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Music in the Park gets boost

Donation from Island Savings will go towards supporting annual event

This month the Brentwood Bay Revitialization Committee got a boost from Island Savings.

The local credit union recently donated $1,000 to the Committee.

“It’s very important to us to get these types of donations,” said Committee Treasurer, Ginny Alger. “We’ve got some very generous supporters in the community.”

The Committee has received the award from Island Savings for the last few years and puts the money towards Music in the Park and Brentwood Days festival.

As part of the evolution of their successful Growing Island Families Together (GIFT) program, Island Savings added two new elements to their community investment program in 2012, which resulted in over 50 groups receiving over $45,000 in donations.

The first addition — local giving committees — invited employees from all of the financial institution’s branches and administration offices to review applications for GIFT funding that were in their immediate communities.

The donations, which ranged anywhere from $75 to $3,300, were given to groups who may have been passed over elsewhere because of their smaller requests.

“It’s important to us that we involve our staff in our annual giving process,” said Bronwyn Dunbar, senior manager of marketing and community investment at Island Savings.

“Our employees are passionate about their communities. It is one of the many things that draw them to Island Savings and they interact regularly with our members so it only makes sense that they get to have a say in where our GIFT dollars go.”

The second addition to the program also came at the suggestion of Island Savings employees.

Throughout 2012, the last Friday of each month was designated as Jeans Day, where branch and administration staff chose local charities to benefit from funds that came directly from staff in exchange for wearing jeans to work as a community fundraiser. This also provided an opportunity for them to talk to their members about the charities they were donating to.

“We’ve carried both enhancements to the GIFT program over into this year and are looking forward to helping even more Island charities,” Dunbar added.

The Committee will run Music in the Park this year through July and August and the Brentwood Days festival will be held on the first Saturday of June.

— With files from Island Savings