Reimer, Manager of Enderby & District Financial presented the grand donation saying, “These funds are being given to further the vital work that The Enderby and District Community Resource Centre Society does to help people thrive. Our local community has shown us how deserving your organization is and we’re pleased to contribute and extend their appreciation through the First West Foundation.”
When hearing of the $25,000 donation, Executive Director of The Enderby and District Community Resource Centre Society, Lorna Fothergill, commented on the significance of this gift, “Wow, that’s amazing! This donation opens doors and with so much potential. We currently have a one-year pilot program helping seniors learn to use technology and there are so many who want to take part that we’d like to expand it already. As well, we have a social connection program for seniors that’s just been waiting for timing and funding to launch. This donation will help us deliver both programs and more!”
The Comments Of Kindness program ran across regions in BC served by First West Credit Union, receiving 10,985 “thank-you” comments and resulting in total donations of $319,675 to 624 different CRA registered charities.