Surrey, B.C.: In 2016, the Fraser Valley Youth Get It Community Council, along with councils in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, allocated more than $1.53 million through 116 grants to youth-focused programs. Of that total, more than $536,000 went to 37 Fraser Valley organizations that offer programs that build a richer future for youth. The granting announcement was made today by Coast Capital Savings' Youth Get It Community Council for Fraser Valley, in honour of BC Youth Week.

The total monies granted represent a 25% increase in the number of programs supported over the previous year. View a complete list of Fraser Valley grant recipients.

The Youth Get It Community Councils embody Coast Capital's Youth Get It approach to upholding the four pillars of its community promise: to financially empower youth, help them succeed at school, build healthy minds and empower good health. The councils are made up of emerging leaders under the age of 30—four from the community and four who are employees from the credit union. Council members can serve up to three years.

Members of Coast Capital's three regional Youth Get It Community Councils are responsible for reviewing grant applications and deciding how to best allocate the credit union's community investment funding.

"Our Youth Get It Community Council is one of Coast Capital Savings' signature community leadership initiatives and a cornerstone of our Youth Get It program," said Wendy Lachance, Director, Community Leadership at Coast Capital Savings. "Youth Week is an ideal opportunity to celebrate the incredible work of the councils."

"There's nothing like starting a chain reaction for positive change," said Brenden Graham, returning Council member and 2017 Council chair for the Fraser Valley. "Coast Capital's ‘for youth, by youth' approach to community leadership gives young people like me and my council colleagues the power to make a real difference to youth-focused programs in my community. By helping young people today, our investment will echo into the future, so that people we help now may be able to help others later."

The community grants support youth-focused programs like the Surrey Schools REACH program. REACH helps vulnerable youth in seven inner city schools to transition from secondary school to independent adulthood by reconnecting them to school, building employment skills, and developing links to employers that are currently hiring young, skilled staff.

"The support of Coast Capital Savings' Youth Get It Community Council is crucial for us to help our youth," said Liane Ricou, Surrey School District's Manager of Business Development. "By offering a safe and engaging place to learn, we see more than 120 young people each year make the move from school to employment with skills and confidence. It's wonderful to see our graduates making positive contributions to their community."

About Coast Capital Savings

Coast Capital Savings is Canada's largest credit union by membership. An Imagine Canada Caring Company, the credit union invested $5.6 million into local communities in 2016, focusing on empowering and engaging youth. Named a BC Top Employer in 2017, Coast Capital is also a member of Canada's Best Managed Companies Platinum Club. It has 52 branches serving its 543,000 members in the Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and Okanagan regions of British Columbia. Product innovations include Canada's first free chequing account from a full-service financial institution. To learn more, visit coastcapitalsavings.com.

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