The post Newsletter #37: November 2022 appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

We know that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been equally distributed; older and younger adults have been disproportionately impacted, as well as people who already experience health inequities, intersecting inequities, and broader systemic inequities.

The pandemic has had vast and lasting impacts on us all and it has greatly exacerbated existing inequities for those already made vulnerable due to systemic barriers. It has shown us where we need to provide better, stronger public health solutions. We have much work to do to recover and address the societal consequences of the pandemic, and protect everyone in BC as we begin to live safely and thoughtfully with the current state.

We are committed to prioritizing BC’s recovery, addressing the societal consequences of the pandemic, and supporting BC through this next phase through our newest campaign, Your Health, Our Commitment.

Since February 2020, we’re proud to be playing an important role in supporting BC’s COVID-19 public health response. Over the past few years, thanks to our donors and partners, we’re supporting: population health monitoring critical for decision-making that is grounded in experiences; vaccine research, including vaccine effectiveness and helping to build vaccine confidence; key tools such as wastewater testing; and much more.

From understanding how the virus mutates and spreads, to the rapid development of novel vaccines, we’ve learned so much about the science of COVID-19, and we’re in a much different place than we were a few years ago. At the same time, we’ve also learned quite a bit about the societal aspects of the pandemic as well.

Just as we were able to come together in early 2020 in response to the pandemic, it’s time to mobilize again to rebuild, reimagine, and recover. Together, we can design a stronger, healthier, more equitable future. This is our commitment to your health.

Through Your Health, Our Commitment, we will keep working with our partners and donors to support BC in preparing for, and responding to, threats to the health of our communities now and into the future.

You can be a part of this next phase, too. By donating to Your Health, Our Commitment, you join a community of donors, public health organizations, government, academics, health practitioners, and other funders to foster healthy communities and strengthen our responses for the future.

A gift to Your Health, Our Commitment will:

• support research and people;
• address the long-term negative societal and health impacts of the pandemic;
• provide critical public health solutions for capacities and infrastructure;
• translate knowledge to action in practice and policy;
• bolster collaboration across the public health sector;
• mobilize evidence-based information to increase public knowledge; and
• enable us to direct funding in a responsive, and nimble way as we continue to deal with the flux of our times.

We invite you to join us with a donation to Your Health, Our Commitment and help us support pandemic recovery, strengthen public health, and build resilient communities for all.

The post Your Health, Our Commitment: Our New Campaign to Support Pandemic Recovery, Strengthen Public Health, and Build Resilient Communities For All appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

The post Newsletter #31: December 2021 appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

We are delighted to again be part of the global Giving Tuesday movement for giving and volunteering taking place each year after Black Friday.  This day of philanthropy and service unites us in care for causes right around the world.

From our passionate staff team and committed volunteer board, we send a warm thank you from our hearts, and gratitude to you for giving from yours.

Our work for health equity continues and is expanding to meet community needs. We look forward to sharing some emerging priority projects in the coming year.

To support the Emergency Response Fund or to learn more about how you can support health equity, please visit our site or connect with Natasha Krotez, Director of Development at 604-707-2415 or natasha.krotez@bccdc.ca

The post Committed Supporters Gave from the Heart this Giving Tuesday appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

The post Newsletter #30: November 2021 appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

From simply giving through our website, to holding fundraisers, organizing campouts, donating poker winnings, and more, we could go on and on sharing all the ways British Columbians (of all ages!) have found a way to support our Emergency Response Fund.

And this Giving Tuesday, we’re asking if you would do the same: give.

Give because you want to put this pandemic behind us once and for all.
Give because you care for your fellow British Columbians.
Give because it’s who you are.

And give because you believe in what we do.

Our work in public health is nowhere near complete. Your donation to our Emergency Response Fund will help us focus on addressing the current pandemic, as well as transitioning our thinking around public health to a broader view—one that places public health research, programs, policy, awareness, and capacity at the forefront.

Your gift to our Emergency Response Fund will help us remain focused on COVID-19 response and prevention, while at the same time shifting toward pandemic recovery, proactive planning, and learning, to ensure that we help keep the population of British Columbia safe and healthy through the next months and well beyond.

Whether it’s $5, $50, $500, or $5,000, every dollar counts. And every dollar helps put this pandemic behind us, so we can move on.

Please consider donating to our Emergency Response Fund this Giving Tuesday, and join the millions of Canadians across the country who will be participating in this day of giving back too.

You’re busy, and we’re busy too. We get it. Even the most important things can easily slip our minds at times, so to ensure you don’t forget on the 30^th, click below and make your Giving Tuesday contribution to our Emergency Response Fund today.

Without you, we couldn’t do this important work of helping to keep British Columbians like yourself, and those you most cherish, safe and healthy. We thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity this Giving Tuesday.

The post ‘Tis the Season of Giving Tuesday appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

Chances are, you’ve heard of Black Friday—the massive shopping day after American Thanksgiving in late November. Maybe you’ve even heard of Cyber Monday? (It’s the Monday following Black Friday when, you guessed it, a ton of online shopping and sales happen).

And then, there’s Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday was started in response to the mind-boggling levels of spending that occur from Black Friday thru Cyber Monday. It’s an international movement to promote charitable giving, and encourages us to take a moment to consider how we’re spending our hard-earned dollars. It’s a day for us to think, “how can I make a positive difference in my community?” (and maybe “I just got a great deal on 10 unicorn-shaped mugs, maybe that money could go toward some good”) This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 3.

The majority of us jump on these shopping sales, whip out our credit cards with abandon, and buy, buy, buy! And I get it—gifts need to be bought, and buying things is just fun sometimes. But what if we were that excited about things like helping people, supporting the environment, changing harmful inequalities, and building a more beautiful world?

It’s a lot harder to see the impact when you make your $25 donation. It’s not like that unicorn mug, all shiny and sparkly and waiting to be unboxed. But I can tell you: it makes a huge difference.

Let me give you a for instance. A few weeks ago, I was at a dialogue event with survivors of conversion therapy to discuss and plot how we can galvanize support to end it. At it, one participant came up to me, pulled me aside and said,

The amazing folks who’ve given to our crowdfunding campaign made that happen. That participant was flown across the country, and the chance to meet other survivors, and play an active role in launching work that is going to protect LGBTQ2+ folx like him. This is boundary-pushing, life-saving, law-changing work that’s happening, and this man got to be a part of it because of a bunch of people, just like you, gave $25 (or $10, or $50…).

So, Giving Tuesday. It’s around the corner. This year, I encourage you to think about how you can make a positive difference. Still buy all your gifts that’ll make your friends and family happy, but what about making a positive impact on a stranger’s life?

We have three key projects going right now, all related to public health that you can support:

• Funding new research and policy action that will impact the health and well-being of LGBTQ2S+ survivors of conversion therapy. Click here to donate.
• Directly supporting peers to take on overdose response, harm reduction, and anti-stigma work in their communities, while building their capacity to organize themselves. Donate to our reducing harms priority.
• Donate to help us find out if we can prevent childhood asthma. New research being conducted at the BCCDC is aimed at making sure generations of children can breathe easy. Donate to our addressing threats priority.

Not sure what you want to give towards, but just want to make sure we have good public health solutions? Donate to our Driving Innovation Fund.

The post What’s this Giving Tuesday thing, anyway? appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.