Did you know?

More than 100 young leaders have graduated from the Youth Now program.

Each year, over 100 non-profit professionals attend our training opportunities.

Over two dozen non-profit organizations have participated in the Youth Now program.

The CCRR provides nearly 400 child care referrals per year.

On average, the CCRR hosts 30 workshops and training courses each year.

Every year, over 500 child care providers and parents attend CCRR training opportunities.

Every year, RCRG completes over 3,000 grocery orders for local seniors.

Nearly 300 seniors make use of our Better at Home services.

Our volunteer drivers complete more than 1,200 trips annually.

At least 350 people per year find a volunteer position using our Volunteer Match program.

Close to 500 volunteers support RCRG’s programs and services.

Volunteers contribute nearly 23,000 hours to our organization each year.

Each holiday season, the Richmond Christmas Fund helps more than 2,200 low-income residents.

Every year, the Christmas Fund provides over 600 children with toys, books, and sports equipment.

The Richmond Christmas Fund was first started by Ethel Tibbits, in the 1930s.

The number of Neighbourhood Small Grants we’ve awarded has increased every year since 2014.

Block parties are the most popular type of Neighbourhood Small Grant project.

Every year, the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre serves over 7,300 local women.

The Richmond Women’s Resource Centre currently offers 16 programs and services.

Nearly 60 volunteers support the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre, contributing nearly 2,500 hours per year.

Richmond is home to over 350 registered charities, all of which rely on volunteer support.

There are nearly 13 million volunteers across Canada.

International Volunteer Day is celebrated throughout the world on December 5.

There are 35 volunteer centres in British Columbia.

In 2016, the Foundation awarded 10 grants to non-profit organizations, worth a combined $59,000.

The Foundation manages $6 million in 60 Forever Funds, returning, on average, CPI plus 4%.

Between 2020 and 2022, the Foundation distributed $656,000 in grants, scholarships, charitable disbursements, and Emergency Community Support Funds.

Foundation activities result in the enhancement of our community and residents’ sense of belonging.

ROCA has raised over $21,000 for local charities.

ROCA has performed its Elementary School Concert Series to over 8,000 students.

ROCA provides mentoring and life changing opportunities for aspiring musicians.

The Richmond Arts Coalition was founded in November of 2005.

RAC co-produces the ArtRich exhibition every two years!

RAC highlights Richmond's arts events in a monthly email.

The Richmond Music School is the oldest not-for-profit music school in Richmond.

The Richmond Music School offers affordable music lessons through its diverse programming.

Our students performed 40 hours of music to welcome the Olympic athletes to the 2010 Olympic Games.

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Holiday Heroes

Published November 16, 2020

Throughout the pandemic, various groups of people have, quite rightfully, been portrayed as heroes. Healthcare workers, grocery store employees, delivery drivers: they deserved praise back in March and April, and they deserve it just as much now, as they continue to show incredible courage on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19.

As the holiday season approaches, we’d like to add another group to this list of heroes: Richmond Christmas Fund volunteers.

Over the next month, the Christmas Fund will distribute toys, grocery vouchers, and gift cards to hundreds of families who would otherwise be unable to afford a holiday celebration. The program will run very differently this year, with a host of health and safety measures in place. But it will run, and for that, we have our volunteers to thank.

Their work began in the summer, when they called over 2,000 clients, one-by-one, and registered them over the phone. Throughout October, volunteers registered additional families, this time conducting eligibility assessments via Zoom.

In early November, volunteers helped set up the Christmas Fund Toy Room, and as you read this, they’re preparing bags of toys - each one individually packaged - for Christmas Fund families.

As new toy donations arrive, volunteers will sort and prepare them for distribution. And when clients come to pick up their items, our volunteers will be there, donning PPE but smiling under their masks. From a safe distance, volunteers will make the final hand-off, providing families with grocery vouchers, toys, and gift cards, so in this year to forget, they can have a holiday celebration to remember.

In a normal year, we might refer to Christmas Fund volunteers as elves or Santa’s helpers. They’re doing important work, and having a huge impact on their community, but there’s a light-hearted element to it all. It’s fun being part of Santa’s team.

2020 is different. There’s an underlying anxiety that all Christmas Fund volunteers feel, even if they don’t admit it. But they’re here anyway, doing what they can to help their neighbours in need, in the midst of a global pandemic.

So this year, they’re not merely elves or Santa’s helpers. To us, they’re heroes.