The Campbell River Community Foundation publishes a Vital Signs report every two years for our area. Vital Signs is a national program led by Community Foundations of Canada and published in more than 80 communities across our country. Each report begins with census data and is supplemented at the local level with information provided by organizations in our community. Interviews with organization leaders, annual reports, and community surveys are used to identify and understand the vitality of 13 sectors in and around Campbell River. Community Foundations of Canada collects and compiles the data from all reports and uses this information to help inform their advocacy at the Federal level.
The 2024 Vital Signs report includes the areas of Oyster River to Sayward, Cortes Island, Quadra Island, We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum, Kwiakah First Nations, Homalco First Nation, and Tlowitsis Tribe. Sectors reported on include Arts & Culture, Children & Youth, Belonging & Leadership, the Social Profit Sector (non-profits and charities), Environment, Health, Housing, Getting Started & Income Gap, Learning, Leisure, Safety, Seniors, and Work & Economy. Readers will notice that this year’s publication includes two “Spotlight” sections: the Social Profit Sector and the Seniors Sector.
The “Social Profit” term encompasses both non-profits and charities. This term was coined by David Grant to suggest that, “The well-being of society is dependent on organizations doing their work and doing really well for the good of those they help directly and for the good of their community.” (p. 7, Vital Signs) We wanted to get a better understanding of organizations serving our community – what kind of revenues do organizations have, how secure are they, how many people are employed in this sector, and which populations do organizations serve? We found that social profit organizations are securing and mobilizing multiple millions of dollars in our community, enriching our economy by employing thousands of people who can then pay their mortgage in our community, buy their groceries in our community, and enrich the lives of those they serve in their work, in our community. This sector supports us all either directly or indirectly and is the backbone of wellness in our community. Childcare, housing, access to mental and physical health support, food security, and everything in between.
Our spotlight on the seniors sector highlights the population growth of the 65+ demographic in Campbell River. We are just starting to feel the effects of a ripple, but the “silver tsunami” is yet to come. When considering the “dependency ratio” at .75 – the number of youth up to age 17 combined with the number of adults over 65, compared to the number of working-age adults between 19 and 64, we see that there are .75 people dependent on every 1 working-age person. We hope to bring awareness and inspire collective action for enhancing our community in ways that support our dependent populations – the more we support these populations, the more we are also supporting our working-age population, which in turn, enhances our economic well-being. When our community is economically strong, we anticipate more investment from these economic generators becoming available to put back into our social profit sector. Ultimately, this movement will continue to enhance the common good of the community.
For a summary of how each of our sectors reported are doing, visit the Vital Signs publication at https://crfoundation.ca/vital-signs/ or reach out to info@crfoundation.ca to request hard copies for your business, organization, or self. We would love to hear your ideas on how we can work with you to mobilize the data. It is the mission of the Campbell River Community Foundation to enrich life in Campbell River, and we hope you will join us in our pursuit.
Ten Ways You Can Mobilize Vital Signs:
1. Strategic Planning: Are you a non-profit, charity, or business? Use this report to consider the various sectors in our area and where trends are heading. We invested in the graphic design for 2024 to include many graphs demonstrating change over time. If trends continue on the same trajectory, will your organization be ready for the projection in 3-5 years? What sectors are doing well? How can you tap into those community strengths to inform your planning and be ready?
2. Policy Development and Advocacy: Organizations can use the data to inform policies that address key issues highlighted in the report, advocating for change at all levels including internally, municipally, and regionally.
3. Community Engagement Events: Host a town hall, workshop, or forum for your organization to discuss the findings of the report, brainstorm solutions, and build collaborative strategies.
4. Partnerships: Nonprofits, charities, businesses, and local government agencies can launch joint projects to target specific community needs – consider how and who you can partner with for topics including but not limited to housing, healthcare, environmental sustainability, demographic shifts, and more. Partner with organizations with similar missions to double (or more) your resources and capacity in achieving your initiative, and increase the long-term impact of your work.
5. Funding Applications: Reference Vital Signs as a source of information in your funding applications. Organizations can also consider how the community strengths can be used as an asset in addressing needs.
6. Corporate Social Responsibility Programs: Private companies can develop or adjust their CSR initiatives to focus on areas highlighted by the report, demonstrating how their projects respond to the community’s needs.
7. Educational Campaigns: Schools, colleges, and other educational institutions can create programs or courses that teach students and community members about issues and opportunities detailed in the report.
8. Resource Allocations: Public agencies, businesses, and funders can allocate funding or resources to projects that directly address gaps and opportunities identified in Vital Signs, ensuring that efforts are data-driven and impactful.
9. Collaboration With Media Outlets: Organizations can work with local media to spread awareness of the findings of the report, highlighting success stories and promoting community-wide involvement in addressing challenges.
10. Monitoring and Evaluation: Nonprofits, charities, public agencies, and businesses can establish systems to monitor progress on key issues highlighted in the report, evaluating the impact of initiatives and adjusting strategies as needed to ensure positive outcomes for their organization, and for the community.
Can you think of other ways you can mobilize Vital Signs? We want to hear from you! Let us know by emailing marruda@crfoundation.ca!
While the Campbell River Vital Signs 2024 publication is an initiative of the Campbell River Community Foundation, the report was made possible by our sponsors and funding partners, photo contributors, interviewees, organizations in our community who contributed data and responded to our surveys, and our contractors, of who we are immensely grateful to for all their support and efforts.
Sources of Data: Please view page 21 of the 2024 Vital Signs report for a complete list of all data sources referenced in the publication.
Photo Contributors: City of Campbell River (Bluetree Photography, Alison Dawn Photography), Wei Wai Kum First Nation (Erin Wallis Photography), Campbell River Art Gallery, Greenways Land Trust, Rivercity Inclusion Society, Stonehouse, Campbell River Head Injury Support Society, Q’Waxsem Place, Campbell River Food Bank, Discovery Passage Aquarium, Greenways Loop.
Sponsors:
City of Campbell River, Strathcona Regional District, Campbell River Daybreak Rotary, North Island College, North Island Employment Foundation Society, and Coastal Community Credit Union.
Contractors:
Data Analyst: Creative Clarity Consulting, Graphic Designer: Boleyn Media; Publisher: Kask Graphics
