WESTLOCK - Nine area non-and-not-for-profits have received $210,000 via the Government of Canada’s $400-million Community Services Recovery Fund, dollars that were distributed locally by the Westlock Community Foundation (WCF).
In an Aug. 17 release, WCF executive director Katie Robinson said they were “thrilled to partner with the Government of Canada and local community organizations to bring some of these vital projects to life” as the “pandemic had a significant impact on our communities and as we continue to move through the process of recovery, these investments are integral.”
At the end of November 2022, then-federal minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould announced that the Community Foundations of Canada alongside the Canadian Red Cross and United Way Centraide Canada would distribute the “one-time” money to help a “broad and diverse range” of groups “adapt and modernize” as they had been most impacted by an “increased demand for services, reduced revenues, declines in charitable giving due to the rising cost of living, and a greater need to make use of digital tools as part of adapting and modernizing their operations.”
Local projects approved include $47,000 to Barrhead Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) to improve programs, services, and internal capacity building, while $13,400 is going to the Westlock Golf Club to modernize its communications systems. The Westlock Community Hall received $20,000 to “re-energize and promote events” while Healthy Families, Healthy Futures got $12,250 to improve and expand service delivery and accessibility.
The Tawatinaw Valley Ski Club received $15,000, while $40,000 is heading to the Fawcett Ag Society for both to “improve communications and community engagement”, while the Canadian Tractor Museum in Westlock will bank $40,000 for “heritage sustainability.” The Westlock Cultural Arts Theatre Society will use the $12,350 it got to improve the sound system and audience experience at the cultural arts theatre at R.F. Staples School, while the Jarvie Community Centre now has $10,000 to improve “community connection through technology accessibility.”
The foundation’s release notes that community service organizations are at the forefront of addressing communities’ needs and since the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have struggled with “increased demand for their services, reduced revenues, declines in charitable giving due to the rising cost of living, and a greater need to make use of digital tools.”
In a past interview, WCF chair Wayne Peyre said in many ways these federal dollars “fell into our laps” as they had a meeting with one of the directors of the Community Foundations of Canada in early November who told them about the program and to get involved. In an Aug. 18 e-mail, Peyre said they were “just glad that we were finally able to go public with the announcement” while Robertson added they will “continue to seek out opportunities for increasing investment in the region.”
“It kind of came out of the blue and it’s really an opportunity for us to come out of the gate swinging. This allows us to do something sooner and be able to make an impact within our community, which is really exciting,” he said previously.
