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2017 Chinook Fund Dinner Report

The 2017 Chinook Fund Dinner was held on October 26th at WORKSHOP Kitchen and Culture. The dinner was sold out with about 100 attendees!

Approximately $50,000 was raised, which was contributed to the Chinook Endowment Fund, managed by the Calgary Foundation. As at the end of 2017 the fund is at $397,369.20! THANKS!!!

A 2017 Chinook Fund grants was given to ‘Bullying Ends Here’ for their work in providing programing and presentations to schools aimed at ending bullying. A second grant went to the Calgary Sexual Health Centre to establish a support group for parents and guardians of transgender youth.

The 2017 Hero Award was given to the ‘Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch’, recognizing 42 years of great work and raising money to assist other groups in our city.

Thanks to our sponsors, TD, the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, and Bee Kingdom Glass, without which this event could not occur!

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Annual Chinook Dinner Date Set

This year’s annual dinner will occur on October 26th, at the WORKSHOP Kitchen & Culture – 608 1st St SW – so mark your calendars!

This event is the Chinook Fund’s major fundraising event each year. We buy you dinner and request in return a 100% tax deductible donation to our fund, that is then deposited with and managed by the Calgary Foundation.

At the dinner our yearly grants are awarded and our ‘Hero Award’ is presented.

We hope to see you there!

Thanks to our longtime sponsors, the TD Bank and the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation for  their generous support of the dinner!

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Family Pride Picnic Set

August 27th, 2017 the Chinook Lesbian & Gay Fund partnering with Calgary Outlink, will be hosting the 1st Family Pride Picnic, at the Bridgeland Riverside Community Association Hall & Park, at 917 Centre Avenue NE, from 2pm to 5pm. Bring your family for an afternoon of food, beverages, games, and fun – all at no charge.

Thanks to the TD Bank for it’s generous grant and assistance to make this event possible!

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It’s Official! The Chinook Fund had its Most Successful Year. Thank you!

We are happy to report that The Chinook Fund had it’s best year ever, despite the current economic difficulties. Thanks to all our supporters, old and new, for coming through for us in 2016!

Chinook Fund Dinner Report

On October 19th we held our Chinook Fund Dinner, at the Nash Restaurant in Inglewood. About 100 supporters and sponsors enjoyed a great dinner and drinks.  The fund increased was just under $60,000. The total fund balance is now $322,500.  100% of the money raised goes into the fund!

At the dinner our grants were announced. This years recipients were;

  • Calgary Outlink to provide seed money for a new program that will assist LGBT seniors by providing such things as support and companionship in seniors accomodation;
  • Calgary Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs to fund ongoing staff training initiatives so they can better address the needs of LGBT youth in crisis;
  • Theatre Outre & Theatre Basement to fund putting on an important play on the topic of historical LGBT discrimination.

We were also thrilled to present the Chinook Hero Awards for 2017 to Nancy Miller and Richard Gregory. Both have volunteered for many many years in our community, starting in the 1980s. They are both leaders in fighting discrimination. To name just 2 of their accomplishments, they were organizers of the CLAGPEG political action committee and organized the first Calgary Pride Parades.

Check out this link where you can read about our event in this Calgary Herald article: https://www.pressreader.com/canada/calgary-herald/20161105/282286729830109

Chinook Fund Sponsors

We owe a big thanks to our generous sponsors. These sponsors cover the entire cost of the Chinook Fund Dinner, which of course results in 100% of all donations going directly into our fund which is then invested for us by the Calgary Foundation.

Please note and thank our sponsors. They are:

 

Want to Help Us Even More?

There are many ways to help out our fund.

First of all we welcome your feedback and suggestions on how we might improve on what we are doing and therefore increase the value of the fund.

We also welcome your networking for us by talking us up in your social circles and providing us with introductions and contacts of people that might be interested in helping. Feel free to email us a contact.

While none of us wants to spend too much time contemplating our own mortality, it would be fantastic if you decided to benefit the community by leaving the ‘Chinook Lesbian & Gay Fund’ a legacy or bequest in your will.

Another somewhat ‘painless’ way to give is through the United Way campaign. If you specify that you want your donation to go to ‘the Calgary Foundation for the Calgary Lesbian & Gay Fund’, that is where the money will go.

Even better if your company matches employee donations.

Warmest regards.

The Chinook Lesbian & Gay Fund Steering Committee

Chris Post, Gary Courtney, Michel Borque, Amy Skinner, Jason Hamilton, Kelly Ernst, Gordon Sombrowski, & Troy Mayes

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2016 Chinook Dinner Report

We are thrilled to advise that the Chinook Dinner, held at the Nash Restaurant, on October 19th, had a record attendance. As a result of your generous efforts, in 2016 we have raised a record amount for the fund of about $55,694!

Thanks to our generous sponsors, the TD Canada Trust, the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, the Law Shop, and Bee Kingdom Glass,  all expenses were covered, meaning the full amount of your donations will be added to the Chinook Fund, invested at the Calgary Foundation, and the income earned used to increase our grants in all the years to come.

The total in the Chinook Fund is now approximately $311,000.

Congratulations to our 2016 Chinook Fund Grant recipients, who are:

  • Calgary Outlink providing seed money for a new project targeting the needs of LGBT seniors;
  • Calgary Boys and Girls Clubs to fund a staff education initiative to better deal with transgender youth, plus resources and curriculum for those working with gender and sexually diverse children under the age of 12;
  • Lethbridge’s Theatre Outre and Theatre BSMT for a production next year of the play The Curing Room.

Last but not least, a big congratulations to our Chinook Hero Award recipients for 2016, who are Nancy Miller and Richard Gregory for their decades of advocacy on behalf of our LGBT community. To name only two of their many areas of involvement and accomplishment, they organized the first Calgary Pride Parades and were founders and key members of CLAGPAG, which became a very effective advocate for our human rights. Both our award winners played key roles in obtaining the rights that we now all enjoy!

We hope to have as much success in our 2017 Chinook dinner in October!