Establishment of the Cst. Christopher Worden Memorial Bursary Fund
The Yellowknife Community Foundation announces the creation of the Cst. Christopher Worden Memorial Bursary Fund. The fund supports residents of the Northwest Territories enrolled in post-secondary training or education in pursuit of a career in law enforcement.
Cst. Worden was from Ottawa. He played football for Wilfred Laurier University’s Golden Hawks and received an Honours Bachelor of Arts in political science. He served in three detachments in G Division.
On October 6, 2007, Cst. Worden was killed while on duty after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds during a foot pursuit of a fleeing suspect in Hay River, Northwest Territories.
He was married to Jodie and they had a daughter, Alexis. Jodie remarked that Cst. Worden often said, ”There is nothing I’d rather do. I love being a Mountie.” Cst. Worden is buried in the RCMP section of the Beechwood National Cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario.
Fundraising efforts for the award are lead in part by Cst. Worden’s colleagues at the RCMP via the “Chris Worden Annual Golf Tournament / Tournoi Annuel de Golf”. Direct donations to the fund can be made at any time through the Foundation’s Giving Portal.
At the time of writing, applications for the bursary are open until May 31st, 2026 , 11:59PM. If you or someone you know is enrolled in training or education in pursuit of a career in law enforcement, apply today:
The Yellowknife Community Foundation was established in 1993 to give individuals and organizations a way to support community projects with lasting impact. We manage endowment funds, meaning that we invest donations and generally grant out the annual investment income as student awards or community grants. This ensures that funds like the Ian Legaree Youth Leadership Fund will endure, carrying Ian’s legacy far into the future. The Foundation is built on a simple yet powerful idea – that by working together, we can create meaningful change in our community.
- In Action
Establishment of the Josh Patenaude Memorial Fund
The Yellowknife Community Foundation announces the creation of the Josh Patenaude Memorial Fund, established by Northwest Territories Equitable Sports Access (NTESA). Josh was an amazing volunteer for NTESA, playing on the organization’s soccer and slo-pitch teams. He was a natural mentor and friend to youth through these sports, always building them up and offering support.
During his last slo-pitch game, a young player was struggling on the pitcher’s mound. Josh volunteered to pitch next and deliberately threw poorly, which took the pressure off everyone. His idea was to show by example that it was okay to make mistakes. They were all playing to learn and have fun.
Josh passed away in July 2025 in a helicopter accident near Behchokǫ̀, Northwest Territories. He is dearly missed by everyone who knew and loved him.
In his honour, the student award is available to residents of the Northwest Territories pursuing studies in any field, who meet one or both of the following:
1. You are a mentor, coach, or community member who supports vulnerable youth through paid/volunteer work, advocacy, or leadership; or
2. You are a student who has overcome notable hardships as a youth and are working toward building a positive path forward.
At the time of writing, applications are open until May 31st, 2026 , 11:59PM. Apply below:
The Yellowknife Community Foundation was established in 1993 to give individuals and organizations a way to support community projects with lasting impact. We manage endowment funds, meaning that we invest donations and generally grant out the annual investment income as student awards or community grants. This ensures that funds like the Ian Legaree Youth Leadership Fund will endure, carrying Ian’s legacy far into the future. The Foundation is built on a simple yet powerful idea – that by working together, we can create meaningful change in our community.
- In Action
2025 Annual Report
Our 2025 Annual Report is now live! Look back on all the major highlights of an active and impactful year:
To look through previous years, check out our archive here: https://www.ykcf.ca/annual-reports/
- In Action
Thank You: Final Year of the Doug Bothamley Memorial Fund
2026 will be the final year of the Doug Bothamley Memorial Fund. In celebration of the Fund and Doug’s legacy, this last award will be raised to $4,000 for 1 student.
Doug Bothamley was known for his love of softball, curling, and golf, as well as his inexhaustible dedication to the people around him. In fact, these were the same thing. Both as a competitor and community member, Doug always gave everything he had. From 1972 to 2003, he spent countless hours coaching, playing, volunteering, and fundraising for his many, many teams. In one year alone, Doug raised $55,000 for local athletes to play in tournaments down south.
Famously, Doug helped coach the 1979 Yellowknife Merchants to a silver medal at the national softball championships in Richmond, BC. However, what he was most known for was his mentorship. It’s the first word everyone uses when describing him. The words that follow: “great teammate”, “true friend”, and “big brother”.
Doug’s namesake scholarship was established in 2015 to carry on his work of looking after athletes in Yellowknife. Now, after a decade, the fund will be giving out its final scholarship to a resident of the Northwest Territories involved in softball, curling, or golf as an athlete, coach, or official.
Applications close on May 31st, 2026 at 11:59PM. Apply today: https://www.grantinterface.ca/Home/Logon?urlkey=yellowknifescholarship
- In Action
Impact Story – Connecting On the Land in Denendeh
The Maureen Tonge ‘Living Your Legacy’ Fund supports mental health and wellness initiatives for youth in the Northwest Territories. Last year, the fund issued a grant to Northern Youth Leadership and their forum, Connecting on the Land in Denendeh (COLD). From February 9th-16th, 2025, the camp gave Indigenous youth a culturally-grounded space to grieve, heal, and develop resilience in the face of climate change and its effects on the land.
As a gathering of leaders, COLD was highly successful in assembling several partner organizations and individuals from across the North to participate. Together, they created a collaborative atmosphere of joy and trust. Laughter was a constant at the camp as they delivered thirty different sessions with storytelling and creative expression at the heart of it all. These include:
- Writing workshops guided by the Northern Journalism Training Initiative
- An overview of land-based stewardship opportunities presented by the NWT Recreation and Parks Association
- A storytelling session on climate change policy led by Keepers of the Water
- Visual storytelling with watercolours, run by Northern Youth Leadership and YK Climate Art
- Indigenous comedy hosted by Northern Mosaic Network
- Embodied storytelling through movement, meditation, and dance guided by NWT Literacy Council
- Spirituality, offerings, and traditional oral storytelling led by Elders and Knowledge Holders
- Songwriting, poetry, and throat-singing workshops held by NACC
- Trauma-informed workshops on the power of language and storytelling to protect and include, held by Supporting Wellbeing and Qmunity Camp NWT respectively
- Live visual storytelling illustrated (literally) by a freelance graphic recorder and Dene Nahjo
In addition to the talks and demonstrations, a major part of the camp was the simple act of maintaining it. The youth made fires, set up stations, collected spruce sap, cooked meals, and participated in medicine walks. Over this time, they found different tools to process their feelings and experiences. As it turns out, the most powerful tools of all were their own voices. On the final day, the floor was given over to the youth to host their own storytelling session.
Each spoke to cultural disconnection, the challenges they faced on a personal level, and a felt sense of mourning, through the creative medium of their choice. As they did so, there was a shift in tone from wavering uncertainty to steady confidence.
One participant nearly didn’t present, but after gathering the courage to share, they were met with an eruption of cheers from the entire forum.
As the facilitators put it, “Watching that young person beam with pride afterwards and watching the group come together to celebrate them was one of the most moving moments of the entire week. It reminded us that confidence is built through a community that uplifts and believes in you.”
Many of the youth said it was the first time they truly felt heard, especially regarding these issues. The forum made sure to prioritize those from rural and remote communities, as they face barriers to mental health resources, climate education, and other programming typically available in the south.
All told, the camp comprised 10+ staff and guest facilitators, 4 youth mentors, 3 Elders / Knowledge Holders, and 12 participants, who are now looking to return as facilitators themselves.
- In Action
Impact Story – Makerspace YK – Shop Skills Development Initiative
In 2024/25, the Yellowknife Community Fund issued a grant to the Shop Skills Development Initiative, a project of Makerspace YK, implemented over that summer.
As an organization, Makerspace is all about reducing barriers. They offer shared workspaces, knowledge, and tools that many of us do not have access to on our own. That ethos of access came through in the skills initiative, and perfectly reflects what the nonprofit means to the community overall.
The basic idea was to expand their available Woodshop and Trades programming, and it grew in every sense: number, type, structure… The end product was a mix of one-off classes and multi-week workshops.
The longer courses allowed beginners to literally build confidence through a series of projects. With each session, you could see your skills manifest into completed objects. Participants came away with a foundation of skill and comfort, which empowered them to return to the space and continue to create on their own.
Beyond beginner makers, the initiative also focused on the inclusion of youth, women, and gender-diverse participants. The standout highlight was their youth STTEM Camp, which included an entire day just in the Woodshop.
Through the Yellowknife Community Fund, Makerspace was able to hire multiple instructors and draw from their different skillsets. As a result of this increased capacity, the initiative saw over one hundred and fifty different makers partake in ten new workshops, including: “Building with 2x4s”, “Techniques and Confidence”, and the “Raised Planter Bed” workshop.
This last program was so successful, it literally produced a successor workshop in collaboration with Northern Roots, a market gardening and food education enterprise. Learning directly from a Red Seal carpenter, budding students became bona fide makers. The participants created fifteen planters for a community garden downtown, as well as some composters for Northern Roots’ new gardening site.
One student went from having zero experience with tools to designing and building two planters by themselves. As if that weren’t reward enough, everyone got to eat delicious locally-produced from the very garden they had been working in.
- Community Impact, In Action
