A woman fleeing intimate partner violence needs emergency cash to buy coats for her two daughters.
A man living in a trailer has no cash to buy propane for heating, which he needs right away.
A homeless person needs a tent and heating immediately.
These are just three of the many cases where emergency funding from Community Links made a critical difference in the lives of residents of Airdrie and the North Rocky View Region (Beiseker, Crossfield, Irricana, and surrounding North Rocky View County).
Thanks to its Emergency Fund, which is partly supported by grants from the Airdrie & District Community Foundation, Community Links continues to serve those in crisis.
Brenda Hume, Community Links’ Executive Director, says, “We are very grateful for the financial support to be able to help residents during these vulnerable times.”
In the past year, the non-profit organization has served 7,400 residents, many of whom made multiple visits. To handle that much demand, the non-profit organization needs significant infrastructure, and especially information technology. That includes computers, data lines, switches, and internet services; its computers alone are more than ten years old.
However, raising funds for technology and other underlying essentials is difficult. Executive Assistant Lori Henderson says access to the Community Services Recovery Fund (a federal fund for charities and non-profits) through the Airdrie and District Community Foundation has made upgrades possible.
She added, “The largest part of the funding goes to the less spectacular items, but the most critical—the digital pathways. Without the switches, network, and computers to enable our work, we would cease to operate.”
Community Links received $96,475 through this funding, enabling it to modernize its technology and more.
Henderson pointed out, “The grant provides an opportunity to not only run more effectively but also to direct our fundraising efforts elsewhere.”
Dale Rathgeber, President of the Airdrie and District Community Foundation, said, “The purpose of our community foundation is to help the charities that help Airdrie's most vulnerable, and it is always gratifying when we are able to do so.”
The purpose of the Airdrie and District Community Foundation is to accept donations, which are held forever. Interest and earnings on the funds are distributed to local charities. Over the last seven years, the legacy fund has grown from $10,000 to more than $700,000. Funding for the information technology upgrade came from the federal government and was administered by the Foundation. For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.airdriefoundation.ca/ .
