Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/134411
every metro Vancouver neighbourhood by 2017; support for the most vulnerable of our homeless population – youth aging out of government care – through our Youth Homelessness Initiative, with the end goal of reducing the number of homeless youth in the metro Vancouver area by the year 2017; and supporting Vancouver's goal to become the greenest city in the world by 2020 through various community initiatives. To support these areas of priority in the region, and to leave a legacy for future generations, we have joined with other Canadian community foundations in this national movement by creating a Smart and Caring Communities Fund. Despite our name and the region we serve – which encompasses all of British Columbia – we know that our work and the support of our donors transcend regional boundaries. In 2012 alone, Vancouver Foundation and its donors supported charities across the country to the tune of $46 million. The success of our work in BC communities cannot be in isolation. When communities thrive at the local level, they become a blueprint to be shared with other communities, ultimately contributing to a vision of a smarter, more caring and thriving nation. We know we can't do this alone. As always, we rely on connected and engaged citizens to help us realize that vision of connected communities that are smarter by design and caring in character. There are Illustration: iStock p8-9 Smart & Caring.indd 9 numerous people who generously donate their time and their money every day to make our communities shine. We also know there is a growing apathy in our region that needs to be addressed. It is an apathy and sense of isolation that tears at the social fabric of our communities. This indifference can only be overcome by committed, engaged citizens who are prepared to shape a better future for themselves and their children. And it all starts with caring and involved residents in their own neighbourhoods. Vancouver Foundation's Smart and Caring Communities Initiative is a call to metro Vancouver residents to help bring out the best in our community. It's about connecting with your neighbours, engaging in the life of your community, and giving of your time and money in support of a bolder vision for Canada by 2017: a nation of smarter and more caring communities. It's about people like Alice MacKay who leveraged her moment in time through a simple act of caring and generosity that seeded a 70-year (and counting!) legacy. It's about doing the small things that inevitably lead to big results in the community, and ultimately benefit everyone. And it starts with you. VF Spring 2013 I Vancouver Foundation l page 9 13-05-22 12:34 PM