July 2020 – Community Futures North Okanagan

The Canadian Mental Health Association’s Georgette Shop and Elks Lodge in Vernon are now able to continue essential operations thanks to the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF), accessed through Community Futures North Okanagan (CFNO).

For the Elks Lodge in downtown Vernon, it will mean their doors can stay open and someday resume the meat draws, Friday night suppers, catering, and hall rentals that lets them help children access hearing aids, play sports, and attain bursaries.

For the Vernon branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), it means the Georgette Shop can welcome volunteers and customers alike so the thrift store can support youth programs, a meal program, and the crisis line.

Both local social enterprises can carry on their important community work thanks to the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF), accessed through Community Futures North Okanagan (CFNO).

“This is a recovery loan that’s filling a big gap in our community because these organizations would have had to make some tough decisions otherwise, and the ripple effect could have been far-reaching,” says Scot McNair, Loans Coordinator, CFNO.

Unlike the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), the RRRF is available to social enterprises and businesses that are not incorporated or have no payroll. Both programs provide funding up to $40,000, and, until December 2022, no interest and 25 per cent is forgivable if 75 per cent is paid.

Heading in to the spring, the hall at the Elks Lodge was booked every weekend except one until September. But as COVID-19 hit and forced people to cancel anniversaries and weddings, and the team was forced to cancel Friday night suppers, the outlook for the Lodge was bleak.

Maureen Sather, secretary-treasurer and member of the catering team, said after trying to navigate funding options and coming away empty-handed, she was relieved the Elks was able to apply for the RRRF.

Maureen Sather, with the Vernon Elks Lodge, says the RRRF funding has made all the difference.

“I had no idea what we were going to do. We could have only carried on for a few months. It would have been a shame to have to close our doors,” says Sather, adding many other Lodges in Canada have had to do just that. “Scot was wonderful to work with, and it’s made all the difference. We feel so blessed.”

Funds raised throughout the year allow the Elks to give more than $35,000 back to the community every year in the form of bursaries, sponsoring sports groups, and helping children access hearing aids. The popular Friday night dinners are a valuable source of connection for many seniors.

A few blocks away, the Georgette Shop, below the Vernon branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, also faced several weeks of unknowns as the thrift store—a major source of revenue—was closed.

“We closed quickly because we knew it would be too vulnerable for our customers and our team. We have so much care between people, and that’s also what has made reopening so fantastic,” says Julia Payson, Executive Director, Vernon CMHA.

Thanks to the loan through the RRRF, the Georgette Shop was able to cover important revenue lost during those months and earmarked to fund critical programs such as the meals, crisis line, and youth programs.

“Closing the store didn’t just have an impact on our clients, staff, and volunteers here. It also meant the loss of a funding stream for our programs.”

And yet while the Georgette Shop was closed and not bringing in revenue, CMHA’s programming was in great demand: The ‘cook together, enjoy together’ meal program went from serving 30 people a day twice a week to a takeout model that served nearly 150 people each meal. For the crisis line, “May was the busiest month we’ve ever had.”

The RRRF funding will also help the Georgette Shop focus on new ways to get more eyes on both its modern and vintage fashions by going online.

Along with the RRRF, CFNO continues to offer valuable resources and supports to help small businesses move forward during these uncertain times.

If you are part of a social enterprise or small business, learn more about the Regional Relief and Recovery Loan, and apply at https://www.futuresbc.com/regional-relief-and-recovery-fund/.

Growing demand for workspace, connections amid COVID-19 fuels excitement about Innovation Centre

For so many reasons, and now more than ever, the upcoming opening of the Vernon Innovation & Entrepreneur Workspace in downtown Vernon is something to look forward to. While many storefronts have had to dim their lights in recent months, a new face on 30^th Avenue aims to become a bright spot for local collaboration, community and innovation.

“This is a grassroots Vernon project that has seen many individuals and organizations work incredibly hard. To see the walls go up and the lights coming on, it’s amazing and we’re so thankful for their support and the support of our board, because this was a big leap,” says Leigha Horsfield, General Manager, Community Futures North Okanagan (CFNO).

The centre, set to open in mid-August next to Marten’s Pub, will feature 2,400 square feet of space for meeting and coworking on the main floor. The basement is a potential future link of the grassroots Creative Campus initiative with community partners. The centre also aims to act as a hub for emerging and established freelancers and entrepreneurs to collaborate, network, learn and grow.

With both in-person and virtual opportunities taking shape, members of the Innovation Centre community and Vernon’s ‘hidden’ (home-based) workforce can connect and let ideas take root, an important factor as people look for a place to belong post COVID-19. The events of recent months and new ways of working have also fuelled growing demand for cowork space.

“We are fielding a lot of queries and we’re hearing people say with family at home more of the time, they need another place to work and focus, and this way they also get that check-in time with their peers,” says Kazia Mullin, Business Services Manager at CFNO, adding the centre will open with an evolving health and safety plan to ensure the wellbeing of our guests and community.

“We are so looking forward to seeing how members of our tech community with connections and experience will inspire others, including youth and Indigenous people, to take their business ideas forward.”

The idea for the centre grew with support of several local stakeholders, and it was propelled with local and federal funding and project management by CFNO. A local steering committee created critical roadmaps and relationships to help bring the project to fruition. Mullin says once the centre was ready to operationalize, Accelerate Okanagan was invited to manage the centre—drawing on their expertise while mindfully fueling the vision and values of this uniquely Vernon centre.

To help make the centre’s goals a reality in the day-to-day when it opens, Vernon resident and longstanding member of the local tech community Jessica Wicks is the Accelerate Okanagan Community Lead based in the centre.

“We are very committed to leveraging the feedback of the Vernon community to continue making this a centre they are proud of,” says Wicks.

Through its hub-and-spoke model, the centre will continue to inspire meaningful local collaboration with organizations such as The Okanagan Science Centre, Okanagan Regional Library, Vernon Arts Centre, City of Vernon, Okanagan College, School District 22 and others. This project is supported in part by Western Economic Diversification Canada.