On October 3 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Kate Maddigan, Bruen Black, Amy Robertson, and Genevieve Cruz, for a special group discussion on revenue diversification for rural non-profits. Tune in for talk of circular economies, transportation, a brainstorm on creative revenue solutions, and updates from the Cortes Natural Food Co-op, CCEDA, and the Cortes Housing Society.
Continue reading Folk U: Revenue Diversification for Social Profits
Wave and Range Cortes Island has decided it’s time to go public.
“This year we’re going to be putting on the Cortes adventure challenge, essentially a Cortes triathlon: It’s a kayak or a canoe, a swim and a trek. We’ve got a short course, and a long course. That’ll be on the 12th and the 21st of July, tentatively. I’ll need to confirm those dates with you, but we’ll advertise that. We’ll do a little bit of lead up training for that,” explained Kay Hope.
“There’s an opportunity with where we live to have not so much a love affair, but like a marriage with the physical place that we live in. I think a majority of us are really disconnected from our biophysical reality. All sorts of things have unfortunately corrupted a lot of people away from a connection with their body and the environment. I’m just trying to foray back into that. I think there’s a big opportunity for all of us to just keep doubling down on hiking up Easter Bluff, going to Mansons Lagoon, getting a sweat on, but then exploring in, around and up Desolation Sound. The beauty we have around us, it’s really underutilized by us as a community together. I don’t want to go out and just be exploring by myself. I’d love to go out on the weekend and see more kayaks than I see power boaters. That’s my wish, and my wish for my baby boy.”
Continue reading Wave And Range Cortes Island: Broadening Out Into The CommunityThe 2025 Rural Islands Economic Partnership (RIEP) Virtual Forum is coming up on Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7. Two of the organizers, Francine Carlin and Kate Maddigan are my guests today.
“ It’s going to be a jam packed two half days, 9:15 AM to 12:30 PM. Our virtual events are really unique because we all live on islands or remote coastal communities and don’t have the opportunity to get together as a collaborative regional grouping. So it’s important to have these virtual events that bring together people from all across the coast and the islands, up from North Island as far as Alert Bay, to Sooke and beyond. So we have a pretty broad reach and this year it’s really important, particularly with the events in the world around economic issues that relate to our local economic and social wellbeing,” explained Francine Carlin, Chair of the Rural Islands Economic Partnership.
Continue reading This Week: 2025 Rural Islands Economic Partnership Virtual Forum
On January 30th, Kate Maddigan, Rose Fitcyk, and Sadhu Aufochs Johnston joined host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie, to talk about the state of Cortes Island, the recent Vital Signs survey, CHS’ Rainbow Ridge housing project, and the stories and data of “now”. This is an important community update!
Continue reading Folk U – Vital Signs Round Table
$28,500 does not go far when there are 13 applicants. The applications for Cortes Island’s Grant-in-Aid budget were more than twice that amount this year. When he presented a list of recommendations to the SRD Board, Regional Director Mark Vonesch also handed in a report that listed all of the projects that did not make the final list.
A committee of Cortes residents volunteered their time for the difficult task of choosing which which projects to recommend.
Continue reading Cortes Island Grant-In-Aid Projects Approved
