There is a brand new buzz around the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts (FOWA) this year. In conjunction with the celebration of the 35 years of bringing the best of Canadian writers to the Coast, the board of directors unveiled its Literacy for a Lifetime campaign.
The ambitious plan is to build the three existing endowments to $1 million. At present the trio total $250,000.
Wendy Hunt, past president of the festival board, recalled a time in the early 1990s when the festival came close to folding due to money constraints. Having the endowment would allow the directors to breathe easier and to keep ticket prices down, she explained.
“It would be comfortable to know [FOWA] has this nest egg that could return $40,000 a year for operations if the fund reached $1 million. It would go a long way to helping Jane Davidson, the producer, with programming. For one thing she could look further afield for authors to appear at the festival. We could have more authors from eastern Canada. We are always so aware of travel costs. This extra money could make a real difference,” Hunt said.
The Sunshine Coast Community Foundation holds and invests the endowments. That organization has a stellar reputation for managing funds; it recently received accreditation from Imagine Canada. And the icing on the cake is all donations to the endowment campaign are eligible for matching funds from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The contribution of FOWA to the economy of the Coast has been impressive. The festival organizers estimated each four-day event brings about $250,000 to the community. For a homegrown festival, that’s not chump change. And that’s not the only benefit of the festival.
Over its 35 years, the festival has hosted 816 writers – arguably the most of its kind in Western Canada. The 1,500-plus local and out-of-town patrons FOWA serves annually eagerly await the line-up each year. And whether it’s an established author such as Camilla Gibb, an emerging talent such as Eva Crocker, or a local star such as Kara Stanley, the festival never disappoints. It’s a sure bet any event that can attract 175 volunteers each year is popular with Coast residents.
Year round the Festival brings renowned Canadian authors to Sunshine Coast schools. Over 1,000 students participate each year in Celebration of Authors, books and Community (CABC), a FOWA/school district collaboration. Under CABC’s umbrella, seven issues of Coastal Voices, an annual anthology of work by local students, have been published. In the past 10 years of community outreach programming, 14,000 students, educators and community members were impacted.
The new fundraising campaign centres around 35. Whether folks can afford $35 or $35,000, every donation is welcome. And all donations over $20 receive income tax receipts. For anyone able, a commitment of $35 a month for 35 months would be a great way to contribute to the sustainability of FOWA and all its literacy programs. For details on how to donate, go to the festival’s website (www.writersfestival.ca) or phone 604-885-9631.
