Cheakamus Centre receives MEC funding for student cabins

The Cheakamus Foundation for Environmental Learning is pleased to announce it has received support from Mountain Equipment Co-op towards the campus renewal project at Cheakamus Centre. This important contribution will improve the sustainability and reduce energy costs in one of ten cabins.
As a philanthropic leader, Mountain Equipment Co-op has repeatedly demonstrated the positive impact of socially responsible corporate action. “Our cabins have seen steady use for nearly five decades. This generous donation allows us to integrate sustainable design innovation with our educational mission, and continue to deliver life-changing overnight programs for thousands of students year-round,” shares Cathy Jenkins, project manager for campus renewal.

Now in its 49th year, Cheakamus Centre is an environmental and indigenous cultural education organization located on the traditional territories of the Ch’iyáḵmesh people in Paradise Valley, just north of Squamish, British Columbia. Unique features of the 420-acre ecological reserve include a traditional teaching longhouse, salmon hatchery and a network of restored spawning channels that wind through ancient cedars. Cheakamus Centre is home to a large congregation of wintering bald eagles, five species of Pacific salmon, and an array of wildlife, plants, farm animals, and honeybees that live in this rich diversity of habitats and ecosystems.

Formerly named and fondly remembered by many as the “North Vancouver Outdoor School”, the Centre is a well-loved tradition dating back to 1969. Cheakamus Centre serves over 15,000 visitors annually from the Sea to Sky Corridor, Lower Mainland and beyond. Students, even as adults, frequently talk about this overnight learning experience as a highlight of their school years.

Cheakamus Centre also hosts visitors from around the world for special events, workshops, conferences, meetings, and retreats. It has received numerous provincial, national, and international awards in recognition of the Centre’s leadership in place-based education.
The campus renewal initiative includes new and upgraded facilities, enhanced programming, and public events and learning offerings associated with the Friends of Cheakamus.

For additional information related to campus renewal, please contact:
Cathy Jenkins
Project Manager
Ph: 778.772.0157
cjenkins@sd44.ca

For additional information related to Friends of Cheakamus, sponsorship and partnership opportunities, please contact:
Sarah Bainbridge
Senior Development Officer
Ph: 604.848.5668
sarah@cheakamuscentre.ca

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