A Calgary foundation has given the Juno Beach Centre its biggest donation ever.As the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy approaches, The Juno Beach Centre (JBC), Canada’s Second World War museum and memorial in Normandy, France is preparing for the future of remembrance with an $11 million dollar capital campaign.Led by the Juno Beach Centre Association (JBCA), the campaign will grow, preserve, and expand the reach of this Canadian landmark, helping it to continue to be a model institution in sustainability, and to preserve and steward land in the area.French and European partners have already offered a combined 1,800,000 € to the campaign. The Ministère des Armées has donated 300,000 € while Région Normandie and REACT EU envisage 1,500,000 €. In Canada, the Arthur J.E. Child Foundation donated $750,000, the largest single gift from a private foundation or family in the JBC’s history.Two years ago, Canadians helped save the Juno Beach Centre from a condominium development that would have done serious harm to Canada’s memorial presence in Normandy. Over 65,000 Canadians wrote letters to politicians in Ottawa and France with calls to protect the site. The campaign prevailed, resulting in the acquisition of the land on which development was proposed. “Project Concordia” was another result, led by the JBC in partnership with the City of Courseulles-sur-Mer and various stakeholders.According to Don Cooper, President of the Juno Beach Centre Association, the site will be "preserved in a way that compliments the Juno Beach Centre and honours the Canadians who gave their lives to start the liberation of northwest Europe from this spot.”Plans include building out the memorial park surrounding the Centre as a space for reflection and learning, restoring the surrounding dunes, and adding pedestrian pathways.The second major vision for the capital campaign is for a $6.3-million, 450-square-meter expansion of the physical facility. This will accommodate what a JBC press release calls an "expanded eco-responsible boutique and a new eco-responsible café."Cooper says, “It is critical that after their visit families and visitors have time for reflection, dialogue, and integration of what they have witnessed. These spaces will not only provide an opportunity for that reflection and discussion, they will enable additional revenue generation and support the museum’s sustainability goals.”Financial support from the Arthur J.E. Child Foundation has already enabled the renewal of the popular “Faces of Canada Today” gallery at the JBC. The gallery illustrates how modern Veterans continue to serve the same ideals of stability, prosperity and peace in Canada and abroad. It is dedicated to the memory of all Canadian Second World War Veterans.The JBCA is calling on individual Canadians, corporations, businesses, organizations, and charitable foundations to join in the effort to raise the next $7.5 million to realize this vision, setting June 6, 2029 as its completion date. Further details campaign can be found at Junobeach.org/capital-campaign/.The JBC was established in 2003 as a permanent memorial to all Canadians who were part of the Allied victory in the Second World War, and to preserve this legacy for future generations through education. The Centre in Normandy, France, pays homage to the nearly 45,000 Canadians who died during the War, including 5,500 during the Battle of Normandy and 381 on D-Day. Twenty years and more than 1.3 million visitors later, the JBC has been designated a site of national historic significance to Canada. It is owned and operated by the JBCA, a registered charitable organization based in Burlington, Ontario. To learn more, please visit www.junobeach.org.The Arthur J. E. Child Foundation is a private foundation created by Arthur Child to steward his charitable endeavors and was permanently endowed with his estate upon his passing in 1996. It has since disbursed nearly $150 million in charitable grantsChild was a self-made business leader and former majority shareholder and CEO of Burns Foods of Calgary, known for his financial acumen and his personal philanthropy until his passing in 1996. He received the Order of Canada, honorary doctorates from three distinguished Canadian universities and was designated honorary colonel in two branches of the Canadian Armed Forces.
