60 not-for-profit organizations throughout B.C. will be able to better serve their communities for years to come thanks to provincial investment in capital projects through the Community Gaming Grants program.
"I have personally experienced the positive impact that not-for-profit organizations have in strengthening communities, and I consider it vitally important that our government supports their work," said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. "The first round of community gaming grants for capital projects generated tremendous enthusiasm and I am impressed by the quality and diversity of applications. Congratulations to all!"
In the first yearly intake of the grants for capital projects, the Province is investing $5 million in not-for-profit organizations undertaking capital projects that provide a community benefit and are accessible to the public.
The Kelowna and District of the Canadian Mental Health Association will receive $242,400 to purchase a mobile health and mental health unit. Shelagh Turner, Executive Director for the local CMHA says, "What an incredible gift to our community and to our young people, and families." She says the mobile unit will be dedicated to young people across the Central Okanagan, aged 12-24. Turner says, "When people have early access to care in their journey the outcomes are so much better."
The Kelowna Museums Society will receive $235,000 to create an interactive outdoor experience in the courtyard behind the Laurel Packinghouse. Linda Digby, Executive Director for the Society says they're thinking big things in a small space. "We took civic designs, children's museums and heritage interpretation and we put them all together and came up with something really really different." The Society has been working on designs for quite some time and Digby hopes to have construction done by the end of 2018.
Other Okanagan communities will also benefit from the grants. The Summerland Community Arts council will get $250,000 towards library renovation costs, the Vernon Rowing and Dragon Boat Club will get $10,000 to purchase rowing shells, and the Okanagan Similkameen Neurological Society in Penticton will use just under $61,000 to replace an HVAC system.