Xá:ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre Receives JDQ 3Spheres™ / Vancity Expertise

News Release: February 11, 2008

JDQ Systems Inc. and Vancity are pleased to announce the selection of Xá:ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre (Xá:ytem) as the recipient of their new JDQ 3Spheres / Vancity: Strengthening Social Enterprise initiative.

Vancity and JDQ have formed this innovative partnership of a funder and business improvement experts in order to help improve the performance and capacity of social enterprises. This initiative offers pro bono business improvement expertise and financial support to selected social enterprises in the lower mainland. Our goal is to help social enterprises better achieve financial and mission-related goals.

To help Xá:ytem, JDQ Principal Derek Shackleford will lead a team of volunteer business analysts in this business process improvement project. During this 3-month project, JDQ will provide leadership with the same rigor as any other JDQ initiative.

“I am so pleased that Xa:ytem is going to receive this gift of expertise that JDQ 3spheres and has offered and funding from Vancity. I know that this project will help us so much in the next steps in our development. It will not only in bring expert business advice, but also mentor the site in ways of managing success and growth,” says Linnea Battel, Xá:ytem Executive Director.

Liz Lougheed Green, Program Manager of Social Enterprise at Vancity says “This is a great opportunity for a social enterprise to receive high quality business performance support from experts who understand the dual purpose of delivering on both the financial and mission-related goals."

About Xá:ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre
Xá:ytem, a 9000-year-old ancient Aboriginal village site near Mission, in the heart of the Fraser Valley of BC, features a sacred transformer stone and BC’s oldest dwelling. Year-round, Xá:ytem welcomes more than 15,000 visitors to learn, interact, and experience the ancient Sto:lo traditional history, culture, archaeology and spirituality. “Sto:lo” is translated as People of the River in the Halq’emeylem language.

Visitors are offered guided tours; hands-on cultural, archaeology or fishing programs; workshops such as basket making, drum making, Salish weaving, and mask carving; cross-cultural awareness seminars, and immersion and overnight programs. On the site, there is a 4,000 square foot longhouse, two pithouses (circular underground dwellings), a visitors’ center, an archaeology sifting shelter, and a gift gallery that offers local Native art as well as souvenir items and books.

About 3Spheres
3Spheres is a philosophy and model for healthy, optimal, and successful community engagement. It is a paradigm for social responsibility and cooperative relationships grown from the fundamental understanding that we can all thrive by participating simultaneously in the spheres of Helping, Learning and Profiting. Ultimately, it is a model for other small and medium sized businesses to share best practices with each other and the community. http://www.jdq.com/3spheres

About Vancity
Vancity is Canada's largest credit union, with $12.3 billion in assets, more than 387,000 members, and 58 branches throughout Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Victoria and Squamish. Vancity is guided by a commitment to corporate social responsibility, and to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.