The Cumberland Community Forest Society (CCFS) has been presented with an incredible opportunity thanks to a generous donor who has offered a “magic match” for the week of Oct. 24-31.
Up to $50,000 will be matched, dollar for dollar, from special events and donor drives for the last week of October. That’s $100,000 in forest-saving fundraising potential. This week-long campaign called “Perseverance Week” is filled with events and initiatives to celebrate the Cumberland Forest community and its efforts to protect the forests, creeks and wetlands surrounding Cumberland and in the Perseverance Watershed.
Perseverance Week kicks off Thursday, Oct. 24 with “Perseverance, Climate and Resilience” a guided walk in the lower Perseverance Watershed to learn more about Project Perseverance and how this project is linked to the village’s coal-mining past and future climate resilience. Walk leaves at 3:30 p.m. from the Japanese #1 town-site on Comox Lake Road. Walk is by donation.
Also kicking off Thursday is an online auction featuring art, food, drink and services for local artists and businesses, all in support of this week-long fundraising drive. Check out www.cumberlandforest.com for links to the Perseverance Week Auction. Donations still welcome.
Limited tickets are available now for a special Saturday, Oct. 26 “Witches in the Woods – The Shadow Path” forest walk complete with dance, poetry and music from the Forest Story Collective. These guided walks through the dark shadows of the forest leave in groups at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Visit the CCFS website or the facebook event for ticket links and don’t wait to buy – this event will sell out.
Then on Sunday, Oct. 27, all the action is at the Perseverance Trail Run and Perseverance Party in the Park. The whole community is invited to cheer on the runners. Celebrate at an after-run party with friends family and neighbours. Come enjoy live music, craft beer, face painters, fire pits, tasty barbecue, hot apple cider and a kids scavenger hunt all in beautiful #6 Park. All proceeds from the run and the party support the efforts of the Cumberland Forest community.
Charitable donations are an easy way to add your mark to this historic fundraising week. Just visit www.cumberlandforest.com for donor portals or the Cumberland Community Forest Society page on Canadahelps.ca. Or drop off a cheque at the Wandering Moose Cafe in Cumberland with attention to the CCFS. E-transfers are being accepted at donate@cumberlandforest.com
The CCFS has been purchasing and protecting forests, trails, wetlands and creeks surrounding Cumberland since the year 2000. In addition to land protection, it co-ordinates research projects, presents educational events and science pubs, co-hosts the Cumberland Bat Project, engages children and youth in climate action theatre projects and collaborates with conservation organizations from across the Comox Valley.
Find out more about this unique community conservation organization by visiting www.cumberlandforest.com or Cumberland Forest on Facebook.
