Another year, another project. YSHIFT has been busy working on our Community Builder Project, creating a mural for the Glanville Centre. We are in the designing stage and we hope to have the painting underway by mid spring. We are looking forward to bringing colour to the stairwell of the old building.

Along with the mural we also are adopting a trail from the Grand Forks Community Trails Society, assisting the Sunshine Valley Childcare Society with yard maintenance and in the planning stages of a youth dance hopefully to be held next fall. We are grateful to Heritage Canada and Canada Volunteer Initiative grant programs to fund these projects for our community.

Currently, YSHIFT volunteered with the Book Under Every Tree program held in December as well as the Mother Goose Reunion held in City Park mid February, both hosted by the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy. We are also continuing to volunteer for Teen Night's at the Grand Forks Aquatic Centre when they are held.

YSHIFT is always looking for youth who would like to join our team. We are a group made up of youth, aged approx 14-19, who want to make a difference in our community and beyond. We meet twice a month at the Hutton Family Centre and plan events, review grant application for youth projects, volunteer with community groups, take part in leadership opportunities and above all, have fun!

If you have an interest in joining YSHIFT or if you have any further questions, please contact Becky Deane at colbec@sunshinecable.com or 442 2614 or Marci Butler at marci.butler@sd5l.bd.ca or 442 8285.

Donors, and recipients as well as everyone in the Boundary can rightfully feel that the Phoenix Foundation of the Boundary Communities is their foundation. Individuals from our communities, individuals who had a strong desire to improve life within our communities, founded the Phoenix Foundation.

The Directors and Advisors reflect the diversity and proportionately represent our communities. We are truly a Boundary organization. Boundary donations are received, invested, managed, and distributed by our colleagues, friends and neighbours.

Local Charities identify the needs in our communities and through a grant application justify the need. If the application is found worthy, the charity receives the grant, addresses the need and in the process leverages other contributions and a tremendous amount of volunteer effort.

This truly builds community capacity - the capacity to address our needs with resources from within our communities.

The Phoenix Foundation, like other community foundations in Canada, offers the donor a broad variety of options.