The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen is pleased to launch Ready Where We Live, a new micro-grant program that helps neighbours gather, learn, and take practical steps toward being more prepared — together.

In the South Okanagan Similkameen, emergencies can happen quickly. Wildfire, heat, smoke, flooding, power outages, and winter storms are part of life here. While emergency kits and household plans are important, preparedness is also about relationships. It helps to know who lives nearby, who may need extra support, and how neighbours can stay connected when something unexpected happens.

Ready Where We Live supports neighbourhood-led gatherings that help residents build connection while learning practical ways to prepare for local risks. Projects may include shared planning sessions, neighbourhood meetings, emergency contact mapping, guest speakers, skill-sharing, or simple conversations about what neighbours can do before, during, and after an emergency.

The program is built on a simple idea:

Know your neighbours. Be ready together.

Grants of up to $500 are available to help cover basic costs such as food, printing, supplies, name tags, accessibility supports, or small honorariums for local guest speakers. The goal is to make it easier for residents to take the first step: inviting people in, starting the conversation, and building confidence close to home.

Ready Where We Live is about connection, care, and practical readiness. Strong communities are built before emergencies happen, through everyday relationships, shared knowledge, and small acts of neighbourliness.

Applications are now open for neighbourhood-led projects across the South Okanagan Similkameen. Residents are encouraged to apply with a neighbour or co-lead so projects are shared, collaborative, and rooted in the people and places they are meant to support.

Would your neighbourhood like to take part?

Contact Kim English at kimenglish@cfso.net to learn more about Ready Where We Live and how to get involved.