Janet & Lloyd’s Living Legacy
The Vernon couple’s Flex Fund is turning generosity into immediate community impact.
When Janet Armstrong moved to Vernon in 1983 for a job as a dietitian at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, she had no idea she’d be planting lifelong roots in the community she now calls home. Two years later, her partner, Lloyd Davies, followed. He was first a student at Okanagan College, then an instructor in the Adult Upgrading program. “I followed Janet,” he laughs, “and I still like hanging out with her.”
Forty years later, the pair are still very much a team, sharing a deep love for the Vernon community, a commitment to sustainable living, and a belief that generosity should happen in real time. Their eco-friendly home, built to Net Zero standards with 41 solar panels, reflects their forward-thinking values. “We built our house 15 years ahead of BC’s future energy standards to show it could be done,” says Lloyd. “Now we share what we’ve learned with others.”
Janet, a textile artist, spends her days in a light-filled home studio designed around creativity and purpose. “That space is my dream room. It’s where I plan and make things,” she says. “Lloyd likes to joke that we designed the house around the studio, and he’s not wrong.”
Their creativity extends far beyond the walls of their home. Together, they’ve found ways to make meaningful change across the North Okanagan through their partnership with the Community Foundation North Okanagan (CFNO).
Janet and Lloyd first connected with the Community Foundation when they created an endowment fund in 2014 to support Okanagan College students. “Our bursaries help learners who’ve come through the College’s upgrading program and are continuing toward careers that keep them in the Okanagan,” explains Lloyd.
A decade later, they wanted to do more—and to do it faster. In 2024, they established the Janet Armstrong & Lloyd Davies Community Builder Fund, a Flex Fund that allows donors to give now for immediate impact rather than investing gifts in perpetuity. “It’s a one-stop shop for our donations,” says Janet. “We make one annual transfer of securities, get one tax receipt, and CFNO handles all the administration.”
Lloyd adds, “It’s tax-efficient and simple. CFNO takes care of the nitty-gritty so we can focus on the causes we care about most.”
In just the past year, their Flex Fund has distributed more than $170,000 to causes close to their hearts; ranging from food security programs like Kalamalka Starfish and the Okanagan Learning Foundation, to arts and culture organizations such as the Vernon Public Art Gallery and the Greater Vernon Museum, and the Greater Vernon Cultural Centre. They also provided key support for the Foundry North Okanagan, helping open doors to youth mental health services, and for Okanagan Village Housing Society to install solar panels on affordable housing units.
Their largest contribution, a $500,000 lead gift to help build the Sunflower Childcare Centre at Okanagan College, was a defining moment. “We didn’t want to wait until we’re gone to make a difference,” says Janet. “Being there at the opening and hearing from students about how it changed their lives was a thrill.”
Janet and Lloyd have also included the Community Foundation in their wills, with a spend-down clause ensuring their legacy fund will be distributed within ten years after their passing. “There are already plenty of endowments that give out only a small percentage each year,” says Janet. “We wanted our resources working right away.”
To others considering how to give, Lloyd’s advice is simple: “If you can give—do. The Community Foundation makes it easy, whether you want to give now or build for the future.”
For more information about starting your own Flex Fund or exploring other ways to give, visit cfno.org/how-to-give or give us a call at 250-542-8655.
This story has been published in local media:
https://vernonmorningstar.com/sponsored-content/janet-lloyds-living-legacy/
