About FAN

Family Friendly Communities

Who Is FAN?

The Family Action Network of the Lower Columbia (see map) is an active network of people who understand the importance of  childhood development and child, youth and family friendly policies, who work together in the Lower Columbia to make our region the best place to raise a family.

The Family Action Network includes:

  • Families
  • Organizations that work directly with families
  • Elected officials
  • Industry and business / economic partners

Communities within the Lower Columbia Region of BC include Montrose, Fruitvale, Rossland, Trail and Warfield.

FAN is all of us! (FAN is here to remind us of this and show how we can all participate) Click here to read our strategic plan.

What FAN Does

We do a variety of things to:

  1. Support organizations that help families,
  2. Encourage all community organizations and members to invest in families with children age 0-18 years,
  3. Champion or lead initiatives that go beyond the scope of a single organization; building on the good work already being done, and leading change that benefits all families in the region,
  4. Reach out to and help link families to each other, community resources, and our community at large, supporting the idea that community belonging is an important piece in child and youth development. 

Helping Families Thrive

Nancy Greene Lake, BC

Why FAN Does It

  1. We want families to THRIVE! FAN aims to ensure the Lower Columbia region becomes a leading example of a child-friendly community in Canada.
  2. FAN focuses on creating environments where families feel welcome, supported, and connected. Communtiy beloning is essitonal for healthy child and youth development.
  3. Fostering cooperation among community stakeholders to achieve better outcomes for children and families, recognizing the value of shared services and collective investment.
  4. FAN works to provide equitable access to resources, especially for vulnerable and equity-deserving families, ensuring all children have opportunities for healthy development.
  5. Actively involve families in decision-making and promote a culture where families are empowered to contribute to community development. Child, youth and fmailies are the expertise in the expereince and are central to communtiy development.
  6. FAN nurtures relationships with local government, businesses, and other sectors to influence policies and infrastructure in ways that benefit families.
  7. FAN believes that supporting families leads to stronger, more resilient communities and enhances the region’s social and economic fabric.

Our Priority Projects

We continually involve children, youth, and families through early engagement, which guides our work. Based on these conversations, FAN invests in key projects that help make our region the best place to raise a family, as outlined below.

Check Early Check Often Program

Annual child development events held in the Fall and Spring. We lead and support the Greater Trail Early Years Screening plan. 

Family friendly Washrooms

Easy Peezy Comfort Stations and Family friendly Washrooms located throughout the region.

Collective Impact Work

We bring people together from different groups to promote and support policies that benefit children, youth, and families, helping to strengthen our communities.

Online “Hub”

Website providing resources and events

Offering varied learning and networking events

Events often in partnership with other organizations. Watch for upcoming Parent Conversation Cafes and workshops.

Nothing about us, without us

Everything FAN does ensures that those directly impacted are included in our work. Policies, programs, and decisions are made with the direct involvement and input of those affected. We actively engage children, youth, and families through inclusive decision-making processes. See our most recent engagement report. 

Our FAN Story

Chapter 1

Once upon a time in the land of the Lower Columbia, there lived and worked a large number of caring people. They understood how important it is to look after the families that lived there, and particularly the children. They worked hard to provide good services and created many great programs, but they always knew there were families they couldn’t help. They knew there were some families they didn’t even know about or how to reach them.

So, they talked about how they could make things better for children and families. Then they talked about it some more, because these were hard working people who understood how much more could be done.

Lower Columbia Region

Lower Columbia Region

Chapter 2

The caring people wanted to do more than talk. So, they brought in some experts who could spread important ideas, and many people came to hear the messages and to offer their own input. They invited the late Dr. Clyde Hertzman, a ‘guru’ of Early Childhood Development, who told people in the Lower Columbia that if they invested in early childhood, they invest in families and the future of all their communities.

The people were excited and committed to prioritizing what was needed. They started to think about an organization. An organization dedicated to reaching more parents of young children and working together so that all children in our region would be known and supported to reach their full potential. Yes, that felt like worthy work, though a bit daunting.

FAN People

Coming Together With Good Ideas

Chapter 3

After more meetings, out of the many people who cared, eight people stepped forward and said, “We will lead this effort but we will need help!” The help came in several ways. Caring community members committed to stay involved and give their ideas and support as the organization developed its plan. A Community Development Coach-Consultant with an odd accent (but lots of good intent) remained to facilitate and shape the plan and local politicians said, “we take children in our community seriously and want to help too”.

And so, the Family Action Network of the Lower Columbia Society was born in 2013.

FAN Born

FAN Born in 2013

Key Milestones
  • February 2013 – Family Action Network of the Lower Columbia Society was born
  • March 2013 – FAN completes its 5 year Strategic Plan
  • Spring 2014 – FAN receives 2 years of significant funding from the Columbia Basin Trust’s Social Grants Program for a Regional Coordinator to support priority projects
  • Spring 2014 – Regional Coordinator is hired
  • Fall 2014 – FAN hosts 2nd Ages and Stages Screening Day with 27 children participating
  • February 2015 – FAN hosts its first mobile screening day in Rossland with 22 children participating. Now, over 100 children have participated in early developmental screening in the Lower Columbia region.
  • September 2015 – www.familyactionnetwork.ca launches

Picnic Fun

Welcoming Families

Lower Columbia Region of BC