Three Foothills organizations received a much-needed financial boost last month.
The Oilfields Curling Club, South Country Trappers Association and Royal Canadian Legion Turner Valley Branch each received sizable grants from the Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) to support significant projects in their organizations.
Livingstone-Macleod MLA Pat Stier presented a $13,595 cheque to the curling club, $35,000 to the Trappers association and $10,000 to the legion on Nov. 18.
“It’s always great to be able to help people and that’s one of the probably few experiences I get where people are happy,” said Stier. “It’s wonderful to see people smiling and I appreciate trying to help them when they’ve got some sort of situation where they can look forward to getting a project on the go or completed.”
Stier presented 11 cheques from the CFEP grant to organizations in his riding last month.
“Under the Arts and Culture Ministry various entities can apply to arts and culture for grants,” he said. “A lot of time they contact us as MLAs to help garner support or make recommendations to the department to assist in getting support for approvals. It was my privilege to go around to present the cheques this year.”
With many organizations struggling in the current economic downturn, Stier said every little bit helps.
“A lot of them don’t have a lot of local assistance,” he said. “Donations are hard to find in smaller towns for bigger projects. It’s great that the government has in the past and continues to provide support to some of those (organizations).”
The Oilfields Curling Club in Black Diamond used its $13,595 to cover about half of the costs to upgrade the curling rink’s water system to better freeze and maintain the ice, said manager Mike Libbus. The rink is located south of the Oilfields Regional Arena. Libbus said the rink has been in place since the mid-1990s and is increasing in popularity. This year the club boasts 180 members, he said.
“Our membership has gradually increased the last three or four years,” he said. “It’s a nice steady growth. People are looking for stuff to do that’s cost effective. It’s a nice friendly environment out there.”
To keep the public interested and returning each year, Libbus said it’s important to provide a high quality service for members.
The $35,000 presented to the South Country Trappers Association will help cover the cost of its annual Rendezvous event, which took place in Pincher Creek July 1 and 2, says association treasurer Sarah Graham.
Graham said the grant will assist with the cost of the meals, entertainment and presenters. The annual weekend event drew more than 600 people to the trade show, seminars and presentations, she said.
The association covers the region south of Calgary and consists of trappers and people who support the trapping industry in Alberta. Graham said it’s been around for about five years and currently consists of about 120 members.
“We have meetings a few times a year and courses for youth,” she said. “We have some of the best standards in the world for humane trapping.”
Graham said Alberta has between 2,000 and 3,000 registered members who trap animals like martins, coyotes, wolves, weasels, muskrats and beavers for their fur.
She said the association also assists with damage control, trapping animals like beavers that dam waterways on private land, causing flooding, and badgers that take residence in horse pastures.
The Royal Canadian Legion Turner Valley Branch used its $10,000 CFEP grant to replace waterlines throughout the buildings. Some of the water lines are 87 years old.
