One of the things I most enjoy about working in the civil-society sector is the opportunity to collaborate with others to achieve real and meaningful results in our community.
Increasingly here at the Victoria Foundation, there鈥檚 very little we do that doesn鈥檛 involve partnerships. To have multiple organizations working toward similar goals but siloed off from one another makes little sense, and, luckily, the charitable sector realizes we achieve more together.
I鈥檓 truly impressed by the way organizations can come together and work toward real and meaningful change in our community.
The South Island Prosperity Project is a great example. Bringing together 50 members, including local governments, First Nations, post-secondary institutions, industry associations and non-profits, and employers, the project works toward promoting a strong, diversified economy in our region. It鈥檚 a relatively young organization but is already making great strides, and we鈥檙e proud to partner with the group on several initiatives.
Another example, OneAbility, is a Greater Victoria collaboration of community partners coming together to enhance adapted sport and physical activity. The group works toward full inclusion for individuals living with disabilities to engage in recreational, developmental and high-performance sport through leadership, awareness and innovation. To see what they are accomplishing by working together is truly inspiring.
I鈥檓 also tremendously proud of the work being done by the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness and the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness. These related agencies bring together providers, organizations, government, business, community leaders and others to tackle one of the most pressing issues in our region.
In 2013, the Victoria Foundation joined forces with the City of Victoria, the United Way of Greater Victoria, Vancity and others to create the Food Security Roadmap. Working together, we developed a comprehensive path to achieving community food security in the region by addressing all areas of concern, from food access and consumption to food recovery to local food production to food literacy and knowledge.
This led directly to another collaboration the Victoria Foundation is proud to be a part of: the Good Food Network. Launched in 2015, the network is a way of bringing together organizations from across sectors to work together toward a healthy and sustainable food system in the capital region. A direct result of this collaboration has been the Food Rescue Distribution Centre, which, through the redistribution of fresh food, feeds an estimated 35,000 people each month.
I鈥檓 constantly inspired by these sorts of collaborations, and here at the Victoria Foundation, we will continue to build and nurture these partnerships, knowing that we are stronger together than we are apart.
Sandra Richardson is CEO of the Victoria Foundation.
