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2018 Funded Grants

Through generous donations made by our community, the Vancouver Police Foundation funds innovative, creative, and inspiring VPD community programs each year.

These programs and initiatives fall outside of the regular operating budget of the city and the VPD officers that operate these programs typically do so on their own time – after a shift or on days off. Program support falls within four key areas: Community Outreach & Engagement, Mental Health and Addictions, Youth and Technology & Special Equipment.

Below are some of the programs that were funded by the Foundation in 2018 thanks to the support of our donors.

Community Outreach & Engagement

Project 529 $5,000

In 2015, the Foundation provided the seed funding to bring Project 529 to Vancouver. The program is focused on combating and reducing bike theft in the city. The 2018 grant will assist the Project 529 team with the purchase of additional bike registration decals, which visually indicate that a bike is registered within this VPD program.

Get Woke Cybercrime $10,000

Millennials and members of Generation Z are surprisingly more at-risk online due to the prevalence of technology in their lives. In order to create awareness and foster online safety, the Foundation will support a digital media campaign led by VPD Financial Crime Unit that will highlight common cyber frauds and associated preventative measures.

Women’s Personal Safety Team $10,025

The Women’s Personal Safety Team (WPST) delivers personal safety workshops that empower women to feel safe, aware and provide the tools to counter asocial violence. With the past support of the Foundation, the program has grown exponentially in the last five years and has reached over 2000+ women in Vancouver. The 2018 grant will assure the WPST’s continued growth and outreach in our community.

Seniors Health and Safety Fair $15,000

A one-day forum that brings together subject matter experts on a range of topics including financial fraud, personal safety, health and wellness and more for seniors in Vancouver. This demographic is vulnerable to abuse and the fair allows for seniors to build relationships with the VPD, CPC volunteers and other experts.

Safety Resource Kits $10,000

With no time to gather basic supplies, domestic violence victims often have limited financial resources to assist themselves and their children or will feel pressured to return to their abuser. The Safety Resource Kits, prepared by detectives from the VPD’s Domestic Violence and Criminal Harassment Unit are tailored to the individual and can contain grocery or drugstore cards, emergency whistles, hand sanitizer, a 911 cell phone or phone minutes, protective cloth masks, emergency snacks and more. These Safety Resource Kits contain products like clothing, food, water, hygiene products, bus passes, cell phone pre-paid cards to empower victims to get away and start again.

Her Time $9,000

Gang Education and Prevention programs have primarily been conducted with a male-focus, yet young women are also victims of gang violence and the tragedies that come with involvement in gang life. Her Time was created to provide young women with a voice and to allow women to actively participate in taking control of their lives. Her Time has reached over 40 schools, 11 community groups and more than 9,000 girls and women in eight BC cities. Proactively, the program provides young women with the tools, resources and knowledge about the dangers of gang lifestyle. Reactively, the program offers women currently involved or at high-risk to becoming involved in gang life the opportunity to connect with the detectives who will provide assistance with an exit strategy.

Mental Health & Addictions

ID4ME $4,000

The ID4ME identification project is designed to assist low barrier and vulnerable individuals move forward in their lives by providing them with photo identification The success of this program has been felt, in particular, in the Downtown Eastside with the residents in the area using their new ID to open bank accounts, obtain improved housing, visitation privileges to Alouette Correctional Centre for Women and upgrading their education. Every contact made with individuals in this program closes the gap just that little bit which helps to strengthen the existing relationship with the police.

Technology & Special Equipment

Emergency Response Team (TEMS) Medic Program Equipment $8,000

The VPD ERT medic program has identified a need for a flashlight that allows the medic to work hands-free on an injured officer. The Foundation will fund a specialty flashlight that has blood highlighting and night vision capabilities. In addition, the flashlight is waterproof up to 200 meters for marine operations and can also be mounted on a tactical vest or metal surfaces. The TEMS Medic Program is credited with saving the lives of VPD officers seriously injured in the line of duty as well as suspected criminals.

ERT Medic Program Intubating Mannequins $2,700

The VPD ERT Medic Program has had over a dozen deployments, including interventions performed on an officer severely wounded in the line of duty. The Foundation has funded an intubating mannequin to assist the VPD during the robust annual training program for the maintenance of core competencies.

E-Bicycle $11,700

The Foundation is providing seed funding for a new VPD E-Bicycle Program to test two new e-bicycles as a new option for VPD deployment. These bicycles can be utilized in various functions including beach patrol and have the ability to cover a much larger area for rapid deployment.

Youth Programs

Love Who You Want. Play What You Want. $25,000

The Foundation is supporting a new social media campaign spotlighting the issues surrounding LGTBQS2+ community specifically related to individual and team sport environments. This campaign will include an educational video along with a partnership with the Vancouver Police Athletic League to students, sport teams and community groups around this very serious issue.

YouthConnect 2018 $10,000

YouthConnect is a one-day symposium designed to give high school students a forum to discuss trends such as consent, diversity, healthy relationships and personal safety. While the VPD has a number of excellent programs aimed at preventing crime, promoting public safety and building bridges with youth (PAL, Student Challenge, Cadets), young people continue to face difficult decisions about personal relationships, safety and online behavior and often feel isolated and without support. This has resulted in physical and sexual assaults in schools, distribution of personal and intimate images and unsafe social media use. YouthConnect was created in 2017 to combat these emerging trends. Each year, approximately 150 students, staff and counsellors from public and private schools in Vancouver attend to discuss and learn about consent, diversity, healthy relationships, personal safety and safe dating.

VGBA Langara Showcase $5,000

In 2018, The Vancouver Girl’s Basketball Association partnered up with Langara College and the Vancouver Police Department to run a girl’s basketball tournament featuring sixteen Vancouver schools. The logistics and the fixed costs associated to this event are covered through various community sponsors. This grant provided scholarships to eight graduating senior girls for the 2019 VGBA Langara Challenge that runs in January. This event and the support of the VPD and the VPD basketball club is intended to equally represent female basketball players in Vancouver since a boys tournament has been running in the city since 2010.

Windermere Run Club $11,700

The Club provides a supportive and welcoming running environment for dozens of youth. Grades 8-12 students are at-risk of negative association, criminal involvement and victimization. By participating in the Club, led by a VPD School Liaison Officer, the youth are learning to overcome personal challenges together by running as a collective and encouraging each other. In addition, they develop positive relationships with VPD members. The Foundation will fund the purchase of running gear for students to train safely and in all weather conditions, as well as race entrance fees and other expenses.

NewKids $25,000

With the numbers of newcomer youth entering Vancouver area schools continuing to increase, the Foundation is committed to continue its support of NewKids program to support new immigrant and refugee youth to develop a sense of identity and belonging. The ten-week program focuses on instilling education and awareness around law enforcement through peer and police mentorship, to avert the risk of negative behaviours, and criminal involvement. In addition, it offers newcomer and refugee youth the chance to form positive relationships, instilling civic pride, self-empowerment and a foundation for positive decision making.

VPD Musqueam Basketball Camp $5,000

This program was developed for youth living on the Musqueam reserve lands and will provide basketball equipment and sports jerseys for the participants. The program has been running since 2010 and has helped foster deeper connections between the Musqueam Nation and the VPD.