(Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

$383K in grants announced for non-profits in Southern Alberta

May 16, 2021 | 6:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Over 30 organizations throughout the region are getting funding for a wide range of initiatives.

The Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta has announced the recipients of its spring grants program.

“It is always an honour for us to be a source of financial support for our community,” said Charleen Davidson, Community Foundation Executive Director. “This year it is particularly important for us to able to award these grants as our community attempts to reopen safely while continuing to respond to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to the Community Foundation, each of these grants will support projects that help improve the quality of life for those in southwestern Alberta as well as the community’s health and wellbeing during the pandemic.

The largest grant, valued at $28,000, will go to the Interfaith Food Bank to increase the capacity of their Fleet That Feeds – Rural Food Share Program. They coordinate with rural food banks to recover more food and increase direct support to rural communities.

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A full list of grant recipients can be found below.

Community Priorities Fund Grant Recipients

• Claresholm & District Health Foundation, $15,000:
  • To upgrade X-Ray diagnostic imaging technology at the Claresholm Hospital, making images instantly available for both local physicians and specialists.
• Elim Society for Senior Citizen’s Care, $15,000:
  • To replace the roof on the Balmoral House, an affordable housing facility for seniors in Lethbridge.
• Foothills Alcohol Action Society, $8,800:
  • To replace detox beds and provide bedside dressers for all clients.
• Fort Macleod Historical Association, $15,000
  • To repair the roof of the Blackfoot Gallery building at the Fort Museum.
• Fresh Start Recovery Centre – South Country (Lethbridge County), $15,000:
  • To purchase a new transportation vehicle to transport clients in recovery.
• Historical Society of Alberta – Lethbridge Historical Society, $3,500:
  • To purchase computers and video equipment to keep members and the public connected to local and provincial history.
• Horizon School Division – Vauxhall Elementary School, $5,000:
  • To develop a new multi-sensory room.
• Horizon School Division – Chamberlain School (Grassy Lake), $5,300:
  • For the development of an outdoor sitting area that will be used by Chamberlain School and the Grassy Lake Community Library.
• Lethbridge Food Bank Society, $15,000:
  • To purchase new shelving and storage for the expansion of the warehouse.
• Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization, $5,400:
  • For equipment to upgrade the wireless internet, so that the internet connection reaches all corners of the facility.
• Link Pathway Committee (Coaldale), $12,000:
  • For the construction of a 15 kilometre paved pathway that will link the communities of Lethbridge and Coaldale through Lethbridge County.
• Milk River Municipal Library, $2,000:
  • To renovate the building for water access in the library.
• Municipality of Crowsnest Pass – Pass Powderkeg Ski Society, $15,000:
  • To purchase a washroom trailer for public use at Pass Powderkeg Ski Area in the winter and the adjoining hiking and mountain bike trails in the summer.
• Nanton Lancaster Society, $8,900:
  • To fill in the cracks in the hangar floor at the Bomber Command museum to improve the safety of the museum and slow the deterioration of the concrete floor.
• Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society, $10,000:
  • To purchase and install a metal panel fencing that will increase the safety and security of the facility.
• Palliser School Division – Huntsville School (Iron Springs), $5,000:
  • To develop a multi-sensory room.
• Palliser School Division – Dorothy Dalgliesh School (Picture Butte), $10,000:
  • To purchase outdoor classroom equipment so that students can engage in open-air learning and instruction.
• Palliser School Division – Coalhurst High School, $10,000:
  • For the purchase of concrete tables and seating for an outdoor classroom and community gathering space.
• Pincher Creek Community Hall Society, $15,000:
  • To purchase and install new flooring that will replace 1972 tile flooring on the dance floor.
• Prairie Winds Clubhouse Society (Claresholm), $15,000:
  • To develop an outdoor backyard space that will be safe for social gatherings.
• Ranchlands Victim Services Society, $6,500:
  • To purchase new furniture that will provide a comfortable safe and relaxing environment for victims of crime.
• Town of Fort Macleod – Senior Citizens Welcome Mat Fort Macleod $5,540:
  • To replace the 20-year-old furniture at the Seniors Welcome Mat.
• Town of Nanton – Nanton & District Leo Club, $5,000:
  • To construct a fence on the one-acre dog park in the Town of Nanton.
• Town of Raymond – Raymond Seniors Centre $6,000:
  • To install new audiovisual equipment, including a projector and speaker system.
• Village of Barnwell, $10,000:
  • To resurface existing pickle ball courts with rubberized sport court surface to improve the quality of play and expand the use of the facility.
• Village of Stirling – Stirling Lions Club, $12,000:
  • To replace the existing bathroom in the west recreation area with a new, accessible facility.
• Village of Warner – Warner Revitalization Committee, $7,500:
  • To construct a community garden and planters in public areas in the village.
• Vulcan County – Milo and District Fire Association, $7,500:
  • To purchase a Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV) to aid in the recovery of drowning victims and/or property.
• Westwind School Division – Raymond Elementary School, $10,000:
  • To purchase outdoor classroom equipment so that students can engage in open-air learning and instruction.
• Westwind School Division – Mountain View School, $15,000:
  • For the construction of the Grizzly Hollow Learning Centre Barn to house animals as part of the new agricultural education program.
• Willow Creek Agricultural Society, $15,000:
  • To replace the original bucking chutes at the Claresholm Agriplex with chutes that have built-in safety features.

Henry S. Varley Fund for Rural Life Grant Recipients

• Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge, $28,000:
  • To increase the capacity of the Fleet that Feeds – Rural Food Share Program. This program will coordinate with rural food banks and rural food security initiatives to recover more food and increase direct support to rural communities.
• Napi Friendship Association – Piikani Food Bank, $5,000:
  • To develop a community garden program at the Piikani Food Bank.
• Raymond & District Futures Society – Farm Safety Centre, $20,000:
  • To expand the Sustainable Farm Families – Rural Health and Wellness Initiative into more rural communities throughout rural Southwestern Alberta. This program focuses on the importance of individual health, well-being, and safety to a successful farm. It provides participants with three annual, in-depth physical & mental health assessments.
• Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, $10,000:
  • To expand the Community Education Presentation Programming into rural Southwestern Alberta communities. This programming reduces stigma around mental illness, and provides better understanding of schizophrenia.
• University of Lethbridge – Prentice Institute, $15,000:
  • To subsidize access to one-day courses designed for rural community leaders in Southwestern Alberta that will help to address challenges in local community capacity across private, public, Indigenous, and non-for-profit sectors.

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