WESTLOCK – The Westlock Literacy and Learning Centre (WLLC) motto to “never stop learning” will continue thanks to a generous six-figure donation to the Westlock Community Foundation (WCF).
The WCF is creating a new literacy and learning fund with a $200,684.28 donation from the WLLC June 7. In keeping with the wishes of the WLLC, the fund was established to continue supporting educational opportunities and enhancing literacy-related programs and services in Westlock and the surrounding communities.
“They specified how they would like to see the returns on that fund spent, so the focus is going to be on learning and education,” said WCF board of directors chair Wayne Peyre. "This substantial donation is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our community members to support education and literacy.”
Peyre noted the fund will distribute annual grants totaling up to $10,000 a year to organizations dedicated to promoting literacy, fostering a love for learning, and advancing educational initiatives. He said they are expected to begin taking applications under the program next year with the first grants ready to distribute in late 2024.
Westlock Community Foundation executive director Katie Robertson also expressed her gratitude and say they “are deeply honoured to receive this exceptional gift, which will empower us to make a lasting difference in the lives of individuals across Westlock and the surrounding areas.
“The establishment of the literacy and learning fund represents an exciting opportunity to invest in the educational development of our community," she added.
In what is hoped to be the first of several funds moving forward, Peyre pointed to the unique role of the foundation in the community.
“It gives us a vehicle to be able to support certain causes like this … and to be in a position to continue to support what they’ve been doing for a number of years,” he said.
WLLC president Arla Trueblood said they “thought carefully about where we wanted our money to go.”
The society incorporated Dec. 17, 1993, and began offering adult education and literacy courses and soon after the Each One Teach One Society was incorporated Sept. 6, 2000, which also addressed adult literacy issues in the area. The two organizations agreed to merge in 2019, becoming the Westlock Literacy and Learning Centre Society but due to several unforeseen factors, the society disbanded at the end of June 2021.
“We wanted it to go to a place where all of this surplus that had built up over all of these years would be looked after very carefully and would go to the types of initiatives that we hold dear,” said Trueblood, noting the legacy of the WLLC, its commitment to literacy and adult learning will continue thanks to the WCF.
“Over the 30 years we had paid coordinators but we also had volunteer boards, there were instructors that taught some courses for free, one on one volunteer tutoring of ESL. All of this was with the aim of helping adult learners and the idea that we never stop learning,” explained Trueblood. “This donation will ensure that future generations in Westlock will never stop learning.”
The foundation was established in 2020 after a generous $7 to $7.5 million bequeathment from the estate of Albert and Florence Miller and is a charitable organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life in Westlock and the surrounding communities and provides grants and support to local charities, non-profit organizations, and community initiatives. The organization is expected to begin distributing funds in the way of grants in late 2024, said Peyre.
