CFLSA

The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta is pleased to announce the awarding of grants to 33 community organizations totalling $152,125. Grants are provided through endowment funds established by generous donors and support a broad range of community service in the areas of Arts, Culture and Heritage; Human and Social Services; Health and Wellness; Recreation and Leisure and Environment and Conservation.

A grant of $2,000 will assist volunteers of the Allied Arts Council of Pincher Creek to upgrade the entrance and gift shop area of the historic Lebel Mansion. This venue includes a gift shop specializing in local art and space for art classes for all ages.

A $3,000 grant will assist the Boys and Girls Club of the Crowsnest Pass with the purchase of 30 sets of ski equipment to be used in after school programs, especially on early dismissal days. Through collaboration with the schools and the Cross Country Ski Club, this service will promote a healthy lifestyle for students with limited opportunities.

A $5,000 grant will enable the Canadian Mental Health Association in Pincher Creek to cover the cost of printing surveys to inform students, school staff, and parents in the Pincher Creek, Crowsnest Pass, and Brocket region about warning signs of teen suicide. Aimed at teenagers, the surveys are part of a proactive teen suicide prevention program.

A $7,500 grant will help the local volunteers of the Canadian Search Dog Association purchase new GPS systems to improve the accuracy of location information conveyed by the search dog team to rescuers. The association's primary goal is to save lives at no cost to communities, or requesting organizations, and to support the RCMP and local police.

A $2,000 grant will assist Le Touche à Tout Daycare purchase age-appropriate playground equipment. The daycare, located within the French cultural centre/school in Lethbridge, provides an early opportunity for children to learn French in a natural, play environment.

A $5,000 grant will assist with the purchase of a lift to enable staff and volunteers of the Empress Theatre Society to safely access lighting, props, and the event marquee at the historic Fort Macleod theatre. This popular venue features variety of musical and theatrical events throughout the year.

A $5,000 grant will assist G.S. Lakie School purchase an expandable lighting/dimmer panel for a planned Convertible Space Arts Centre. The West Lethbridge centre will be an arts hub where a variety of arts groups and schools will be able to stage music, dance, and theatre productions and camps.

A $3,500 grant will enable Galbraith School to provide seating for approximately 70 volunteers and students to use during paired reading time to promote literacy. The chairs will also be used for community and special events at the school.

A $2,400 grant to repair the roof of the Granum Museum will assist volunteers in the preservation of the community's history at the Veterans Memorial and museum.

A $5,000 grant will enable the Granum United Church to install security doors, outdoor security lighting and safe entry stairs and landing. This will improve access to the hall which serves as Granum’s community centre for a variety of recreational activities.

A $5,000 grant will enable the volunteers of the Great Canadian Plains Railway Society at Stirling to restore the roof of a 1920's CPR wooden caboose. The caboose will be turned into an educational resource centre for the heritage park, bringing to life the importance of the railways to the settlement and commerce of southern Alberta.

A $7,500 grant will enable the Interfaith Food Bank to purchase a fuel-efficient vehicle for pickup and delivery of food and donations. This will help the food bank manage the 88% increase in demand since 2008.

A $2,000 grant will assist the Lethbridge and District Japanese Garden Society with the development of an audio tour program to enhance visitors' experience of the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden.

A $3,300 grant will assist the Lethbridge and Region Community Housing Corporation with the replacement of aging TV's and stands, and with the purchase of Nintendo Wii's for the community areas of three seniors' highrises. The goal is to promote socialization and physical fitness for the residents.

A $7,500 grant will assist Lethbridge Family Services purchase ceiling tracks and lifts for the DaCapo program. This equipment will enable staff and volunteers to safely help clients, who are unable to bear or transfer their own weight, to fully access the programs and facilities at the centre.

A $3,000 grant will purchase a 21 foot portable tipi to be available to all 19 schools in Lethbridge School District #51 for use in the locally developed program Niitoyis: The Blackfoot Tipi Program. The tipi will provide hands on learning for students and community members to experience traditional Blackfoot knowledge about the tipi and the people who lived in these homes.

A $6,500 grant will help the Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association renovate its outdoor horse boarding pens to improve drainage and repair aging pens. The revenue from the boarding pens will provide ongoing support for the association's riding programs for the disabled.

A $10,000 grant will assist the Culture and Recreation Department of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass develop a safe bicycle, wheelchair and pedestrian railway crossing for the 23 km non-motorized trail being developed to connect the communities of Crowsnest Pass.

A $5,000 grant will assist the volunteers of the Nobleford Parks and Recreation Society purchase and install the water spray apparatus for the new family-friendly recreation and fitness area being developed for all ages. The Village of Nobleford will match all funds raised by the society.

A $1,800 grant will enable Park Meadows School to purchase risers and performance rights for a musical production in 2011/2012, staged with the collaboration of University of Lethbridge drama students. The risers will provide a multi-use stage for ongoing school and community use.

A $1,725 grant will complete bathroom renovations for the Pincher Creek Women's Shelter which serves families in crisis, and will enable mothers to bathe children more easily.

A $6,000 grant will be combined with donations from local residents, service clubs and businesses to enable the Ladies Auxiliary of the Prairie Rose Lodge (Milk River) to purchase and install a walk-in bathtub for independence and accessibility for senior residents.

A $4,000 grant will enable R.I. Baker Middle School in Coaldale to purchase two treadmills and two exercise bikes for a fitness centre to complement the school gym. The fitness centre will add to the number of activities available at the school during noon hour and team practice times.

A $10,000 grant will assist the Southern Alberta Self-Help Association to install a new floor in one of its Lethbridge houses that provides transitional and long-term housing for adults with mental illness.

A $6,000 grant will assist Scouts Canada - Chinook Council with the purchase of a new high efficiency furnace for the Scouting Service Centre in Lethbridge.

A $4,000 grant will assist St. Michael's Foundation purchase an unlimited software licence for computer access to the Brain Training Rehabilitation Program. This program will be available to residents, clients and the community for brain recovery treatment of stroke and other injuries.

A $2,000 grant will assist the Taber Public Library purchase items for its reference, graphic novel, and children's fiction collections.

A $5,000 grant will assist the Wilderness Ranch of Claresholm to purchase a small hitch trailer to move stock between the camp's two locations which provide a back country riding and camping experience to over 200 young people every summer.

A $5,000 grant will assist the volunteers of the Coaldale and District Soccer and Football Association with construction of a perimeter fence for two new dual-use sports fields of the Town of Coaldale Sports Complex.

A $3,000 grants will assist the Town of Granum Library replace water damaged carpet and collections in the Young Readers' Room.

A $4,000 grant will assist the Town of Raymond construct a concession/restroom building for the sports field complex used extensively by town and area residents, and by those who will attend the Alberta Summer Games in 2012.

A $4,000 grant will assist the Village of Warner complete the Athletes' Fitness Centre at the Warner Community Hockey School. The exercise room is available to the community-at-large, as well as serving students and minor hockey players.

A $7,500 grant will enable the Warner School to purchase two ride-glide playground pieces to help upgrade the school's aging playground.