Dozens of local programs, projects getting a financial boost

A range of projects aimed at improving the community and wellbeing of people in the North Okanagan are getting some additional funding.

Community Foundation North Okanagan (CFNO) announced at its annual reception June 10 that a total of 68 projects will be getting backed by a combined total of over $437,000 in funding through its annual Neighbourhood Small Grants and Smart & Caring Community Grants programs.

The recipients were:

• Smart & Caring Community Grants Program ($260,000+)
  • Abbeyfield Houses of Vernon Society – Replacing aging, burst prone plumbing in a seniors’ home
  • Air Rescue One Heli Winch Society – Building a regional helicopter rescue and training base
  • Archway Society for Domestic Peace – Supporting women facing violence as they access and maintain safe and stable housing
  • Association of Nigerians & Africans in Okanagan – Cultural celebrations, wellness activities, and supports to help African newcomers build community and belonging
  • Autism Okanagan Association – Weekly social and community programs for neurodivergent youth and adults
  • Caetani Cultural Centre Society – Ongoing work to establish climate resilient gardens
  • Canadian Mental Health Association Vernon and District Branch – Emergency, no-interest loans to help low and moderate-income renters avoid eviction
  • Cherryville Community Food & Resource Society – Year-round programs, classes and family events to bring local youth and families together
  • Diversity Den Society – Hands-on work experience and training for people with diverse abilities and neurodiversities
  • Fletcher’s Keep Senior Dog Foundation – Veterinary care, food and support for older dogs and their owners
  • Junior Achievement of British Columbia – Free in-school programs to teach local youth financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship
  • Kalamalka Starfish Society – Weekend food bags for elementary students facing food insecurity
  • Literacy Society of the North Okanagan – Free, high-quality books for babies and kindergarteners to build early literacy
  • Navy League of Canada – Hands-on activities to teach youth like skills, teamwork, leadership and citizenship
  • NexusBC Community Resource Centre Society – Free nutritious meals for vulnerable and low-income seniors
  • North Okanagan Cycling Society – A new mountain bike trail system
  • North Okanagan Youth and Family Services Society – Creating a warm, trauma-informed meeting space for families in crisis
  • Ribbons of Green Trail Society – Secure, modern bike parking at Seaton Secondary
  • Schubert Centre Society – Hot and nutritious meals for homebound seniors, as well as volunteer visits for those people
  • Seniors Outreach Services Society – Weekly singling programs to bring seniors together
  • Spinal Cord Injury B.C. – Peer mentorship and information services for people with spinal cord injuries in the region
  • Tetra Society –  Connecting volunteer engineers to people with disabilities to build customized, free assistive devices
  • B.C. Lions Society for Children with Disabilities – Summer sleepaway camps for children and adults with disabilities
  • Turning Points Collaborative Society – Wellness and cultural programs for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness
  • Upper Room Mission Society – A day shelter that offers meals, showers, laundry and connections to services and programs
  • Vernon Immigrant Services – Helping racialized and marginalized youth build leadership skills and a way to contribute in community decision-making
  • Vernon Community Music School – A 10-week interactive music program bringing song, movement and connection into seniors’ care homes 
  • Whitevalley Community Resource Centre – Paid summer work and mentorship for rural youth
  • YMCA of Southern Interior B.C. – Free seven-week mindfulness programs for teens and young adults to build skills for managing stress and anxiety
  • Young Naturalists’ Club of B.C. Society (Naturekids B.C.) – Free monthly nature outings and hands-on learning for local families
• Neighbourhood Small Grants ($15,500+)
  • Alana’s Neighbourhood Gathering – A potluck barbecue at a local park to bring together neighbours and build connections
  • Andrea’s Ukraine Independence Day (August 24) – An event featuring a free community barbecue on Ukraine’s Independence Day to bring people together and build connections
  • Barbara’s Community Smoke Smart/Air Quality Project – Free workshops to teach people how to protect their health through wildfire smoke season, how to build their own air cleaners, and how to understand the Air Quality Health Index
  • Bree’s Building Skills Through Bike Maintenance – Teaching people how to care for their bicycles
  • Casandra’s Noric Lot Fest – A community event at Noric House featuring live music, food trucks and festive fun for the residents with mobility and health challenges and their families
  • Chey’s Orchard Festival Day – A celebration of local agriculture with a free gathering featuring food and drink from Vernon-area orchards and farms
  • Claire’s Strengthening Community Connections Project – African and Caribbean cultural celebrations over the summer
  • Inge’s Bear Spray Training –  A hands-on bear spray training session featuring a WildSafeBC presenter
  • Janna’s Herry Road Block Party – A neighbourhood barbecue with kids’ games and community connections
  • Karina’s Community Stars –  A youth-led summer camp to help newcomer kids build confidence, leadership and friendship through writing, filming and premiering their own superhero movie
  • Kathleen’s Hello Summer – A free Cascade Drive street party featuring live music, food and community connection
  • Kerry’s Birds of a Feather Community Celebration – Watercolour painting workshops where participants will paint feathers for a collective community art piece
  • Kimberley’s Jarvis Street Loves to Eat – A neighbourhood gathering featuring ice cream, lawn games, crafts and recipe-sharing to build community connection
  • Lisa’s 23rd Avenue Community Notice Board – A park-style notice board built by neighbourhood kids and launched with a block party
  • Lorrie’s Coldstream Community Social 2026 – A neighbourhood social featuring a pig rose, bee-house building workshop and more to build community connection
  • Marnis Pollen-nation Pollinator Festival – A family festival featuring a live bee hive, honey extraction, bee-house building and a kids’ scavenger hunt
  • Mason’s Hockey Night in the Cul-De-Sac – A free outdoor Stanley Cup Finals watch party to bring the community together
  • Michelle’s Late Summer Community Forest Day – A free outdoor day of shelter building, nature exploration, and youth-led mentorship for homeschooling families
  • Montunrayo’s Netowrk & Chill: Creative Hangout – A relaxes hangout with music, games and a personal branding session for Vernon youth, young adults and newcomers to connect with one another
  • Natalie’s The Village Knot – A four-week series of nature walks, paddle painting, storytelling and recycled art, led by a Metis host and community elders and ending in a Lumby gallery show
  • Pauline’s Cascade Drive Block Party – An end-of-summer block party
  • Rae’s Back-to-Back #4 Residents’ Street Social – A summer barbecue for people in the Turtle Mountain community
  • Rebecca’s Armstrong Youth Centre Pilot Project –  A pilot offering free, youth-led weekly activities from arts to jam sessions to game nights as a first step toward establishing a permanent youth centre in Armstrong
  • Rebecca’s Bear Aware in the Foothills/BX Community – A community talk and bear spray demo from the area residents
  • Rob’s Stories in the Land –  A community gathering of storytelling, outdoor exploration and creative mapping that connects residents to the land and local knowledge
  • Robert’s The Vines Neighbourhood Gathering –  A black party for The Vines neighbourhood
  • Shirley’s Joharon Fleming Block Party –  A neighbourhood barbecue and block party
  • Stephanie’s East Hill Commuynity Bulletin Board – A wooden community bulleting board where neighbours can share information about events, opportunities and local news
  • Tana’s Beautification and Learning Garden – A community-built sensory and edible garden at the Riverside Community Hall
  • Toyin’s A Mum Wellness Event – A sip-and-paint wellness event for Vernon mothers