Three Revelstoke projects are among 28 social programs that are receiving $1.3 million in grants from the Columbia Basin Trust.
A statement from the CBT said Community Connections is receiving $46,000 for a project to “enhance the social involvement and well-being of individuals with disabilities by helping them work toward individualized goals… while increasing public awareness and inclusion of people with disabilities.”
The Women’s Shelter has been granted $36,000 for a pilot project to “enhance outreach support services to women and children transitioning from domestic violence in the Revelstoke area, and strengthen community awareness of domestic violence through community-wide events.”
And the City of Revelstoke’s Social Development Committee has been awarded $5,375 to “create a community protocol for responding to hate crimes in Revelstoke that will provide guidance and coordination for the City of Revelstoke and community partners.”
“These projects clearly illustrate the strength we have in our communities, with organizations of various sizes working on many levels to improve the lives of residents,” Liz Gillis, the CBT’s acting manager for Social Initiatives, said in a statement released on Wednesday, March 11. “We’re pleased to be able to support their efforts, which in turn helps us deliver on our goals of addressing systemic social issues, being responsive to community priorities and solutions, and strengthening social sector capacity.”
Since the program was launched in 2012, the Trust has been able to distribute over $3 million to improve social well-being in Basin communities. Granting decisions are made by the Social Grants Program Selection Committee, a volunteer group of Basin residents that includes individuals who have experience and expertise in the social sector and individuals who have broader community development experience. For more information about the program, visit cbt.org/socialgrants.
The Trust also has a new Social Strategic Plan, which will guide all its social initiatives through to 2019. Read it at cbt.org/socialstrategicplan.
Columbia Basin Trust supports efforts to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the residents of the Columbia Basin. To learn more about the Trust’s programs and initiatives, visit cbt.org or call 1-800-505-8998.
You can read the list of all grant recipients below:
| Community/Area | Organization | Project Description | Funding Amount |
| Basin-wide and Canal Flats | Blue Lake Forest Education Society | Pilot a four-day summer camp for Basin youth with special needs; includes providing additional training and developing a peer mentorship program. | $19,767 |
| Castlegar and West Kootenay | Freedom Quest Regional Youth Services/The Doukhobour Heritage Retreat Society | Create a PhotoVoice video focused on marginalized and at-risk youth from the West Kootenay that will build awareness about youth and their experiences with substance use and mental health. The project will be showcased at the Creating Caring Communities conference in May 2015 in Castlegar. | $23,399 |
| Columbia Valley | Hospice Society of the Columbia Valley | Provide an enhanced bereavement support program for families and community members in the Columbia Valley. | $12,459 |
| Cranbrook | Ktunaxa Nation Council | Fund the first-year staffing requirements for Scotty’s House, a safe, community cluster home share that provides residential living for Aboriginals aged 19 and over leaving foster care, and single elders over 55. | $152,266 |
| Creston | Kootenay Region Association for Community Living | Undertake Spectrum Farm: Phase 3, which will complete the renovation and construction of an existing building (the Rosewood building) for the purposes of creating a food production facility that will provide meaningful and paid employment for people living with disabilities. | $50,000 |
| Creston | Valley Community Services Society | Through the TAPS program, deliver an early intervention and support program for seniors with early to mild onset of dementia and their family caregivers. | $22,000 |
| Elk Valley | Elkford Women’s Task Force | Continue Healthy Start, an early childhood development program for preschool children and their families on Saturday mornings in the Elk Valley. | $6,950 |
| Elk Valley | Elkford Women’s Task Force Society | Engage a consultant to develop, execute and evaluate a survey to understand barriers to employment for women in the Elk Valley and concerns about the affordability and availability of child care. | $31,000 |
| Elko | Ghostrider Adventure Camp | Support the delivery of the Ghostrider Adventure Camp, which provides an outdoor camp experience for children and youth in the Elk Valley who are facing barriers like social and behavioral issues, family challenges and financial limitations. | $13,000 |
| Golden | Rocky Mountain School District 6 | Construct an addition to Alexander Park Elementary School to house the Early Learning and Care Centre for the Golden area; this will include day care services and pre-school and after-school programs. | $316,367 |
| Invermere | Columbia Valley Play Association | Offer a free drop-in early childhood program that will provide free-play, healthy snacks and organized activities. | $1,935 |
| Kalso and Area D | North Kootenay Lake Community Services Society | Strengthen outreach and support services to at-risk, vulnerable seniors living in Kaslo and the remote and rural surrounding communities. | $78,850 |
| Kimberley | East Kootenay Division of Family Practice | Launch the Healthy Kimberley Initiative, which aims to improve overall community health through a series of participatory health promotions events and activities. | $20,000 |
| Nakusp | Options for Sexual Health, Nakusp Chapter | Conduct renovations and upgrades to the existing Kinship Connection Centre for the purpose of creating an accessible community hub, and co-locate a number of community organizations and service providers. | $54,722 |
| Nelson | Apple Tree Maternity | Launch a program in which an interdisciplinary team will provide enhanced breastfeeding and mental health support to women and their newborn/infant children living the West Kootenay. | $15,000 |
| Nelson | Kootenay Kids Society | Complete fire safety upgrades to an existing building to allow the Kootenay Kids Society to house and develop a regional child-development resource library and training center. | $42,000 |
| Nelson | Nelson and District Women’s Centre | Improve the health and well-being of women by delivering an inter-generational community kitchen program that will bring together elder women living in isolation and on low incomes, and young women with limited food preparation skills, to plan, prepare and share meals, acquire and exchange food skills, and build community connections. | $9,600 |
| Nelson and Area | Nelson Food Cupboard Society | Develop and manage a garden project that will grow fresh produce for the Nelson Food Cupboard, while creating part-time employment and volunteer opportunities. | $74,270 |
| New Denver | Circle of Indigenous Nations Society | Gather 15 West Kootenay Aboriginal elders for four days of cultural sharing and learning, plus facilitate a year-long plan to share the elders’ teachings and ceremonies with Aboriginal families in their home communities. | $22,840 |
| Revelstoke | Community Connections Revelstoke Society | Enhance the social involvement and well-being of individuals with disabilities by helping them work toward individualized goals and participate in a variety of activities, while increasing public awareness and inclusion of people with disabilities. | $46,000 |
| Revelstoke | Revelstoke Women’s Shelter Society | Building upon a pilot project, enhance outreach support services to women and children transitioning from domestic violence in the Revelstoke area, and strengthen community awareness of domestic violence through community-wide events. | $36,000 |
| Revelstoke and Area | The City of Revelstoke, Social Development Committee | Through the Community Response to Hate Crimes project, create a community protocol for responding to hate crimes in Revelstoke that will provide guidance and coordination for the City of Revelstoke and community partners. | $5,375 |
| Trail | Trail Association for Community Living, Career Development Services | Help individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless secure and/or maintain suitable housing. | $26,346 |
| Trail | Trail F.A.I.R. Society | Renovate Nova Vita Second Stage Housing, which provides a 12-month program for women and children transitioning from domestic violence in the Trail area. | $61,681 |
| Trail and Area | Little Oasis Equine Matters | Deliver the Equine Assisted Learning Program to targeted at-risk youth across the Basin to improve their social and communication skills. | $15,396 |
| Valemount | Canoe Valley Community Association | Continue operating the Kinnickinnickers Family Centre which provides programs, resources and supports to families and community members in Valemount and area. | $50,490 |
| West Kootenay | Nelson CARES Society, The Advocacy Centre | Continue the West Kootenay Family Law Program, which offers access to legal information to low-income families in the West Kootenay. | $81,470 |
| West Kootenay | Selkirk College, Community Education Workplace Training | Develop a training program and multimedia resources that will benefit individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, their families and the community stakeholders and service providers who support them. | $38,100 |
