The Cochrane Foundation provided $80,000 to local non-profit groups and aspiring medical students at the annual Ramada Cochrane Foundation Awards Ceremony on Mar. 14, at the SLS Centre.
The Cochrane Foundation was first established in 1993, and has been in the community for 41 years. Board Chair for the Cochrane Foundation and presenter for the event, Tim Harvie, said that the foundation is the best kept secret in Cochrane.
He explained that his father, Neil Harvie, was one of the three original founders of the foundation who saw the need for an organization that would allow members of the community to give back to Cochrane.
All the money raised is placed into an endowment fund that goes untouched. The income from said endowment fund that is distributed to local non-profit groups as grants. The board itself made up entirely of local volunteers with a vast array of expertise.
This year, the Cochrane Foundation provided $75,000 for 18 local non-profit groups in the community. It also saw $5,000 given through the Dr. George McQuitty Scholarship fund which is dedicated to medical causes, medical equipment, and/or students pursuing post-graduate studies in the medical field.
“Since the late 90’s, it’s now about 1.2 million dollars that the has returned to the community in the form of grants to various non-profits in the community,” Harvie said.
Recipients for this year’s event include The Cochrane Ecological Institute, BGC Cochrane, The Extreme Cowboy Alberta Association, The Bethany Care Foundation, Jensen Ranch Rescue, The Cochrane and Area Health Foundation, Beaupre Community Association, The Cochrane and Area Humane Society, STARS, Cochrane Public Library, Cochrane Search and Rescue, The Cochrane Art Club, Canadian Adaptive Snowsports Alberta, The Helping Hands Society of Cochrane, The Glenbow Park Ranch Foundation, The Alberta institute for Wildlife Conservation, SLS Recreation Park Society, and the Cochrane and District Ag Society.
Recipients for the Dr. George McQuitty Scholarship include Alexis Miskiewicz-Tomasyzk and Kaitlin Paul, each receiving $2,500 for their studies in the medical field.
