COVID-19 won’t stop Kus-kus-sum

Some of you may be asking what effect COVID-19 will have on the Kus-kus-sum project. Even though we do not know the full extent of the effects of this pandemic, we remain committed to unpaving paradise at Kus-kus-sum and confident of success.

While events have been postponed and there has been a slight decrease in general donations, our team is focusing its’ time and energy on online fundraising ideas, grant writing and working with government representatives to access federal funding.

Our goals are within reach. There is only one more property payment remaining and we are more than 30% of the way there. Up to now we have met and surpassed all our community fundraising targets which illustrate the commitment to this cause by our community. The City of Courtenay, The K’ómoks First Nation. The Comox Valley Regional District, The Village of Cumberland, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, our MP’s and MLA’s and the Province of British Columbia are important funders and partners in this initiative. This highlights the political willpower that is backing this project. And contributions continue to come in.

In fact, just last week we received a cheque for $20,000 from the Ngan Page Family fund and an Estuary Angel has announced that they will match all donations up to $30,000 received over the next few months. This means that if a cash contribution makes sense for you, it will be appreciated and matched.

For many of us a cash contribution might not make sense at this time. However, there are other ways you can contribute. Right now, one of the best ways would be to spread the word about Kus-kus-sum through your social networks. We are using #kuskussum and #keepingitliving to tag our posts and encourage you to use these as well. Feel free to post links to our Kus-kus-sum videos and our fundraising page.

Our community has come together to unpave paradise at Kus-kus-sum, and while COVID-19 has caused us to refocus our fundraising, it will not shake us from this path. Nature will be restored at Kus-kus-sum.

Thank you for continuing to support this important local initiative anyway you can.