Colton Foundation to the rescue of local groups

Posted

The Helen and Jose Colton Foundation has awarded another $55,000 in grant funding to Point Roberts organizations.

“We are continuing to support this community,” said foundation president Andrea Anderson following a visit to the Point in early July.

In 2019, the foundation awarded $166,000 to six local non-profits and agencies including Circle of Care, the Point Roberts Emergency Preparedness group (PREP), the volunteer firefighters association, and the local parks department. They were back this year to see some of the projects they supported reach completion, while looking for new ways to help.

“It was sad to see the community so dependent on tourism, and it didn’t have that support anymore,” Anderson said, adding they were looking for ways to encourage vacation-home owners to keep supporting the community and its organizations even if they can’t come to their properties due to the closed border. “Just because they can’t go there on vacation now doesn’t mean they shouldn’t support the community resources so they will still be there when they can come back.”

The foundation’s mandate is to fund causes that support children, animal welfare, seniors and veterans, and Anderson said they focus many of their efforts on small communities. “We feel that small communities do not get the same benefits [from charitable organizations] that larger ones do.”

In this round of grants, the foundation awarded funds to PREP, the volunteer firefighters association, Circle of Care, and Dollars for Scholars. They also funded additional upgrades to the community center kitchen.

Anderson said they were working with the local Dollars for Scholars chapter to create a special scholarship that would support students wanting to learn a trade. “They could intern with a local tradesperson and commit to working in the community for two years,” she said. “We want to work to build this community so young people come back and want to raise their family here.”

Meetings on this trip have helped identify other ways the foundation can help, Anderson said.

“Now I have my marching orders to look into the things we want to do next,” she said. “All in due time.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here


OUR PUBLICATIONS