Apr 21: City of Surrey Partners with Vancity

Surrey, April 21, 2004 —Surrey Parks, Recreation and Culture is partnering with Vancity Credit Union in support of the seventh annual Environmental Extravaganza, a six-week celebration to build environmental awareness and encourage positive action in the Surrey area.

Program events, which kick off tomorrow on Earth Day, and continue until June 8, are free of charge and include guided walks, school programs, habitat restoration projects, lectures, workshops, and large-scale community celebrations. There are more than 30 community groups working jointly to organize and implement this year’s event. Last year’s Extravaganza attracted more than 8,000 people.

“Caring for our environment and preserving it for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations is a priority for the City of Surrey,” says Mayor Doug McCallum on behalf of Council. “The Environmental Extravaganza offers a variety of ways families and people of all ages can learn about our natural world and how they can do their part to nurture and protect it.”

“Vancity is committed to the environment and we are proud to partner with the City of Surrey for this great event. Our shared goal is to raise awareness about the natural environment in Surrey in a way that is fun, engaging, and that will inspire positive change for generations to come,” says Vancity Chair Bruce Ralston.

Vancity is supporting the Environmental Extravaganza with a $4,000 Community Partnership grant. Each year, Vancity gives a portion of its profits back to its members and community groups, with an emphasis on environmental causes. Vancity’s climate change initiative takes bold steps in the areas of recycling, energy efficiency and alternative transit. Environmental leadership is also being demonstated through Vancity’s lending products, such as the Clean Air Auto Loan, and the EnviroFund, which donates a percentage of all VISA card profits to local environmental projects.

For more information on Environmental Extravaganza, contact Surrey Parks - Environmental Programs at 604-501-5121, email environment@city.surrey.bc.ca. or visit www.environment.surrey.ca (click Events).

Vancity is Canada’s largest credit union, with $9.3 billion in assets, 305,000 members, and 41 branches throughout Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Victoria. Vancity was chosen as the best place to work in Canada for 2005 by Maclean’s Magazine as part of its annual Canada’s Top 100 Employers issue. Vancity owns Citizens Bank of Canada, serving members across the country by telephone, ATM, and the Internet. Both Vancity and Citizens Bank are guided by a commitment to corporate social responsibility, and to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.