2021 SurreyCares Annual Community Grants

This year we were pleased to be able to distribute $438,983.13 to our fundholders and community grant recipients.
A total of $55,559.61 were distributed in community grants.
Community Grant Recipients were:
GENERAL COMMUNITY - TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED: $14,200
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Atira Women's Resource Society: Amount: $1,500, Project Title: Waaban Women’s Outreach Van.
- Atira Women’s Resource Society supports the street women, who need significant help, to keep
themselves and their children safe. Their “Waaban Women’s Outreach Van” program will provide extra
support to transwomen, Two-spirit, and transfeminine individuals. In 2020, more than 85% of the
women supported by Atira Women’s Resource Society were Indigenous.
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Food Bank On Wheels: Amount: $2,000, Project Title: Home Delivered Food Hampers.
- The program “Home Delivered Food Hampers” will help the people who require home delivery due to
their illness and disability circumstances. The service is provided to all regardless of race, sexual
orientation, and gender.
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Junior Achievement of British Columbia: Amount: $1,000, Project Title: World of Choice (WOC.)
- This program will support the public school youth from grades 4 to 12 irrespective of their socio-
economic background, precisely vulnerable and at-risk groups, by providing help with financial,
mental health, and wellness.
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LOVE (Leave Out Violence) Organization: Amount: $2,500, Project Title: Social Media Youth Leaders Empowered: Mentorship Edition SMYLE: M.
- LOVE Organization provides support to a diverse group of youth. Through this program, LOVE
Organization will specifically support the most discriminated child. Teaching Advocacy will help LOVE
Organization share with youth their rights and how to communicate concerns and issues.
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Mamas for Mamas: Amount: $1,200, Project Title: At-risk Program.
- Mamas for Mamas will provide fresh food to all the people who do not access it, irrespective of any
specific community, because they understand that sufficient nutrition is a fundamental human right.
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Moving Forward Family Services: Amount: $1,500, Project Title: Free Counselling for Highly Vulnerable Clients.
- This program will provide services to marginalized and underserved communities in Surrey in 12
different languages to help with mental illness, with counselors from diverse backgrounds. The funding
will be helpful for Moving Forward Family Services in terms of providing almost all of the services free
of cost.
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Paws for Hope Animal Foundation: Amount: $1,500, Project Title: Better Together Surrey.
- Through the “Better Together Surrey” program, Paws for Hope Animal Foundation will provide services
to all the vulnerable pet guardians to keep and care for their pets.
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Quest Outreach Society: Amount: $2,000, Project Title: Plate Half Full Program – Surrey.
- This program will provide healthy food services to all the clients in local community resources
programs, including newcomers, refugees, seniors, youth, the disabled, Indigenous, un or
underemployed, single-parent families, those struggling with addiction, etc.
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Surrey Christmas Bureau: Amount: $1,000, Project Title: Surrey Christmas Bureau Online Registration Program.
- Every year, the Surrey Christmas Bureau provides funds to families who are not financially stable to
keep the glow on the face of their children during Christmas time, just like other families. This funding
will help them to continue to generate that happiness among the families.
SPECIAL NEEDS - TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED: $33,781
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of British Columbia: Amount: $5,000, Project Title: Equipment Loan Program.
- Through their “Equipment Loan Program”, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of British
Columbia will provide equipment to all the registered ALS patients in Surrey irrespective of age,
gender, ethnicity, and preference.
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Langley Pos-Abilities Society: Amount: $5,000, Project Title: Push for Accessibility Program.
- The goal of this program is to create an interactive online map that shows users the current
accessibility to various locations in their community (e.g. businesses, parks, parking, full-service gas
stations, etc.). Users can submit accessibility reports of their experiences visiting the specified facility.
This creates a tool that people challenged by disabilities and their families can use to be prepared for
the various accessibility challenges they may encounter. This program will specifically benefit the
community of Surrey and its residents by lowering accessibility barriers for those challenged by
disabilities.
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Pacific Community Resources Society: Amount: $3,781, Project Title: Honour Secondary Summer Cooking School.
- The project will provide free cooking classes to the Students of Honour Secondary School. Earned
credits through this program will get counted towards participants’ high school diplomas. Funding will
help to accomplish its goal of keeping the youth away from criminal activities.
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Semiamhoo House Society - A partner in UNITI: Amount: $5,000, Project Title: UNITI - Culinary Arts Program.
- According to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 26th), “Education is the basic
human right, and it should be provided free in elementary and some fundamental stages to everyone.
So, the Semiahmoo House Society, through their “UNITI - Culinary Arts Program,” will try to increase
the involvement of people with disabilities in the community by providing them access to education
and some practical skills training.
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Spinal Cord Injury BC: Amount: $5,000, Project Title: Peer Support and Information Services (Surrey.)
- Spinal Cord Injury BC (SCI BC) helps people with spinal cord injuries (SCI), and related physical
disabilities adjust, adapt, and thrive in their new lives, whether dealing with a recent injury or struggling
with the ongoing challenges of living and aging with a physical disability. Through their two core
programs (Peer Support and Information Services), SCI BC provides answers, social connections,
educational opportunities, and unique life experiences for people living with spinal cord injury.
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Tetra Society of North America: Amount: $5,000, Project Title: Customized Devices for People With Disabilities That Remove Barriers to Daily Living.
- Through the “Customized Devices for People With Disabilities That Remove Barriers to Daily Living
Program”, Tetra Society of North America will provide unique devices and equipment to the 2 to 92 age
range and customized to each individual’s preferences. This organization serves people of all cultures, backgrounds, religions, and orientations.
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Zajac Ranch for Children: Amount: $5,000, Project Title: Family Camp 2021.
- The program will provide recreational services for children with disabilities and their family members
with proper COVID safety precautions and physical distancing.
YOUTH - TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED: $7,077.60
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Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland: Amount: $2,000, Project Title: Big Sisters Mentoring.
- “Big Sisters Mentoring” provides youth with a caring adult they can turn to for advice, guidance, and
friendship. This weekly meetup is so much more than just a social engagement. Matches discuss the
tough stuff – how to make friends, overcome fears, deal with peer pressure and bullying, approach
school and teacher relationships, start a first job, difficulties at home, and the many questions that
children and youth are faced with these days.
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Canadian Mental Health Assoc. Vancouver-Fraser: Amount: $3,000, Project Title: “Here4Peers.”
- This project aims to reduce the stigma of mental illness, increase mental health literacy and create a
supportive environment for youth to access help for mental health concerns. This project is being
executed in 2021/22, in partnership with Surrey School District.
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Stigma-Free- Society: Amount: $2,077.60, Project Title: Student Mental Health Toolkit School Program.
- Through this program, Stigma-Free Society will support all students in overcoming the prevailing
stereotypes and biases of their mental illnesses, physical and developmental disabilities.
DONOR ADVISED FUNDS - TOTAL GRANT GRANTS AWARDED: $1,331.30
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Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI): Amount: $500, Granted to: Boys and Girls Club
- Thanks to a special donation, a group of youth involved with the local Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI)
and a local post-secondary institution unanimously recommended a grant of $500 to the Boys and
Girls Club from the YPI funds. The team determined that the grant should be for youth projects for
those aged 9-18 years and all genders. The YPI also wanted the projects to demonstrate long-term
impact and have not received funding from SurreyCares this year. As our annual youth grants were 15x
oversubscribed, this grant means one more organization was able to receive funding.
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Seventy Times Seven Times Fund: Amount: $831.30 Granted to: Phoenix Society's, The Nest project
- The Nest project symbolizes a place where individuals can be supported through connection, empowerment and stability.
Located at the corner of Newton's 80th Avenue and King George Boulevard, the building will have 40
residences. The program will include 16 supportive recovery units for people who have completed a
90-day treatment program, and the remaining 24 will be for those experiencing or at risk of
homelessness. The program's supports will focus on equipping residents in building their skills and
becoming more independent.