Community Foundation awards 43 grants across Southwestern Alberta

• Foundation presents $211,240 in grants to 43 organizations.
• Recipients include Pincher Creek Community Centre, Glenwood Municipal Library, Livingstone Range School Division and Fort Macleod Public Library.

Community Foundation press release

During a grant celebration on April 12, 2013 the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta was pleased to award $211,240 in Community Impact Grants to 43 organizations.

The Community Impact Grants program is the Foundation’s main granting program and supports a wide range of community projects. Funds for this granting program come from our Community Impact Fund, which has been established through the donations of many generous donors wanting to make a difference in their communities. By asking charities to apply for grants twice a year, the Foundation is able to distribute funds to the charities best suited to meet the most pressing needs in southwestern Alberta.

“As someone who has been on the receiving end of a Community Foundation grant, I can attest to the fact that even $1,000 can make a huge difference for non-profit organizations,” says Dianne King, Community Foundation President. “The Foundation is proud to support these organizations through our Community Impact Grants program.”

Much of the southwestern Alberta region was represented at the Grant Celebration event, including Barnwell, Cardston, Claresholm, Coaldale, Coutts, Fort Macleod, Glenwood, Lethbridge, Magrath, Milk River, Nanton, Nobleford, Pincher Creek, Raymond, Taber, Vulcan and Warner.

Attendees also got to hear a more in-depth explanation about four of the projects being supported through a Community Impact Grant with presentations from the Claresholm and District Transportation Society, G.S. Lakie Middle School, the Lethbridge Skateboard Association and the Vulcan 100th Celebration Committee.

“We would have to sell $5,000 hot dogs, or collect 100,000 cans to raise the amount the Community Foundation has provided us with,” says Renee Richards from the Lethbridge Skateboard Association. “We could not do this alone. The support of the community is the foundation to this project, and all of our projects, being a success.”

• The Community Centre Hall is the largest building in Pincher Creek and is in use an average of 40 weekends per year. With a grant of $5,000 the Pincher Creek Community Centre Hall Society will upgrade the washroom facilities to ensure many more years of service.
• Glenwood Municipal Library’s book collection will expand with a $5,000 grant. The new books will include children’s selections, juvenile literature, young adult materials, and First Nations’ picture books and graphic novels.
• The Fort Macleod Public Library will purchase five new public computers with a grant of $2,500. These computers are well-used by a wide variety of community members.
• A school district wide project to raise the academic performance of First Nations, Métis and Inuit students is being introduced by the Livingstone Range School Division. The grant of $3,900 will be used to purchase FNMI-focused books that will be incorporated into classroom content.
• 5th on 5th Youth Services will use a grant of $4,610 to purchase six new public computers. The Youth Employment Centre is a hive of activity with 17,000 visits per year.
• A grant of $3,700 will assist the Lethbridge chapter of the Alzheimer Society to better serve 2,200 clients a year through an office refurbishment. 
• Two leather reclining loveseats will be purchased by the Cardston and District Health Care Auxiliary Association with a $3,000 grant. The loveseats will be used in the lounge areas in the Long Term Care wing of the Cardston Health Centre to provide residents with an area to interact outside of their rooms.
• A grant of $8,200 will provide close-to-home childbirth services to residents of Cardston and surrounding area. The Cardston and District Health Foundation will  purchase new equipment to upgrade the maternity suite at the Cardston Health Centre. 
• Chinook High School plans to use a grant of $3,500 to create a multi-sensory room for students with special needs. This room will provide the students with a creative and calming environment.
• A grant of $15,000 ($3,000 coming from the Foundation’s Transport for the Disabled Fund) will allow the Claresholm and District Transportation Society to purchase a wheelchair accessible van. The new van will better accommodate clients throughout the MD of Willow Creek.
• A $2,000 grant, supplied by the Foundation’s 1975 Alberta Winter Games Fund, will be used by Fleetwood-Bawden School to purchase skating helmets for the afterschool skating program. 
• With a grant of $3,000 the Friends of Taber Literacy Association will purchase iPads to use as teaching tools for ESL and low literacy learners. This innovative project will expand the teaching potential of the 25 volunteers who provide one-on-one instruction.
• G. S. Lakie Middle School will use a grant of $5,000 ($1,000 from the Foundation’s 1975 Alberta Winter Games Fund) to purchase a professional sound mixer for the Convertible Theatre. This facility is used to expand the students’ knowledge of the arts and is used for many productions throughout the year.
• Great Canadian Plains Railway Society will use a grant of $2,000 to complete the historical interior lighting for the station in Stirling. Three mammoth hall lamps and two caboose lamps will be purchased with the grant.
• The Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization has over 180 computer club members and over 700 people attend computer classes and workshops every year. With a $5,000 grant the LSCO will replace 10 of the outdated computers that are currently in the lab.
• A grant of $10,000 will bring the City of Lethbridge and the Lethbridge Skateboard Association one step closer to the completion of a new skate park. The new park will be open to skateboards, scooters, rollerblades, bikes and wheelchairs and will provide many Lethbridge youth with accessible entertainment.
• The Lethbridge Soup Kitchen serves 100 homeless and low-income clients with a hot noon meal 6 days a week, as well as soup, bread and dessert for an evening meal. A grant of $6,700 will enable the group to purchase a gas convection oven that will use less energy while being used for up to six hours per day.
• A grant of $2,000 will be put to good use by the Magrath Public Library with the purchase two new vacuums and six new portable tables, to support the many events that take place there.
• The Milk River Municipal Library will purchase new computers, a switch and router with a grant of $4,000.This will ensure that they stay connected to the Chinook Arch Regional Library System headquarters.
• The expansion of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre will provide improved exhibit space to be enjoyed by over 30,000 visitors each year. A grant of $5,000 will assist with the development of the Active Earth Exhibit.
• With up to 150 people receiving emergency food each month, the Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge will use a grant of $5,000 to improve operations. The grant will be used to increase storage capacity through the purchase of rolling storage bins, wire shelving and industrial racks.
• Each year the Kiwanis Club of Lethbridge receives over 1,100 entries and utilizes 85 volunteers for the Music and Speech Arts Festival. A grant of $5,300 will provide a computer system upgrade to support the annual two week event.
• A grant of $1,650 will provide the Lethbridge and District Birthright Society with updated computer and audiovisual equipment. This will assist the interaction of volunteers with clients and allow for smoother public presentations.
• Lethbridge Area Search and Rescue Association’s mobile Command Centre provides a headquarters to coordinate tactical search activities. A grant of $4,800 will assist with the installation of a generator system to ensure that the centre has power.
• Mental Health First Aid is an initiative of Lethbridge College to enable staff members to recognize the symptoms of student mental stress. A $6,000 grant will assist with a ‘train the trainer’ initiative.
• A new phone system will be purchased with a grant of $1,700 by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada -Lethbridge Chapter. The new system will allow for webinar training, teleconferencing and VOIP capabilities to assist the chapter in serving their southwestern Alberta clients.
• With Nanton hosting the Canadian Junior and High School Rodeo Finals in July, the Nanton Ag Society plans to use a grant of $10,000 to build a new warm-up area. This event will host over 300 youth from the four western provinces.
• Nicholas Sheran Community School plans to replace the old wooden playground with a new structure to be used by elementary students. A $5,000 grant will allow more children to use it at one time, including children with special needs.
• An inclusive and age-appropriate playground will be built at Noble Central School with the assistance of a $5,000 grant. This new structure will replace the outdated and unsafe playground for elementary students.
• A grant of $3,000 will allow Park Meadows Elementary School to purchase new chairs for their many school events. They will replace old wooden chairs that are becoming unusable.
• Owning its own building contributes to the sustainability of the St. John Ambulance service in Lethbridge and region. A grant of $5,000 will replace the building’s outdated electrical system and enable the organization to continue to provide first aid training to over 4,000 people each year.
• A grant of $4,855 will help Taber Christian School to expand its supply of instruments. The instruments will support the compulsory band program for grades 6 to 9 and also be used for the extra-curricular band program.
• The Kinsmen Playground in the Town of Milk River will be completed with a grant of $4,900. A new swing set will be added to the other existing play stations, completing the playground used by many children who visit it on a regular basis.
• With a grant of $5,000 an ultrasonic instrument cleaning machine will be purchased by R. I. Baker Middle School. This will greatly reduce annual cleaning costs and will be available for use by other schools.
• The Raymond Seniors Club is used for community events an average of twice per week and serves 130 members. With a grant of $3,600 the building’s two hot water tanks and thermostat controls will be replaced.
• A grant of $2,250 will be used for an innovative project at Senator Buchanan Elementary School. The grant will be used to purchase standing work stations for the grades 1 to 5 classrooms. The stations will be used by students who are challenged to sit still due to a range of developmental disorders.
• The Society of Barnwell Parents for Quality Education has been working hard for three years to upgrade the Barnwell School Playground. A grant of $5,000 will help to add new inclusive structures and improve the safety of existing pieces.
• A digital display will be built in front of the Southern Alberta Art Gallery with the assistance of a grant of $6,000. The new sign will help to promote the many programs and events held at the SAAG.
• The Southern Alberta Self-Help Association supports the independence of adults with mental illness through transitional and long-term housing. A grant of $10,075 will repair the veranda on one of the group homes.
• Warner Hockey School is an innovative program that requires tremendous volunteer commitment each year to ensure that the school will remain the community. A $5,000 grant will help to purchase helmets and gloves for this high-caliber girl’s hockey program.
• An extensive outdoor program is offered by Winston Churchill High School and the school currently shares one set of cross country skis with two other schools. A grant of $5,000 will purchase a new set.
• The Town of Vulcan will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2014. A grant of $5,000 will help celebrate this milestone through the addition of a solar structure. The power generated from the structure will be used for the lights on the Starship Enterprise and the community announcement board.
• A grant of $3,000 will be used by the Village of Coutts to replace one of the four water cannons at the Coutts Spray Park. The park is used on a daily basis by local youth throughout the summer.

About the Community Foundation:
The Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta is a registered charity that helps donors connect their generosity with community needs to create a better and stronger community, now and forever. We’ve been doing this since the foundation was formed on April 18, 1966.

In total, we have invested over $6 million in a wide variety of charitable organizations, all through the generosity of caring people.