10 Jun 2023 The Village App: Connecting Communities and Empowering Collaboration
Kelowna, BC – June 10/23 – The Village App, a homegrown tech startup based in Kelowna, is proud to announce a significant milestone in their journey towards community empowerment and connectivity. The company has recently launched a paid pilot program with a rural municipality in Alberta, showcasing the positive impact their app is making in connecting communities across Canada.
Founded by Ashley Stone and Karen Olsson, The Village App emerged from their own personal journeys that highlighted the challenges individuals face in accessing tangible support. The app serves as a community-building platform, connecting people, organizations, and municipalities through asks, offers, and events. By fostering intention-based connections, The Village App empowers users to build stronger social ties, support networks, and facilitates service coordination within communities.
The Village App launched amidst the pandemic in late 2021. Initially focused on individual users, the company soon recognized the need for a broader reach and dedicated much of 2022 to collaborating with local nonprofit organizations. In early 2023, The Village App expanded its vision to embrace a holistic community approach, resonating particularly well with small to medium-sized municipalities.
The company has partnered with a rural municipality in Alberta, where the local government explored the potential uses across many of their community initiatives. After careful consideration, the municipality decided to utilize The Village App for their newcomer program, recognizing that employment alone does not foster a sense of belonging and resident retention. The County of St. Paul is onboarding their nonprofit organizations and leveraging college students as initial points of contact for newcomers, ensuring they are connected to essential services and fostering meaningful connections within the community.
Alberta municipalities have since stood out for their receptiveness to The Village App and other municipal leaders in Alberta are now considering joining the limited pilot program. The Village App’s potential for facilitating efficient resource coordination during times of potential evacuation has been particularly noteworthy, given the current fire season in the region.
As a Kelowna-based startup, The Village App takes great pride in its BC roots and the support received from the community. Connections have been established with members of local municipalities in Vernon, Kelowna, West Kelowna, and Penticton, with hopes that they, too, recognize the value of positive community collaboration and consider joining the pilot program to grow community connections in BC.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ashley Stone
CEO, The Village App
Phone: 2503074858
Email: ashley@thevillageapp.co
About The Village App:
The Village App is a community-building platform based in Kelowna, BC, that connects people, organizations, and municipalities through intention-based asks, offers, and events. By fostering meaningful connections and collaboration, The Village App aims to build stronger, more resilient communities across Canada.