Community Foundation celebrates Spring 2012 Grant Recipients

• 26 local organizations to receive grants at event on April 20, 2012

The Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta will be presenting $134,040 in grants to 26 deserving organizations from communities across the region including Pincher Creek, Waterton, Cardston, Carmangay, Claresholm, Coaldale, County of Lethbridge, Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, Magrath, Milk River, Picture Butte, and Vauxhall.

The Community Impact Grants Celebration will be held from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm on Friday, April 20 at the Lethbridge Soccer Centre (behind the Enmax).

The Foundation welcomed two new faces to the Board of Directors in 2012, including Cliff Elle from Pincher Creek and Birthe Perry from Coaldale.

Cliff Elle's extensive experience includes chairing the Economic Development Committee of the Pincher Creek Chamber of Commerce, chairing the 75th Anniversary of the Waterton- Glacier Peace Park and sitting on the board of the Good Samaritan’s Society. He is also the current Vice- Chair of the Pincher Creek Co-op.

Birthe Perry brings a wide range of community involvement to the Board, including the Calgary Olympic Winter Games, the Lethbridge Regional Science Festival, and the Waterton International Film Festival. She has also served on the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge for 11 years, and on the Science Alberta Foundation for 6 years.

Grant recipients include:

• Canyon School in Pincher Creek will use a $5,000 grant to replace outdated playground equipment. This enhanced, modern playground will be up to safety code and be well-used for after-school community use.
• A $10,000 grant to the Waterton Foundation will assist volunteers with the development of the Waterton Community Centre.  The funds will be used to purchase audiovisual equipment that will be used in the meeting rooms of the Centre.
• A grant of $5,000 will be used by the Town of Fort Macleod and the playground committee to begin work on redesigning Centennial Park. The grant will help the volunteers launch the first phase of the project with the installation of new playground equipment.
• A $5,000 grant will be used by the Town of Fort Macleod to upgrade the Fort Macleod Sports Centre. The upgrades will improve accessibility for disabled patrons to the Centre that serves as a community hub for recreation and many other activities.
• A $4,000 grant will assist Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Lethbridge and District with the development of the new Teen Mentorship Program, which matches high school students with children in grades 3 and 4.  This innovative program has a dual benefit – it will help the young children develop self esteem, and also build the leadership skills and community spirit of the high school students.
• A number of youth service organizations will benefit from a $6,600 grant to Camp Carmangay to help complete construction of the Wayne Brown Memorial Hall.  The grant will assist the volunteers who have worked for five years to establish this service facility for youth development and social enterprise.
• The Lethbridge office of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind will expand their clients’ use of digital resources with a $3,000 grant.  The funds will provide a special computer workstation for clients and volunteers to access electronic and print information through the use of specialized assistive technology.
• A grant of $10,000 will enable the Lethbridge 2012 Alberta Summer Games Society to upgrade the photo-timing equipment at the U of L Stadium, as well as install plexi-glass and new nets at the Lethbridge Soccer Centre Field. These upgrades will provide a lasting benefit for recreation services in Lethbridge, and also support more than 2,500 young athletes (11 – 17 years of age), and our amazing 3,000  local volunteers.
• The Claresholm and District Health Foundation will use a grant of
• $10,000 towards the purchase of portable HD ultrasound equipment for the hospital.  This equipment has been identified by the physicians as a very high priority to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients at bedside in emergency and acute care situations.
• A $4,000 grant to the County of Lethbridge and the Readymade Community Association will assist with an upgrade to the kitchen area of the Readymade Community Centre located in the rural area south of Coaldale.  The Centre is used by a wide range of community members for events ranging from group meetings to special functions, such as weddings and reunions.
• A grant of $5,100 will be used by the Family Centre Society of Southern Alberta to purchase sound absorbing baffles for the playroom in their new location in Lethbridge Centre.  The baffles will greatly reduce the sound levels and make the playroom much more enjoyable for up to 80 parents and children who make use of the facility at any one time.
• St. Joseph School in Coaldale will direct a $5,000 grant towards the enhancement of the school grounds that will make it much more usable for junior high students.  The school grounds are also used extensively for community recreational activities, and these improvements will be appreciated by the community at large.
• A $5,000 grant to St. Patrick Fine Arts Elementary School in Lethbridge will be used to update the school's playground, including new basketball backboards and nets, soccer goalposts and the re-painting of existing sidewalk games. This grant will assist the volunteers with the first stage of the school ground redevelopment project.
• With a grant of $3,940, the Erle Rivers High School in Milk River will purchase an upgraded library system that will make cataloguing books less time consuming. The new system will also allow students, staff and parents to browse the book catalogue on personal computers, anytime and anywhere.
• The Lethbridge Food Bank Society will use a $7,500 grant to assist with replacing their existing delivery van with a larger cube van.  This will en- able the Food Bank to more efficiently pick-up food donations from food stores and other locations, and also deliver food to school breakfast and lunch programs.
• A grant of $3,000 will enable Gilbert Paterson Middle School in Lethbridge to purchase light, sound, and digital media equipment used for the drama program.  This new equipment will allow students to develop technical knowledge and assist with theatre productions.
• A $3,000 grant will assist the Magrath History and Museum Association with the development of an Archives Room in the new facility. The support will make it possible for patrons to access historical information that the museum has collected, including community newspapers dating back to 1899.
• A $5,400 grant will enable the John Davidson School in Coaldale to achieve an innovative solution to providing library books for the school’s Low German Mennonite student population.  Since there is not a room dedicated for a library,  a number of secure and portable shelving units will enable the auditorium stage to be used as a library space, in addition to other uses.
• Sunnyside School, in the County of Lethbridge, will use a $1,000 grant to purchase a variety of new instruments and sheet music for the music program.  This will enable many students to be introduced to music by playing percussion instruments of other cultures.
• With a $2,500 grant the Southern Alberta Community Living Association will replace outdated technology equipment in their multi-use training room.  This will improve the services provided to a number of organizations for training, meetings, and workshops in helping families cope with developmental disabilities.
• A grant of $2,500 to Streets Alive Family Support Association will assist with the development of the innovative A.S.K. Learning Centre. The centre will have flexible class schedules and provide educational courses for participants who are not comfortable in a mainstream learning environment. The vision is to have the A.S.K. Centre open 5 days a week to assist people with life skills training and educational upgrading.
• The Town of Cardston and the Seniors Society will use a grant of $11,000 to repair the roof of the Tanner Senior Centre. This will ensure that the Centre continues to provide access for many organizations to the largest public meeting space in Cardston.
• With a grant of $2,000 the Picture Butte Municipal Library will purchase a wide range of new books to appeal to a variety of readers.  With this purchase the library plans to actively promote the advantages of library membership within the community of Picture Butte.
• The Vauxhall Cemetery Committee will use a grant of $4,500 to assist with the beautification of the cemetery.  The volunteers have developed a plan to deal with the persistent drainage issues and create more pleasant surroundings for visitors.
• A grant of $5,000 will enable the Cardston Junior High School to expand its inventory of instruments for the grade six band program.  This will support a thriving music program and make it as affordable as possible for students to participate.
• The Magrath Junior and Senior High School will use a grant of $5,000 to purchase a range of instruments for the grade 6 band program.  These instruments will enable all grade 6 students to take part in the program and help alleviate the financial burden on families.