LOVE
Community Partnerships
In 2020 St Saviour's was a recipient of a significant bequest from the estate of the Matheson family of Penticton. By a vote of the full-member body of the congregation, a portion (nearly $20,000) of that bequest was set aside as a Community Partnerships Fund intended to support local work done in the community of Penticton and beyond which lined up with the mission and values of St Saviour's Parish.
As a Christian community, two of St Saviour's foundational principles, found in our baptismal vow, are to:
-
Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbours as ourselves.
-
Strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.
To date we've completed two phases of the Community Partnerships Initiative, with an expense totalling nearly $6,000.
PHASE #1 (Summer 2021)
In phase one St Saviour's distributed a series of small grants to support local registered charities or non-profits in their work with marginalized communities within city of Penticton. $200 grants were distributed to each of:
-
Boys and Girls Club in support of their food security program for children and families.
-
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in support of their Thrive sessions, particularly within the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
Foundry Penticton – RADAR in support of a lending library for 2SLGBTQIA+ teens looking for supportive written resources.
-
Penticton Recovery Resource Society (Discovery House) in support of their Fresh Start program focusing on health and nutrition experience and training for those undergoing addictions recovery treatment.
-
South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services (SOICS) in support of their Youth Program community garden initiative.
PHASE #2 (Spring 2023)
In phase two St Saviour's fully sponsored and hosted a LivingWorks ASIST (suicide first aid) course for our partners in the community. 16 individuals were certified in suicide first aid through this two-day course and a local trainer was able to complete their probationary period. We were able to certify staff or volunteers from a number of community agencies, including:
-
Penticton+ Area Overdose Prevention Society (POPS)
-
Discovery House
-
ASK Wellness Society
-
Penticton Foundry
-
South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society (SOSBIS)