info@surreycares.org
Mail: SurreyCares Community Foundation
P.O. Box 34089, Surrey, BC, Canada V3S 8C4
We'd like to thank photographer Rick Chapman for allowing us to use many of his amazing photos of life in Surrey.
Copyright © 2018 — SurreyCares Community Foundation.
Canada Revenue Agency Charity BN/Registration Number 892378043 RR0001
© Photo by Rick Chapman
Established in 1994, Surrey has Francisca and Edwin Darts to thank for seeding our very own community foundation. The Darts created a trust for the land to be preserved as a botanical garden for a millennium. They wanted to make sure that the stunningly beautiful Darts Hill Garden Park they created could be enjoyed for generations to come.
Their original endowment of $200,000, which got the Surrey Foundation going, now stands at $4 million. With our management, their legacy will provide an estimated $4 million in interest over the next 25 years, monies that will finance improvements and upkeep in the garden. Their original investment is still intact, and yet their gift will continue for many generations.
We hope you'll help us celebrate our 25th year serving the community of Surrey in 2019!
The Story of Darts Hill Garden Park
Darts Hill Garden is the result of over 70 years of work and dedication guided by the clear vision of Francisca Darts. Along with her husband Edwin, Francisca took a logged piece of land, turned it first into an award winning orchard and then into the unique garden that is Darts Hill today.
Francisca's curiosity and love of the new and interesting has resulted in the most diverse collection of mature tree and shrub species in the Pacific Northwest. Many were planted from seed collected from around the world.
In 1994 Edwin and Francisca Darts donated their 7.5-acre garden to the City of Surrey and its citizens. Their intention was to give Surrey its own garden to be used as a horticultural centre for the preservation, enhancement, and development of plants. The non-profit Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society works in partnership with the City of Surrey towards these goals.