The Bulkley Valley Community Foundation (BVCF) has announced the recipients for this year’s community grants.
A record amount of around $60,000 was given out at the BVCF Grant Awards Celebration on Feb. 7.
A Rocha Canada will use the $2,400 they received for travelling summer day camps.
“We will use the funding to purchase ball caps that we use during our day camps to help keep the campers with their groups,” said Cindy Verbeek, Northern B.C. project coordinator for A Rocha.
“Getting funding for supplies allows us to use the fees from campers to pay our staff and keep programs like this at a low cost for participants.”
The Valley Youth Fiddlers received$2,500 to support their upcoming production Tanglewood. This show is coming to the Della Herman Theatre May 5, 6, and 7. The group will then take the show on tour across the province from May 12-20.
This grant allows the Valley Youth Fiddlers to work with professional artists to create a promotional trailer, choreography, and costumes for the production.
Bulkley Valley Search and Rescue will be replacing radios with their $4,403 grant.
“We are appreciative and grateful to be picked as one of the recipients of the BVCF,” said Michael Williams, search manager.
“The funds will allow us to replace and upgrade two of our aging handheld radios. Our goal is to assign a radio to each of our active members and we are now approximately 30 per cent of the way there. We are looking for sources of funding to address priorities for our team, including completing our search and rescue hall, and the BVCF was a good way to support our communication needs.”
The Smithers Community Band (SCB) got $1,900 for a baritone saxophone and case purchase
“This is the largest instrument in the sax family and plays a crucial role in the overall balance of the band by providing bass lines and harmonies in concert and jazz band,” explained SCB Coordinator Ekaterina Daviel. ”Since it’s such a large instrument it’s also cost prohibitive for our members to own which is why the SCB is building up an instrument bank of the more uncommon but crucial instruments to make available to our members to play. However as a small non-profit we rely on grants and donations to help us with large capital costs and so the support of the BVCU is incredibly valuable to us and the purchase of the bari sax in particular will benefit our music-making and community performances for many years to come.”
Also, getting money, Cycle 16 will use the $5,750 for a detailed topographical survey for the underpass; Treehouse Housing Association got $3,000 for van improvements; Houston Christian School will spend their $3,000 gift on girls volleyball jerseys; 1st Smithers Scout Group got $3,289 for Wilderness First Aid; Bulkley Backcountry Ski Society will buy a brush saw with their $3,402 grant; the Bulkley Valley Pool and Recreation Centre is getting $2,000 for their recreation access program; Friends of Smithers Library will be buying children’s french books and sustainable living books with their $2,000 grant ; the Smithers Community Services Association got $6,000 for the Better at Home project - local meals at home; Smithers Community Services Association also got $3500 for Story Walk; Smithers Zone- Canadian Ski Patrol got $1,500 for an equipment revitalization project.
The Houston Link to Learning, Learners Opportunity Group Society, Hazelton District Public Library and the Elders College in Hazelton also got funds.
The purpose of the foundation is to create opportunities for donors to support local initiatives, organizations, and individuals to improve the quality of life throughout our communities.
- With files from Deb Meissner
@MariscaDekkema
marisca.bakker@interior-news.com
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