The Westshore Community Foundation released its annual report for 2024 highlighting its philanthropic successes, paying tribute to its generous donors, and celebrating 25 years of caring for the welfare of the communities it serves.
In 2024, the foundation provided $77,588 in grants for community projects and awarded $40,309 to students through its scholarship program.
Westshore president David Douglas said the foundation’s focus remains on continuing to connect with its communities. In 2024 the foundation held through town meetings with community service organizations in Winnipeg Beach, Gimli and Riverton to brief them on its granting cycle and application process.
As a result of those meetings, the foundation was able to award $77,588 in grants to fund innovative projects in areas such as the environment, heritage and culture, sport and recreation, community services and health and education. The projects included both youth and age-friendly groups.
“Our donors have always been very important to us. Through the work of our fund development committee, we continued to support our present, past and future donors with the development of gift acceptance and donor recognition and stewardship policies,” said Douglas in the preface of the report.
Westshore’s catchment area runs along the west shore of Lake Winnipeg and includes communities such as Dunnottar, Winnipeg Beach, Gimli, Fraserwood and Riverton.
The foundation raised $17,680 through the generosity of sponsors and donors to the foundation’s 20th annual gold tournament held in conjunction with the Gimli Lakeview Resort. Sponsors included Access Credit Union, Lakeview Dental, Gimli Pharmasave, Oakley Vision Centre, the RM of Gimli, Right Choice Realty, Garriock Insurance, the Gimli Glider Exhibit, Miracle Sanitation and Romanna Klymkiw Music Studio. And it raised $22,808 through the 2024 Endow Manitoba Giving Challenge.
Community grant recipients of 2024 included the Betel Heritage Foundation, Djorfung Ladies Aid, Riverton Memorial Arena, Camp Veselka (Ukrainian Orthodox summer camp), Gimli Red River Metis, the Gimli Children’s Centre, the Riverton & District Friendship Centre, Matlock Recreation Club and Rotary Towers Residents’ Association.
The foundation established a number of new funds in 2024.
The Matthew Thordarson Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to commemorate the life of Matthew Thordarson (1975-2021) and celebrate his “commitment to elevating the voices and stories of Indigenous people and his unparalleled passion for community activism and social justice.”
The Ruth Ann & Wayne Furgala Family fund was established to “assist a worthy applicant who resides and/or works in Riverton and who is enrolled in the second or subsequent year/term of a post-secondary educational program.”
The MPC Steciuk Endowment Fund was set up in 2024 by Michael and Brenda Steciuk in honour of Peter & Carol Steciuk and all the funding families who created and maintained MPC Reunion Park in Meleb. The fund will contribute to efforts to improve and maintain the park so that it can be enjoyed by generations to come.
The Shelley & Cliff Narfason Family Fund will assist the Gimli cancer care program at the hospital by providing equipment, goods services and/or facilities to enhance the comfort or cancer patients treated there.
And the Devlin Family Legacy Fund was created last year in memory of Emily Devlin to support the activities and/or programs of Gimli Betel’s recreation services department.
The annual report also paid tribute to Tim and Delphine Arnason, longtime generous supporters of the foundation who donate annually. The Arnasons established a scholarship fund in 2018 and volunteer their time year after year. Tim Arnason served on the volunteer board of directors for 11 years, and Del Arnason helped with numerous fundraisers and community engagement events.
The foundation’s total assets are close to $6.5 million and Douglas said that will allow the foundation to “offer even greater support to the ongoing needs of our communities” along Lake Winnipeg.
Available granting for 2025 is as follows: $99,700 for community fund granting, $53,879 for scholarship granting, and $164,622 in other granting to the communities it serves.
For more information about Westshore Community Foundation, call its office at 1-204-642-9796 or email: admin@wcf-foundation.ca
