Foundation aims to create new source of money for community projects

The Community Foundation of P.E.I. wants to take more direct charge of its own future, and help Island communities do the same.

The foundation is planning to create a new fund, valued at $625,000, that would make money available for projects every year. The idea came out of a new report — Vital Signs, released Tuesday — that was a state-of-the-Island report in terms of community health.

The Vital Signs report marks 25 years for the organization. It currently manages 90 individual charitable funds, but it doesn't have the flexibility to set the agenda to address issues raised in Vital Signs.

"The intent would be that we will establish this fund by being able to have a minimum of $25,000 a year that will go to causes that are established as priorities in Vital Signs, and that will be in perpetuity," said foundation executive director Kent Hudson.

The report looked at many aspects of community health, including the work people are doing, housing and where people are choosing to live, the environment, and sense of belonging. It found all these things are intertwined.

"It gives us a better pulse of where we should be focusing some of our efforts going forward and that's really the intent," said Hudson.

"There may or may not be very new, earth-shattering information in this document, but what it allows us to do is hone in on some of the areas that perhaps we can make a difference on or perhaps other Islanders can make a difference on."

Hudson hopes Vital Signs will start a conversation about where communities are going on P.E.I., and where they need to go.

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