Supporting Communities for Generations to Come

When Steve Glover set out to create a community fund, he intended to do more than help people today—he wanted to create a legacy of giving that would support the community in perpetuity.

The Glover Family Fund was created in 2021 to benefit organizations and initiatives that support disadvantaged groups in the Bow Valley.

Banff Canmore Foundation spoke with Glover to get a better understanding of the impact, importance, and ease of creating a community foundation.

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Helping Pave The Road Less Travelled

When Christie Foreman and Christopher (Chris) Wong set out to create a scholarship for Banff locals, the priority was giving back to their beloved community.

The result was a beautiful reflection of one of the things they love most about Banff: how people can take such vastly different paths in life to arrive at the same destination.

The Christie Foreman and Christopher Wong Scholarship supports young adults on non-traditional education paths. That could look like a lapse in schooling for a period of time, a major career change later in life, or any number of unique directions to finding a career.

We sat down with Chris Wong to get a better understanding of the scholarship, its inspiration, and the pair’s passion for our mountain town.

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How Ken Hughes is Building a Living Legacy in the Bow Valley

When Ken Hughes invited friends to celebrate his most recent birthday, he was adamant that presents were the last thing he needed. The former MP, MLA and Cabinet Minister, and current Canmore resident, had a better idea—one that was about giving rather than receiving, a true expression of who he is.

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The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Each spring, as the ground turns green and the days stretch long, projects from across the Bow Valley receive funding through the BCF Community Grants Program. While the snow may be gone, the energy and excitement around giving and receiving such significant gifts makes this feel like a special time of year.

“It’s like Christmas!” says Sandy Last, who has spent six years on the Board of Banff Canmore Foundation both as a Director and Program Committee Member. Sandy has been part of the adjudication process for the Community Grants program every year since 2019, a process that gives the Review Committee as much joy as the grant recipients themselves.

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Living Values, Leaving Legacies

The Paddy Mulloy Memorial Fund at BCF
Throughout her life, Harriett “Paddy” Mulloy (1922 – 2022) lived by her values—compassion, community, and deep appreciation for the world around her. She was a steward of the environment, a spiritualist who found solace and inspiration in nature, and a minimalist who eschewed material wealth in favour of a life rich in experience and connection.

Thanks to a generous gift from her estate, Paddy’s love of people and places will be forever present in our community. The Paddy Mulloy Memorial Fund at BCF is a celebration of Paddy’s values and commitment to the community she came to love.

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Creative Action and Connection: Introducing BCF’s new brand

An ever-flowing, ever-moving source of wellbeing and positivity, the Bow River is the central geographical feature that unites and connects the communities of this valley, from Lake Louise to Mînî Thnî. Its channels and patterns are complex, beautiful, powerful. All of us who live here are stewards, collectively responsible and collectively inspired by this river.

In the spring of 2023, Banff Canmore Foundation began the process of updating how our work is presented to community. This coincided with the launch of our new three- year Strategic Plan. It was time to find new ways to amplify, explain and evolve our work through a new brand and new website.

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Community Services Recovery Fund Local Recipients Announced

Charities and non-profits in the Canadian Rockies are receiving $185,000 in funding from the Community Services Recovery Fund. Built to respond to the adaptation and modernization needs following the COVID-19 pandemic, these organizations are now able to adapt, modernize and become more resilient. Banff Canmore Foundation (BCF) as part of Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) has administered this program within the Bow Valley, and including the community of Jasper, Alberta as well.

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Nakoda Radio Supports Language Revival

Language is the foundation of culture. At the Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation, the urgency of protecting and promoting language is becoming clear.

Îyârhe Nakoda Elder Terry Rider is a community leader who is involved in many aspects of life. A fluent Stoney speaker, Rider hosts a morning radio show on Siktoge ja Radio (CFIR FM 88.5) and a podcast that are both spoken entirely in Stoney.

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Wills Week: What, Why, When and How

It can be daunting to get your ‘affairs in order’. By thoughtfully planning your will, you can make a difference in your life today and secure a legacy. Having a valid, up-to-date will ensure you determine who gets what from your hard-earned assets and who will administer your estate and be guardians of your dependent children. It’s incredibly important!

By learning a bit more, it becomes clear how straightforward will-planning can be. To mark 2022 Wills Week, we caught up with Vanessa Adler from Baker Tilly, who has broad expertise in estate planning.

Originally from Germany, Vanessa Adler, CPA, has been a resident of Canada now for over 15 years, most of which have been here in the Bow Valley. She began work with Baker Tilly Rockies LLP in 2018. She enjoys all aspects of her work with Baker Tilly but, most specifically, her ongoing work with estates. In addition to her work with Baker Tilly, Vanessa enjoys hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.

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Mînî hrpa is Back October 28

Mînî Hrpa, the Indigenous Cultural Centre Popup that is a program of BCF, is back on Saturday, October 28. This will be the third popup this year.

Bow Valley residents and visitors from near and far can participate in this unique Stoney Nakoda cultural learning and sharing experience. The goal is to help build capacity for grassroots Indigenous community leaders to organize around the Mînî Hrpa vision and create opportunities for visitors and residents to experience Indigenous culture in authentic, community-led ways.

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