07/29/2008: "New Fund To Support FH Anniversary"

The San Juan Island Community Foundation’s Board of Directors has created a designated Centennial Fund for the Friday Harbor centennial celebration that will be held in 2009.

The Centennial Fund will help focus donors on ways they can support this community-wide historic milestone by supporting local non-profits working on projects and events related to Anniversary celebration

“There are a growing number of projects and grant requests being brought to the Community Foundation related to the Centennial. We decided to create this Fund to emphasize and coordinate the need for philanthropic support,” said Barbara von Gehr, Foundation Board Treasurer and SJICF Coordinator for Arts & Culture.

A wide variety of activities are being planned and include a birthday celebration for the Town’s 100th birthday on February 9, 2009.

Other programs and events are being developed by the Town Centennial Commission, the Community Theater, the Town Historical Preservation Review Board, the San Juan Island Library, the San Juan Historical Museum and Skagit Valley College.

Plans call for everything from a permanent town mural to one of the largest Lummi Tribal gatherings ever seen in the Northwest in recent years.

“These projects will have a lasting impact on our community by creating and documenting a historical context upon which we can define our future. Our stories, our history are the basis of our culture.

This is a great opportunity to recognize that value and support these diverse programs,” said Charles Anderson, Foundation Chair.

The San Juan Island Community Foundation serves as a non-profit, philanthropic umbrella organization helping donors, non-profits and public organizations to achieve their goals through direct grants, organizational assistance and philanthropic resource management.

To learn more and/or to contribute to the Centennial Fund, please call 378-1001 or stop by the Community Foundation office located in the Technology Center, Mullis Street, Friday Harbor.