The Columbia Valley Community Directed Funds (CVCDF) program, which has been in place for the past three years, is now complete.

The CVCDF Committee is comprised of the five RDEK Columbia Valley Directors and five community members, and was given $600,000 from Columbia Basin Trust to  fund various projects that benefited the valley as a whole.

At our most recent meeting, we distributed the remaining funds (approximately $40,000) to the Family Resource Centre with the goal of increasing affordable housing in the valley.

In addition we have provided funding for the following projects;

• Invest Kootenay

• Greenways Legacy Trail

• Branding and Marketing in the Columbia Valley

• Permanent Resident Retention and Attraction

The Committee has worked very hard at bringing a regional lens to the valley.

Moving forward, the Trust will continue to work with the Committee, which will focus its work in two areas: (1) when larger  projects come forward to the Trust for funding, we will have the opportunity to provide feedback  through an online forum, and (2) the Trust wants to support and enhance the strategic work of the committee.

We will continue to meet quarterly. The aim of these meetings is to think and work strategically on how we can move the valley forward for the long-term benefit of those that are here today and into the future.

So, although the structure of the program has changed, good things will still be happening.

I will continue on as chair of the Committee and the other members include Dee Conklin as vice chair, Craig Knapp, John Rouse, Rick Thompson, Melanie Sam, Gerry Wilkie, Ute Juras, Clara Reinhardt and Gerry Taft. I look forward to continuing to work with the group for the benefit of the Valley.

Wendy Booth is the Regional District of East Kootenay Director for Area F and the RDEK board’s vice chair. She can be reached at wndbooth@gmail.com or 250-345-6155.