PacificSport Vancouver Island will be able to provide money for an Aboriginal Active for Life initiative thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Nanaimo Foundation.
The charitable foundation announced that it is giving out $70,000 to Nanaimo-area charitable groups Thursday and Drew Cooper, PacificSport general manager, said his organization, a non-profit regional sports hub, will use the money to build upon work that was done previously. Money came from another non-profit group, but it was only for a one-year term, he said.
“The funding for that was stopped abruptly, so we’re able to put these dollars towards some of those initiatives that we did,” said Cooper. “At the end of the day, we’re hoping that we can support the development of a house league type of environment, where kids can get together and have access to a bunch of multiple sports over the course of a year.”
Cooper said input will be sought from the community to see where it’s best suited. It could be anything from coach training and certification to information on physical literacy or sports equipment.
Conversations will take place over the summer, Cooper said.
The $70,000 in matching monies came from both the foundation and the Government of Canada and according to Laurie Bienert, foundation executive director, it was distributed through the foundation’s grant advisory committee and board of directors.
“It’s $70,000 in total; $35,000 from the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th. It was seeded by federal funding from the Government of Canada and added to by generous individuals across the country and $35,000 from the Nanaimo Foundation, so that’s from our large unrestricted fund from our Vital Nanaimo Fund,” said Bienert.
Other groups receiving money were the Boys and Girls Club of Central Vancouver Island ($5,000), Gabriola Arts Council ($10,000), Gabriola Historical and Museum Society ($5,050), Ladysmith Resources Centre Association ($10,000), Nanaimo Association for Community Living ($10,000), Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank ($6,150), Nanaimo Senior Citizens’ Housing Development Society ($6,000) and Vancouver Island Regional Library ($2,800).
A $1,000 grant from donors David Stanley and Marie de Vos was also given to the Nanaimo 7-10 Club Society.