Another Story of Kindness from Marystown | Nominated by Smallwood Crescent Community Centre
Giving back isn’t something Edna does. It’s who she is.
Through the Lions Club, Edna has been organizing bingo nights, fundraisers, and community events across the Burin Peninsula for years. She never seeks recognition. Right now, she’s focused on caring for a family member through a serious illness, making trips back and forth to St. John’s and managing the costs that come with it — and she’s still finding time to give back. Best Kind Giving is proud to help with a new heat pump and some support for the road.
Know someone who is always giving back and could use some support? Nominate them today.
Support Smallwood Crescent Community Centre
Edna’s nomination came from the Smallwood Crescent Community Centre, which has been showing up for the people of Marystown for more than 30 years — supporting families with food, transportation, education, mental health services, and much more. Your donation helps keep that work going.
North Shore Recovery Funds: October Update
This summer and fall, North Shore community projects funded by the Community Foundation of NL (CFNL) Recovery Funds moved from plans to progress.
Thank you to everyone who has given so generously to these recovery funds. Your gifts have made a real financial difference, and they’ve also sent a message that matters just as much: North Shore residents are not facing this alone.
One of our goals has been to be as transparent as possible about the donations, disbursements and decisions for these recovery funds. You can find all of our previous updates here.
Financial Report (as of September 30, 2026)
Below is an updated financial report for all three recovery funds CFNL has stewarded. All funds are in the final stages of disbursement.
| Adam’s Cove (Fire Fighting) | North Shore Fires Recovery Fund | 2025 NL Forest Fires Recovery Fund* | Total | |
| Purpose | Volunteer firefighting capacity & equipment | Primary residences lost in fires | Community organizations & infrastructure | |
| Total Raised | $79,902 | $274,141 | $176,684 | $530,727 |
| Donation Processing Fees | $891 | $567 | $779 | $2,237 |
| Admin Fee | $2,397 – Waived | $8,224 – Waived | $5,121 – Waived | $15,742 – Waived |
| Expenses** | $0 | $518 | $772 | $1,290 |
| Net Distributed | $77,466 | $241,573 | $152,713 | $471,752 |
| Remainder to be Distributed | $1,545 | $31,483 | $22,420 | $55,448 |
| Total Donors | 444 | 332 | 102 | 878 |
| Number of Grants | 1 | 120 households | 5 | 126 |
| Process for Disbursement | Disbursed to the only Volunteer Fire Department serving the region | Consultation with local leaders; utilized the Government of NL verified primary residence list | Community conversations with community leaders |
*Note – The 2025 NL Forest Fires Recovery Fund is a partnership with CFNL, Community Sector Council of NL, Municipalities NL, and United Way of NL.
** Note – This includes only direct expenses to disburse the fund like postage and food for the community conversations.
Support for Households
Through the North Shore Fires Recovery Fund, households that lost their primary residence were offered an equal share of the funds. Support reached 120 households, and two households chose to give their full share back to help neighbours facing greater challenges.
10% of the fund (approximately $30,000) was set aside to explore ways to help those facing the most significant barriers to rebuilding. We’re continuing to work with community and government partners to determine how these funds will be disbursed.
Support for Community Projects
All five community projects are fully funded:
- Western Bay Boardwalk ($40,000)
- North Shore Recreation Trails ($66,175)
- Dry Hydrant ($25,000). Support the North Shore Volunteer Fire Department’s ongoing work here.
- Trailing Falls Park, formerly Broad Cove Park ($37,500). Learn more about this project and donate here.
- Kingston Community Area ($3,890)
These five projects total $172,565. CFNL covered the difference between this total and the funds raised from our Community Fund, so all five projects could move forward in full.
You can read more about each project and how communities chose them in From the Ground Up: How North Shore Communities Are Rebuilding. Here’s a look at some of the work happening this summer and fall.
What We’ve Learned
Over the summer, we took time to reflect with North Shore community leaders and other recovery partners. A few things stood out:
- Community conversations worked. Bringing leaders from all of the affected North Shore communities together to decide how to use funds was key to getting them where they could have the biggest impact. This was also an important moment in the North Shore’s recovery as a region.
- Being present and transparent matters. Showing up in person, keeping a phone option for donations and disbursements alongside online forms, and being open about every dollar built trust.
- Earlier is better. Many people didn’t know who CFNL was when the fires began. Next year, we’ll work with North Shore partners on a practical guide that helps other local leaders in the province understand their options for managing donations during a crisis, including the support CFNL can provide.
What’s Next
Once the remaining funds are disbursed, these recovery funds will close. Thank you to the donors, volunteers, community leaders and partners who made this work possible.
If you have questions, please contact us at info@cfnl.ca or (709) 753-9899.
A Story of Kindness from Marystown | Nominated by Smallwood Crescent Community Centre
Two people. 60 years of community service. And they had no idea what was coming.
Ronald Saint helped found the Smallwood Crescent Community Centre in 1987. Nearly 40 years later, he’s still there — organizing meals, running activities, and quietly checking in on his neighbours. Cynthia Broders has been on the board for more than 20 years, giving everything she has even while managing her own health challenges and caring for family.
Best Kind Giving was honoured to show up for both of them.
Know someone who is always giving back and could use some support? Nominate them today.
Support Smallwood Crescent Community Centre
The Smallwood Crescent Community Centre has been showing up for the people of Marystown for more than 30 years — supporting families with food, transportation, education, mental health services, and much more. Your donation helps keep that work going.
North Shore Recovery Funds: January Update
This post is written by the Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Executive Director, Nicole Dawe
In December, we provided an update on the Recovery Funds that CFNL is stewarding to support the North Shore of Conception Bay’s recovery from the devastating 2025 wildfires. You can find that update here. This included:
- A recap of the three Recovery Funds and details on funds raised in support of them, and
- Disbursements from the Adam’s Cove Recovery Fund to support volunteer firefighting on the North Shore.
We wanted to provide a further update on year-end fundraising and what’s next to disburse these funds to support recovery on the North Shore.
We’re very grateful for the trust that donors, communities, and partners place in CFNL to steward donations. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or feedback: ndawe@cfnl.ca or (709)221-1030.
Year-End Fundraising
Thank you so much to everyone who generously gave to support the Recovery Funds as part of your giving back during the month of December.
Thank you to everyone who has inspired donations to these funds. From sharing a Facebook post to telling someone else that you donated, it is all of this collective generosity that is making a difference. We’re especially grateful to the community leaders on the North Shore who have been working to actively raise funds while supporting themselves and their communities through rebuilding and recovery.
Click here to donate to the North Shore Fires Recovery Fund and here to donate to the 2025 NL Forest Fires Recovery Fund.
In the interest of transparency, we wanted to provide an updated report on funds raised and disbursed.
Recovery Fund Financial Update – December 31, 2025
| As of December 31, 2026 | Adam’s Cove (Fire Fighting) | North Shore (Individual Primary Residences) | NL Forest Fires* (Community Infrastructure and Groups) |
| Total Raised | $79,542 | $251,128 | $135,181 |
| Donation Processing Fees** | $891 | $561 | $649 |
| Funds Distributed | $77,466 | $0 | $0 |
| Funds for Distribution | $1,185 | $250,566 | $134,532 |
| Total Donors | 426 | 309 | 98 |
*Note – the 2025 NL Forest Fires Recovery Fund is a partnership with CFNL, Community Sector Council of NL, Municipalities NL and United Way of NL.
**Note – CFNL has waived its cost recovery/administration fees for all Recovery funds.
What’s Next?
CFNL has begun conversations with community groups and leaders on the North Shore to better understand and find consensus around how these funds can best support community recovery. These funds are meant to be flexible and fill in where there may be gaps in other financial recovery support.
We’ll share a what we heard, as well as what’s being recommended coming out of these conversations in the next month or two. Our hope is to get these funds to communities and individuals on the North Shore as soon as we can.
It’s our intention to be as transparent as possible about the fundraising and disbursements from this fund. We’re very grateful for the trust that donors, communities, and partners place in CFNL to steward donations. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or feedback: ndawe@cfnl.ca or (709)221-1030.