Welcome to the British Columbia Hospitality Foundation!

The British Columbia Hospitality Foundation offers financial assistance to people who work in food, beverage and hospitality professions at a critical time of need.

How we were inspired:
The foundation, formed in fall 2006, was inspired by the desire to financially assist long-time wine agent Michael Willingham, who requires a costly surgery and then the rehabilitation time to follow. The plan to assist Michael brought to the fore a need to establish a trust fund that could be used to assist anyone within the foodservice, beverage and hospitality industry who requires support due to illness or accident.

What will the foundation do?
The fund will act as a safety net for the food, beverage and hospitality industry members in British Columbia including brewers, food suppliers, hoteliers (foodservice departments), media (in the related trade), publicists (in the related trade ), retailers, vintners and wine sales representatives. The fund will be managed by the board of trustees for the foundation. On the founding board of trustees are Richard Carras, Ken Cretney, Jeannie Crane, Geoffrey Howes, Tim Pawsey, Bing Smith, and Harry McWatters.

What will the foundation do next?

The BC Hospitality Foundation Committee will create long term goals starting with a three year strategic plan which will incorporate fund raising events, awareness campaigns and province wide memberships for the hospitality industry, in support of the foundation.  The goal of BCHF is to encompass all members of the hospitality industry. To start we will create a grass roots marketing campaign, inviting our industry to support, suggest, inform and become involved. Our younger members are our future; our older members serve as our guiding examples, our mentors and our voices of wisdom.  The Foundation is the safety net for those who contribute so much to the industry, both young and those with years of wisdom and experience. We thank you in advance for your support and contributions.

Our Story:

Imagine getting sick or being in an accident and having no way to support yourself. No income. No benefits. No insurance. This is what Michael J. Willingham faced three years ago when he became seriously ill. Michael had retired after a long career in the wine industry. Never one to hang up his corkscrew, he was still working as a wine agent when he was struck down by a debilitating stroke.  To help Michael pay for a costly operation and subsequent rehabilitation, the BC Hospitality Foundation was formed. The first course of business? A golf fundraiser held in the spring of 2007 that raised $50,000 for Michael’s care, and $25,000 for the newly created endowment fund.

While the golf tournament was a major success, when the committee was developing this single event, it occurred to organizers that this is an issue that goes beyond Michael. It impacts all of us in the industry. We are surrounded by people -- brewers, food suppliers, hoteliers in the foodservice departments, trade media, publicists, retailers, vintners and wine sales representatives – so many of our peers, employees and industry advocates are living without benefits and insurance – without that safety net that we depend on.

Our Goal:

The Foundation’s goal is to build on the momentum of the fundraising done for Michael by and develop an ongoing program that will raise $3 million for an endowment fund by 2010.

Up Next:

On Monday, January 28, 2008 the BCHF and the Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver are creating the first annual BCHF Founders Dinner.   An invitation only event to the top leaders in our industry, this dinner promises to set a new bar as a culinary fundraising event.  Pan Pacific’s Executive Chef Daryle Nagata along with chair Tim Pawsey have hand picked a team of chefs to showcase the finest BC ingredients. Harry McWatters has bottled a Meritage for the Founding Sponsors, a collector’s bottle of Okanagan hand-crafted wines blended from traditional "noble" Bordeaux varietals, for our founding dinner sponsors.  Six guest chefs, six action stations at the VIP Reception. Six courses of BC Products, served with six fantastic BC wines. Need we say more? Oh, there will be a live auction, but we promise these trips will be one of a kind and not available anywhere else. This will be a very special and intimate industry event as it is designed to officially launch the BCHF to the industry, while at the same time, showcasing and celebrating the many local producers and vintners who will benefit the most from the success of the foundation.