Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday and are well into a great new year so far. Things have been quiet with OFRE so far this year, but we have an exciting short notice announcement to make!!

A great event being held tomorrow called the Local Money Summit is taking place tomorrow evening (Tuesday, Jan 31) from 6:30-8:30pm @ The Edmonton Room in Stanley Milner Library. Suggestion donation $15. The proceeds for the event will be going towards OFRE & e-SAGE. Did you know that OFRE is run primarily by volunteers? Come to this great event to learn more about how you can contribute to a local economy, and see money go towards two great local organizations.

Event details:

The power of the shop local message has become evident. Yet, we hardly give a thought to other, more important questions. Namely, given global economic uncertainty and the downsides of traditional investing it’s time to start talking about how we get a more rewarding and productive experience from our various money related activities like banking, investing and giving.
What we do with our money isn’t something that comes up in casual conversation yet now, more than ever, this subject requires a frank discussion. If you want to invest, bank, and give in a way that’s ethical, local and helps your community you should come to this event.

There will be four brief presentations and a panel afterwards. The four speakers are:

• Mark Anielski –The author of the Economics of Happiness will explore opportunities for we can invest locally, including the possibility of a local GIC, investing in the Edmonton Community Foundation to help local entrepreneurs, a local Edmonton-KIVA and other options.

• Nadine Riopel – How do we make sure the money we give makes a difference? Former fundraiser Nadine Riopel (The Savvy Do-Gooder) will use real-world examples to explore the pros and cons of local and international giving. What advantages does giving locally offer in our quest to make the most of what we give? How can we increase our odds of creating the change we want to see in the world?

• Jesse Radies – The founder of Live Local will be fresh off a meeting with the Business Alliance of Local Living Economies. She’ll be delivering a big picture talk on the kind of economic development that Edmonton really needs.

• Jeff Senger and Dan Ohler – were key players in the founding of the Sangudo Opportunities Development Cooperative. This first-of-its-kind local investment cooperative leveraged financial capital from community residents to preserve and grow an essential piece of local economic infrastructure. And the story doesn’t stop there: in only 18 months, this group of fierce action takers has gone on to successfully finance a community restaurant start-up, as well as a massive plant expansion; the speed of which have traditional rural government economic stimulus organizations scratching their heads in disbelief. Dan and Jeff have delivered numerous presentations around the province, as they are convinced that their idea can and will work in most any community – urban or rural – provided they have the right key ingredients. Come out and discover how your community could put its share of over $4 billion dollars (annually) of local Alberta investment dollars to work building jobs, hope, community resilience, and impressive financial returns right in your own neighborhood!”

• Duncan Kinney – Host and panel moderator. Director candidate at Servus Credit Union.