“Community is built on stories. In addition to meeting people from within and around the Sunshine Coast, the Festival of the Written Arts brings together the diverse perspectives of various writers who believe that our stories matter.” (Festival attendee)
Please consider making a donation to the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts so that we can continue to bring Canadian writers and readers of all ages together both at the Festival in August and through our educational outreach programming. Celebration of Authors, Books and Community (CABC) is a joint initiative of the Festival and School District 46-Sunshine Coast that reaches approximately 1,000 elementary and secondary school students annually. Our goal is to support student development as readers, writers and tellers of their own stories.
Donors receive a charitable tax receipt and their contribution (individual or company name) is acknowledged in the Festival program and on the Festival website unless anonymity is requested.
Legacy of Literacy Endowment Campaign
We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our goal to raise $1,000,000, almost two years ahead of schedule! This tremendous success is the result of 180 donors who believe in the Festival, in the work it does, and want to see it continue to thrive and evolve. It is also due to the commitment of the Fund Development Committee who planned and carried out the endowment campaign, supported it with donations of time and funds, and cheered each other on. Thank you, Jean Bennett (Chair), Marisa Alps, Bev Craig, Jane Darling, Wendy Hunt, Janice Iverson, Debbie Mealia, Len Pakulak, Maggie Schell and Janice Webb for your vision and perseverance.
We launched the Legacy of Literacy Endowment Campaign in 2017 to increase our endowment funds to $1,000,000. Our goal is to continue to develop and deliver educational and community outreach programming and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the organization. The Festival is supported by the annual earnings from five endowment funds: Legacy of Literacy Endowment Fund, Marie Steel Memorial Endowment Fund, Lynn Pakulak Endowment Fund, Gwen Bennett Endowment Fund, and the Schell Family Endowment Fund.
The Government of Canada, through the Department of Canadian Heritage, has supported the Legacy of Literacy Endowment Campaign with matching funds that total $371,000. The Province of British Columbia contributed $25,000 to the Marie Steel Memorial Endowment in 2009 through the Renaissance Fund.
Meet the Legacy of Literacy donors here.
How the endowment earnings are spent:
- Ongoing support for Celebration of Authors, Books and Community (CABC) and the publication of the Coastal Voices anthology
- Distribution of complimentary tickets through public libraries and social service agencies to ensure that finances are not a barrier to attending the Festival
- Accessibility: A ramp to the stage was installed in 2018 and we provided real-time captioning services at the 2019 Festival. This will improve the Festival experience for patrons who are hard of hearing and make possible the inclusion of people who are deaf.
- Special community outreach programming throughout the year
- Management of revenue shortfalls and unanticipated expenses
- Ongoing maintenance of our beloved (but aging) Festival Pavilion
The endowment funds are held and invested by the Sunshine Coast Foundation which has a strong record in achieving a positive return on the funds it manages on our behalf.
How to make a donation
Donations can be made by credit card by calling the festival office at 604-885-9631 or 1-800-565-9631. Cheques can be mailed to the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, Box 2299, Sechelt, BC V0N 3A0. A charitable tax receipt will be issued for gifts over $20.
Donations can also be made online here.
Please call the festival office for information about sponsorship opportunities and program advertising.
Charitable Registration # 119206142RR0001