The work of 10 Surrey-area charities will be recognized and rewarded during the annual SurreyCares Grant Celebration next Thursday afternoon (Sept. 19).
The community foundation’s 2019 event doubles as its 25th-anniversary celebration.
The public is welcome to attend at Surrey Arts Centre’s Studio Theatre from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., “to connect with local non-profits and learn about some of the extraordinary charitable work that’s taking place in Surrey.”
There are nearly 800 non-profits in Surrey, according to Canada Revenue Agency stats cited by SurreyCares. Annually, dozens of them apply for SurreyCares grants.
“The increasing amount of non-profit endeavours makes choosing just a few very difficult for us, but we’ve once again made our final selections for the (grant celebration),” said SurreyCares executive director Karen Young.
Grant recipients this year are Volunteer Cancer Driver Society, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of British Columbia (ALS), The Centre for Child Development, Horizon Church, Lower Mainland Down Syndrome Society, Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS), Superchefs Cookery Society, Kindred Farm Sanctuary, Dan’s Legacy and VAYA Youth Arts Society.
It's just 14 days until our annual Grants Celebration. Plus, this year we are celebrating 25 years serving the community of Surrey. Please plan on joining us. Register here https://t.co/oLvevLjaZr
— SurreyCares (@SurreyCares) September 5, 2019
The event is free but space is limited.https://t.co/akMs8p0gD1 pic.twitter.com/7K9ft96vuS
CLICK HERE to see photos from the 2018 SurreyCares Grant Celebration.
SurreyCares was established in 1994 as a “charity for charties” to serve the people of Surrey, “by providing reliable, enduring financial tools to community-minded individuals, families, businesses, non-profit agencies, and fundraising groups,” according to a post at surreycares.org.
The roots of the community foundation were planted by Francisca and Edwin Darts, who created a trust for the Darts Hill Garden Park to be preserved as a botanical garden for a millennium. “Their original endowment of $200,000 now stands at $4 million,” according to a SurreyCares release. “In 2019, we are pleased to be able to distribute $253,000 to our fundholders, of which $32,000 was distributed in community grants.”
Thursday’s grant celebration begins with a cake-cutting at 3:30 p.m., followed by presentations starting at 4 p.m., at 13750 88th Ave., Bear Creek Park.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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