The first Chamber of Commerce luncheon of a new season took place in Brandon today at the Victoria Inn, and Sunrise Credit Union opened up the new season of luncheons with a big announcement.
Speaking to the assembled guests, Sunrise Credit Union President and CEO Tim Klassen announced they would be donating $250,000 to three “transformative community projects in Brandon”. The YMCA of Brandon will receive $100,000 for their Prairie Mountain Health Childcare Project, the YWCA Westman will get another $100,000 for their Women’s Campus, and there will be $50,000 allocated to the Keystone Centre Foundation.
“As a member-owned and community-based financial institution, Sunrise Credit Union has a vested interest in the health and well-being of the communities we serve. These three projects address
tremendous needs and will have a profound impact on our communities,” said Klassen. “Families across Western Manitoba depend on regional resources that tie our towns and cities together, meaning that an investment in one community radiates outward to lift neighbours across the entire map. By backing these initiatives, we are looking at the bigger picture: building regional resilience, closing critical infrastructure gaps, and ensuring that no matter where you live in Western Manitoba, you have access to strong, supportive services. We are proud to be able to help support the important work being done by these organizations to create lasting prosperity for our entire region.”
Keystone Centre executive director Barry Cooper, who was on hand for the announcement, said their organization is relatively young (having just launched in the fall of 2025) so to see the level of support for it this early in its existence is incredible.
“It’s exciting, and it’s really cool because with the Sunrise group, we’re really aligned on the values we have and a lot of the things we see in the community,” Cooper said. “They’ve stepped up and said the Keystone Centre matters. You can really demonstrate that by writing a cheque, that takes all the question out of it. We’re really appreciative of Sunrise, they’ve been a tremendous supporter of us on a number of fronts from day one.”
Cooper added they’ve spent a lot of time building up the Foundation’s presence in the community but haven’t had a chance to do as much fundraising as they’d like yet, so a donation such as this is hugely important.
