Foundry receives $450,000 donation for youth

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By Kathy O'Reilly, North Island Eagle, September 13 2024

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Foundry Port Hardy, together with its parent organization, the North Island Crisis and Counselling Centre Society, have received a landmark $450,000 donation from Lemare Forestry, supported by Aa’tu Forestry, Quatsino First Nation, Interfor, BC Timber Sales, and the Province of British Columbia.

Foundry Port Hardy offers young people age 12-24 access mental health and substance use support, primary care, peer support and social services.

The donation was presented  at the Foundry office Sept. 5.

The contribution will directly fuel integrated youth health services, setting a new standard for community-driven social development on the North Island. Coordinated by Lemare Forestry owner, Eric Dutcyvich, the initiative was a multi-organization collaboration, with a vision to redefine what was possible within the forestry sector. 

“Our goal was to combine sustainable resource management and best practices in stewardship with impactful community reinvestment. Foundry Port Hardy is for all youth, from every community, and it bridges major gaps found in traditional systems. We are all so proud to support the important work that Foundry is doing in our rural communities,” Dutcyvich stated. 

This collaboration demonstrates how business, government, and Nations can work together to build essential community programs. This model of partnership, Dutcyvich emphasized, is not just innovative but scalable.  “Thousands of hours of effort went into making this happen, and we’re especially thankful to Quatsino First Nation for their leadership in shaping this opportunity on their territory. In moving forward, we modelled this agreement in a manner that demonstrates how organizations involved in the resource sector can follow suit by dedicating a percentage of profits from similar agreements to social development or underrepresented populations, ensuring lasting benefits for local communities,” Dutcyvich said. “I had a conversation with my family. I said ‘look, we need to sort of plant our flag. I think this is a great cause’. I had conversations with Foundry BC, really believed in the product, spoke to people who have had their lives altered, and improved, supported by the good work that Foundry does” and asked, “how can we support this organization, and I thought what better way than to try and create a collective effort,” he explained. “The Ahousaht First Nation were very early adopters to the concept that we were mutually creating, which was how do we create a vehicle that will allow us to unlock some benefits from the forestry enterprise. The Ahousaht First Nation, Interfor, have dedicated literally thousands of hours to this donation and I am extremely grateful,” Dutcyvich said.