St. Clement's helps kick off library fund
In the aftermath of the violent stabbing incident at Lynn Valley Village on March 27, the community rallied in myriad ways to support those injured, remember the young woman who died, and pay tribute to all who rushed to the scene to help - whether they were passersby or first responders.
It became clear that a healthy community is a resilient community. The "#LynnValleyStrong" hashtag was quickly and popularly adopted as a description of this neighbourhood's response to the event - but strong communities don't come out of nowhere. They are the result of years of work on the part of parents, educators, neighbours, faith groups and other non-profits, local government, engaged businesses, and more.
To recognize this, St. Clement's asked the North Vancouver District Public Library if we could make a donation to launch a Caring Communities fund to help the library provide even more resources to keep Lynn Valley strong. Library Director Jacqueline van Dyke met with our deacon Peggy to work on the details and put a plan together. The library recently announced the fund's launch, as well as the installation of beautiful community-sourced art pieces created to remember the "Lynn Valley Love" that was on display after the sad event in March. As excerpted from the library's web post:
St. Clement’s Anglican Church’s generous donation to North Vancouver District Public Library has inspired the launch of the ‘Caring Communities Fund’. Funds donated to the Library as a result of the March attack will be used to expand the resources offered by the library to help the community build resilience, educate themselves on critical issues, foster kindness and connection, and promote peace-building. One initiative made possible with the new fund will be the creation of special resource kits to spark learning and discussion on topics ranging from anti-racism to supportive parenting to Reconciliation.
Community members who are in a position to support this fund can do so by visiting the Canada Helps page.
We very much enjoyed working in partnership with the Lynn Valley library administration on this project, and hope the fund is supported in many ways, to celebrate or honour various causes and events, well into the future. The donation from St. Clement's came from our diaconal outreach fund, composed of money donated for use in the wider community. Please speak with Peggy should you have any questions about the diaconal outreach fund.