For  Release:  August,  2014      Diocese  of  Calgary  approves  major  contribution  to  Sorrento  Centre  campaign    Calgary/Sorrento  –  The  Diocese  of  Calgary  has  announced  that  it  is  contributing  $750,000    to  the  “Next  50”  Campaign  for  Sorrento  Centre,  the  Anglican  Retreat  and  Conference  Centre  located  on  Shuswap  Lake  in  Sorrento,  BC.    Calgary  is  one  of  the  nine  Dioceses  in  Western  Canada  affiliated  with  Sorrento  Centre.    The  donation,  approved  by  the  Executive  Council  of  the  Diocese,  comes  after  a  presentation  last  March  by  leaders  of  the  campaign  to  members  of  the  Diocesan  Management  Committee  who   expressed   their   belief   in   the   importance   of   Sorrento   to   the   future   of   the   church   by  recommending   the  major   gift   to   the   Council.     It   is   the   largest   single   gift   pledged   to   the  multimillion  dollar  campaign  to  date.    The   gift,   which   will   be   disbursed   over   several   years,   raises   the   total   of   donations   and  pledges  received  to  $2.35  million,  as  the  campaign  enters  the  second  year  of  a  multi-­‐year  program  to  raise  a  total  of  $6.64  million.      Founded  51  years  ago,  Sorrento  Centre  continues  to  experience  the  growth  of  recent  years,  but  faces  the  challenge  of  updating  and  expanding  aging  infrastructure,  and  establishing  a  sustainable  financial  foundation.      The   “Next   50”   Campaign   for   Sorrento   Centre   has   four   major   objectives,   including   the  elimination   of   current   debt,   establishing   permanent   endowments   to   support   current  programs,   renovating   existing   facilities   and   constructing   new   ones,   and   developing   new  programs,  including  expanding  the  focus  on  youth  leadership  development.    Significant  six-­‐figure  donations  have  also  been  received  from  the  National  Church  and  the  Diocese  of  New  Westminster,  allowing  work  to  begin  on  an  innovative  new  Winter  Youth  Leadership  Development  Program  that’s  expected  to  launch  in  the  fall  of  2015.    Campaign   co-­‐chair   David   Crawley,   retired   Archbishop   of   Kootenay   and   Metropolitan   of    British   Columbia   and   Yukon   (1994   to   2004),   calls   the   gift   a   milestone   in   the   life   of   the  campaign,  and  a  signal  to  all  that  the  survival  of  Sorrento  Centre  is  critical  to  the  future.            To  discuss  the  Campaign  contact  the  Sorrento  Centre  office  at  250-­‐675-­‐2421  or  one  of  the  co-­‐chairs:   David   Crawley:   cell   250-­‐878-­‐7938,   home   250-­‐862-­‐5895,   email:  dpcrawley@telus.net     or   Herbert   O’Driscoll:   250-­‐479-­‐9847,   email:  paulaandherb@gmail.com  .