MAPLE RIDGE, BC – The Ed Coates Memorial Foundation was started in February 2014 after Lordco Parts Ltd.’s co-founder Ed Coates suddenly passed away from pancreatic cancer. Ed had deep roots in his own community and held a strong belief in giving back locally in addition to sustaining the automotive industry as a whole. With his spirit in mind, Ed’s wife and children formed the Ed Coates Memorial Foundation with the hopes of creating a bold, creative and inventive organization to carry on his legacy.

The sole purpose of the foundation is to provide grants to local organizations that have programs benefiting communities or charities within British Columbia. Through scholarships, bursaries, and other forms of financial assistance for students, the Ed Coates Memorial Foundation is focused to support entrepreneurship and career building within the automotive industry. On October 27, 2016 founding Chair and wife of Ed Coates, Marlyn Coates, alongside one half of its Directors Ian Coates and
Candace Gottschalk, handed over $20,000 to the Maple Ridge School District 42 to help fund its automotive programs in their secondary schools.

The Ed Coates Memorial Foundation will continue its support to Vancouver Community College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and BCIT through its scholarship and award programs. Through a number of fundraising initiatives put on by Lordco Parts Ltd., as well as local community events, the lively hood of this foundation survives on donations and sponsorships. At this time the foundation is looking for annual sponsors to be featured on its website and personal contributions to help expand their bursaries, scholarships and awards to more automotive programs and students within British Columbia. If you are interested in pledging your support to the Ed Coates Memorial Foundation, please contact the foundation at 604-476-4202 or visit them online at http://edcoatesfoundation.org.

Quotes:
“It is wonderful to have community support so that our students will have the best possible opportunities to learn practical skills that will lead them to fulfilling and well-paying careers. On behalf of School District 42 I would like to express my gratitude to the Ed Coates Memorial Foundation for their generous support.”

Steve Wiebe – Maple Ridge School District 42
“My dad was big on giving to the community and giving to Maple Ridge. The automotive field is something that we’re all passionate about and we want to involve kids as much as we can.”

Candace Gottschalk – The Ed Coates Memorial Foundation, Director