The season of giving is alive and well as Valley First and its 450 employees once again reach into their pockets to support and give back to their communities.
Continuing its long-standing tradition of seasonal giving, Valley First will donate more than $20,000 – three-quarters of which is contributed by employees – to support families, food banks, animal shelters, the United Way and many more community organizations across the Okanagan, Similkameen and Thompson valleys.
“The holiday season is all about coming together and spending time with friends and family,” says Valley First president Paulette Rennie. “This can be a tough time of year for many people, so it means a lot to me personally and to the staff at Valley First to be able to help those less fortunate. The smiles and laughter that fill the air during Christmas are worth more than any gift.”
Among Valley First’s initiatives this year:
Every payday Friday, employees make small donations for the privilege of dressing casually. In December, each Valley First location donates its collected funds to an organization of its choice. This year, Valley First’s branches will donate more than $10,000 to community organizations.
Valley First’s branches and administration office provide gifts and food for traditional Christmas dinners to families selected by the South Okanagan Women in Need Society, the Kelowna Women’s Shelter and other community organizations.
Corporately, Valley First continues its tradition of donating the money it would normally spend on greeting cards to food banks in every community across its service area – a total of $5,000 this year.
In addition, Valley First will continue to support local food banks through the Feed the Valley initiative and its partnership with the annual Be an Angel campaign.
Valley First is a division of First West Credit Union, B.C.’s third-largest credit union, which has 37 branches and 29 insurance offices throughout the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Kitimat and Okanagan, Similkameen and Thompson valleys. First West has approximately $6.2 billion in assets under administration, 167,000 members and 1,300 employees.