Write to Read BC

Tag: funding

  • Lax Kw’alaams

    About the community

    Lax Kw’alaams is an Indigenous village community in BC, not far from the city of Prince Rupert. It is located on Port Simpson Indian Reserve No. 1.

    In the community, the Coast Tsimshian Academy provides classrooms for 26 kindergarten students and 156 students in Grades 1 to 12. The school is a beautiful, two-storey, building of 2,000 m², tailored to the needs of the community. With a large, state-of-the art kitchen, and well-thought-out design and layout, the school is also a place for large groups of people to gather.

    Outdoor view of the Academy, the school in Lax Kw'alaam.

    The school has spaces to learn home economics, industrial arts, and cultural activities. All classrooms have taken into account the needs of learners today, including electronic and spatial needs, as well as the relationship between teacher and student. There are also central gathering spaces connected to other common social areas, and quiet spaces to allow for more intimate learning opportunities.

    The school is designed so it could be expanded to meet long-term projections of 175 to 200 students. As economic development projects in the area get underway, community members living elsewhere could return to Lax Kw’alaams. The school welcomes their children and youth to the community with its successful model for educating.

    View from the water, up the hill, of the Lax Kw'alaam town.
    A view of the town from the water.

    About the library

    Write to Read BC installed its 11th library here by partnering with Academy of Lax Kw’alaams to expand its library offerings. The Rotary Club of Mission Sunrise was its sponsor.

    Bandstra Transportation moves shelves from its loading dock onto a truck, for shipping to a library.
    Bandstra Transportation provided its trucks to help Write to Read BC move library shelves.

  • Ditidaht

    About the community

    The Ditidaht First Nation is a band government on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The government has 17 reserve lands: Ahuk, Tsuquanah, Wyah, Clo-oose, Cheewat, Sarque, Carmanah, Iktuksasuk, Hobitan, Oyees, Doobah, Malachan, Opatseeah, Wokitsas, Chuchummisapo, and Saouk.

    Several of these lands are part of the newly established Pacific Rim National Park and can be reached on foot by the West Coast Trail. The land, waters, resources, and environment have always been the source of life, culture, and spirituality of the Ditidaht People.

    Ditidaht First Nation is governed by an elected Chief and councillors. Ditidaht Economic Development Corporation manages economic development the nation.

    About the library

    Write to Read BC installed its ninth library here, in partnership with the community. The Rotary Club of North Delta was a sponsor of this library.

  • Usborn funding for books

    Usborne Books at Home is funding $1,000 each for Write to Read BC’s current library projects. A discussion over the summer led to Usborne’s support for the libraries of Gitsegukla, Tsideldel, and Heiltsuk first nations.

    With each $1,000 order, Usborne will also provide free shipping and a 25% credit for additional purchases. This helps Write to Read BC make cash donations go even further. Our volunteer team thanks Usborne and its local representative, Louise Toews, for their generosity.

    Logo for Usborne Books At Home Canada.

    Write to read BC volunteer Wendy Brundage visited Gitsegukla in early September, and will follow up with the Elementary School’s principal Louise Ormerod to consult on the school’s book choices.

    Usborne is based in southern Ontario, and has been in business for over 50 years. It’s a past winner of Children’s Book Publisher of the Year. Its mission is to help spread a love of literacy to kids and their families across Canada.

  • 10 BC libraries to get SILT funds

    In April, Write to Read BC members identified 10 libraries eligible for funding from the Supporting Indigenous Libraries Today foundation, or SILT. Its goal is to support Indigenous communities that do not currently have a public library, and to help existing First Nations public libraries to expand.

    SILT foundation is set up by Goodminds.com, which donates 5% of sales to the foundation.

    SILT supports Write to Read BC with generous funding. In Bella Bella, a Write to Read BC library received books worth $10,000 this summer. SILT also donated over $8,000 to support the Gitsegukla community library in BC with a donation of new books.

    Write to Read BC co-lead, Bob Blacker, said: “The response to these books from our communities has been amazing. For the kids, it is the best part of the library. SILT is a true platinum sponsor of our project.” Blacker gives his heartfelt gratitude to Goodminds.com owner Achilles Gentle, and former owner Jeff Burnham.

    Burnham is a member of the Write to read BC team of volunteers.

    SILT logo. SILT is a foundation funded by Goodminds.com.

    Blacker invites indigenous-led libraries in BC to contact Write to Read BC for information on how to access and use SILT funds for books.

    Act now:

    Contact Write to Read BC

  • Haida Gwaii Old Massett library opens

    With much of the community in attendance, Haida Gwaii opened its new library on April 25, 2017. Community leaders want the aboriginal library to promote literacy and encourage a love of learning in Old Massett.

    Old Massett is on the north end of Graham Island in Haida Gwaii, a group of islands off the BC coast, near Alaska.

    The idea for this library began with Literacy Haida Gwaii, about three years ago. The community received $60,000 in sponsorship when the literacy society partnered with Write to Read BC, Rotary Club, and Government House.

    To get started, the project received $5,000 for books and resources. The library also has two computers, with Internet access. Community members now have access to resources beyond Old Massett.

    Judith Guichon, lieutenant-governor of BC, attended the library opening, along with Chris Neufeld of Britco Structures (now Boxx Modular).

    Britco sponsors the Write to Read BC project by donating modular buildings and paying to ship them to isolated communities that want a library. The Old Massett module was shipped free of charge by BC Ferries. Vancouver Island Regional Library will help train volunteers to manage the library database. London drugs donated computers.

  • Write to Read BC on national news

    The CBC’s flagship television news program The National recently featured an 8-minute broadcast about the Write to Read BC project, which was broadcast across Canada. CBC aboriginal affairs reporter Duncan McCue, based in Vancouver, visited a native library in Malahat on Vancouver Island and spoke with several members of the project. Chief Michael Harry says he was pleased the library was built entirely from donated services and fundraising, without any federal or provincial support.

    “It’s showed the government that we can do this without them, and that we want to thrive,” said Harry. “But more importantly, we want to create relationships with external communities surrounding us.” The Malahat Kwunew Kwasun Cultural Resource Centre will celebrate its grand opening this summer.

    Malahat library construction in the news.

    The CBC show mainly told the story of Write to Read BC founders, former lieutenant-governor Steven Point and his former aide de camp Bob Blacker. Point ended his term as lieutenant-governor in 2012 and was reappointed as a provincial court judge, so in his current position he cannot continue as spokesperson. But he’s thrilled to see Write to Read BC continue to grow.

    “It’s connecting these folks, breaking down barriers that should never have been there. And they’re coming out to the communities for the first time, saying, ‘We want to help,’” said Point.

    Point’s successor, lieutenant-governor of BC Judith Guichon, has enthusiastically endorsed the project since she took over the post. Write to Read BC has installed and opened six libraries, with six more on the way. To date, 30,000 books have been donated.

    Watch more:

    The National broadcast on CBC

  • Hidden costs cause Snunymuxw pivot

    Write to Read BC withdrew its interest in receiving a building from the Municipality of Oak Bay, due to hidden costs. Our construction response team immediately identified a better financial option.

    Instead, the Young Professionals of Nanaimo have decided that, for the Snunymuxw library, they will build the same solution we used for the Xeni Gwet’in library. They have already raised $25,000 towards building and met with Write to Read BC’s architect, Scott Kemp, about the design.

  • Xeni Gwet’in library in costing

    Plans for a Xeni Gwet’in library are on track. This is our very first Version 4 library—one that will be built on site, rather than premade and shipped in. The library’s opening date depends on how the design and building proceed, and on funding for that to happen.

    Before we can ask the Jack Gin Foundation to support it, our construction response team will need to determine exactly how much this library will cost to build.

  • Windsor Plywood supplies at cost

    Write to Read BC representatives met the owner of Windsor Plywood for Vancouver Island, who agreed to supply Write to Read BC with the plywood we were looking for at cost.

    The plywood and other materials will become bookshelves that Nanaimo Correctional Centre will build for Write to Read BC projects.

    $20,000 cash donation

    Also, the owner, Randal Jones, donated $20,000 to Write to Read BC toward library construction costs.

  • Old Massett library seeks partners

    Old Massett band members talked about their concept of an Aboriginal library with Write to Read BC team members, recently. They were joined by Beng Leng Favreau of Literacy Haida Gwaii, and Christoph Neufeld from Britco Structures (now Boxx Modular).

    Britco is providing modular buildings to house a number of Write to Read BC libraries.

    The partnership now needs to find a Rotary Club to adopt this community fundraising project, so work can begin.

    The community is very excited that we are preparing to do that. A visit to the community by Steven Point, the governor-general of BC, has also raised interest.