Monday, Oct. 30, was officially proclaimed BC Non-Profit Day by the provincial government 鈥渢o celebrate the non-profit sector, and create deeper understanding of the people and communities that non-profits support鈥� and to 鈥渞ecognize the dedication of staff and volunteer who work each day to strengthen our communities.鈥�

Did you know that there are approximately 31,000 non-profits in B.C., ranging from community and business to government organizations?

Government non-profits includes hospitals and education institutions like public school boards, universities and colleges. Business non-profits include professional, member and business associations like chambers of commerce. The community non-profits vary from small, completely volunteer run organizations to those that have staff teams.

At their core, all non-profits still have volunteers that ensure the organization is able to function. At minimum, this would be the volunteer directors that sit on a board and most often it is volunteers who help at additional levels, including program and service delivery.

B.C.鈥檚 non-profits deliver services that include health support to seniors, childcare programs, food security, recreation, arts, housing, emergency response activities, religion, environment, Indigenous-led programs 鈥� and much more. The sector also contributes $28 billion to the provincial government and is a grassroots response to the socio-economic issues increasingly facing individuals and families across B.C.

KCR Community Resources is proud to be a part of this critical sector, offering services to build the social fabric of our community.

If you are wondering how your daily life is impacted by non-profits, think about some of the things that would be missing from your life, or not accessible, if volunteers and non-profits weren鈥檛 part of ensuring these programs existed.

KCR maintains a database of community resources that are largely non-profit led that offer all kinds of services and supports.

Check it out online at https://kelowna.cioc.ca/.

If you are needing help to connect with some of these services, feel free to reach out to us at 250-763-8008 or info@kcr.ca.

In marking BC鈥檚 first Non-Profit Recognition day, the province also made the announcement of $60 million dollars from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction in funding for non-profit organizations that will be distributed by the Vancouver Foundation, with Premier David Eby remarking that 鈥渢he work done by our province鈥檚 non-profits reflects some of the most important ways British Columbians show up for each other in tough times.鈥�

If you are interested in sharing your volunteer or organizational news, contact Dorothee Birker at dorothee@kcr.ca.