November 19, 2012

Charitable organization established

BRADLEY FEHR

editor

The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) launched a new charitable organization, the Construction Foundation of B.C., with a significant donation to a Lower Mainland charity.

“The (BCCA) board had talked about creating an avenue for charitable donations,” said Abigail Fulton, the association’s vice president.

“We realized that there really isn’t a construction foundation out there.”

The entity was created to give the province’s construction industry a way to contribute to the advancement of education and research, as well as provide opportunities to make charitable contributions to support B.C. apprenticeship programs, industry research and special projects.

“Contractors in general are extremely generous and many of them already give to charitable organizations,” she said.

“So, we felt the time was right to create our own foundation.”

Fulton added that the primary goal of the new organization is to provide apprenticeship training and provide grants for apprenticeships, but also contribute to worthy projects and research.

The association president said the creation of the foundation has been a while in the making.

“With the new Construction Foundation, the BCCA board has achieved a long-time goal: a mechanism for making sustained financial contributions from our member services revenue to directly support the future of the B.C. construction industry,” said Manley McLachlan.

“The foundation is exactly what the name implies – a strong foundation from which to build a healthy future for this critical sector of B.C.’s economy.

“As builders, our members take pride in everything they produce and the BCCA is extremely proud to have facilitated this new foundation on their behalf.”

The kick-off event for the foundation was a $65,000 donation to Honour House in New Westminster, B.C.

Honour House is a 10-suite home that provides free interim accommodation for current or former Canadian Forces personnel or first responders and their families when they travel to the Vancouver area for medical treatment.

“Honour House is a construction project, so it’s a natural for the construction industry to be involved in a worthy project like this,” Fulton explained.

“At the BCCA board, they realized this was a perfect opportunity to launch the foundation and do some real good.”

The Construction Foundation of B.C. contribution will assist Honour House with the recent installation of a new elevator, which will make the building more accessible for wheelchairs and gurneys.

Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) member firms were key contributors of cash and in-kind donations during the renovation and launching of the facility.

The BCCA is the umbrella organization for four regional construction associations in the province: the VRCA; the B.C. Construction Association North; the Vancouver Island Construction Association; and the Southern Interior Construction Association.

Print | Comment