2016 Community Investments

Grants and Project Funding » 2016
 
 

2016

Friends of Barkerville Historic Town & Park

Barkerville Historic Town & Park is looking to purchase some electric scooters to enhance accessibility. Since we have been taking seniors to Barkerville annually for over 50 years, we made sure the first one purchased will bear a Rotary logo!

President Kathy is pictured presenting our cheque for $3,000 to Julie-Anne Runge of Barkerville, 15th December.
 
2017 Seniors Trip to Barkerville
 

Christmas Teen Bags for Good Cheer

When we joined forces with Quesnel Sunrise Rotary at the end of 2014, we took on several of their activities, including putting together Teen Bags for Good Cheer.
 
To be fair, "we" actually means 3-5 Rotarians doing the shopping and putting together the bags - as the saying goes, "Too many Rotarians spoil the broth"! For 2016, our workers were Cathy Walsh, Bev Haluschak, and Sandra Lewis, and for a cost of about $1,000 we hope to have brought some good cheer to 40 teenaged girls and boys.
 
Bev monitors the Girls' bags...        Cathy handles the Boys'...
  
and Sandra does the paperwork.
 
Job done!
 
 

Quesnel Technics Gymnastics

Gymnastics is one of the most popular and fastest growing youth sports activities in Quesnel, so much so that Quesnel Technics Gymnastics is working with the City to build a new facility next to the indoor soccer complex in West Quesnel.
 
While those plans move forward, the association needs newer equipment. On 15th December, Marlene Higgins and Elizabeth Floyd were happy to accept our $1,000 donation on behalf of QTC from President Kathy which helped purchase a pommel horse.

We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia.
 
 

KidSport

We are often asked about how we donate the funds raised at our Super Bingo evenings - well, here is a good example.
 
The KidSport concept was hatched in 1993 by board and staff at Sport BC as a way to help address the challenges faced by many families when registering their children in organized sport. Over 20 years later, their mission and vision remain the same: to remove the financial barriers that prevent some children from playing organized sport, so ALL kids can play!
 
Our club has always been a strong support of youth sports and recreation, and it also happens that Rotarian Diane Rogers has been an advocate of and driving force behind the local organization of KidSport BC in Quesnel. In connection with a submitted funding application, we had Diane tell us about how the local program helps 200+ kids a year...and then presented her with our donation of $3,000 raised at our Super Bingo evenings.
 
Click here on on the menu link for more details of KidSport.
Click on the pictures below to enlarge.

 

 

Hope Air

At every club meeting, members share their news and views courtesy of donating to "Happy Bucks". The accumulated money is donated to local causes as selected by the Club.
 
Since 1986, Hope Air has been arranging free flights to get financially-disadvantaged Canadians to the healthcare they need. Quesnel is a solid 7 hour drive to Vancouver - no everybody's idea of fun, even less so when faced with health issues needing big-city health services.
 
So we saw Hope Air as a very worthy recipient of $1,000 and were happy to present our cheque on September 22nd after Meaghan Parker told us more about their services.
 
If you wish to donate, click here or on the menu link to see how.
Click on the pictures below to enlarge.
 
 
 

Quesnel Accessible Playground

What was purely a good idea by Sandy Meidlinger, Quesnel resident and longtime employee at the Child Development Centre, a couple of years ago became reality with the Grand Opening of the Accessible Playground beside the North Cariboo Recreation Centre, 15th September.
 
We were but one of a multitude of contributors in what was the very definition of a community project, donating $8,590.62, the net proceeds of our 2014 Diamond Calcutta. We also helped out during the work-bees.
 
Be sure to browse through our photo album and the You Tube recording of Sandy's appearance on Shaw. Better still, go see for yourself!
 
 

 

Quesnel Barrel Racers

Grooming of the surface on which the Barrel Racers race might seem to be purely aesthetic, to look nice. However, a well-groomed surface increases the safety for both horse and rider, so we were pleased to have the opportunity to assist with the purchase of an EZ Groomer, similar to the one pictured, by way of $1,445, adding to the $1,500 grant awarded Quesnel Barrel Racing Association by Quesnel Community Foundation.
 
For QBRA, Lori Carifelle is pictured with 2016-17 President Kathy Somerville.
 
 

District of Wells Historical Society

The District of Wells Historical Society had great ambition for a $10,000+ renovation of the museum. They had the help, just needed the money...so we chipped in with $1,000
 
On behalf of Wells Museum, Honey Affleck collected our cheque from 2015-16 President Debbie Wiens, left, and 2016-17 President Kathy Sommerville. 
 
Be sure to stop by on your next trip to Wells or Barkerville. To whet your appetite, take a look at their gallery of pictures by clicking here or on the menu link to their website 
 
Click on the pictures below to enlarge.
 
 
 

Dunrovin Garden Make-over

The staff at Dunrovin came to us for funding to help cover the cost of a concrete strip to enhance the wheelchair accessibility of their garden. Having approved their request, we asked if they could use a hand with the makeover.
 
After Peter Walsh and Simon Turner had done all the hard work (!), a full crew of Rotarians, Dunrovin staff members, and the Youth Exchange students just passing through town came in to really spruce everything up. 
 
The Photo Album contains a few more pictures; click on the images below to enlarge.
 
The Crew: Rotary Exchange students: Linn Goge, Germany; Juan Edgar Herrera, Mexico; Penny Tsai, Taiwan; Giovanna Siqueira, Brazil; Ryotaro Matsuda, Japan. Plus: Jess and Callum Cameron from Quesnel, and Rotary trip driver Dave Bradley and Shyanna

Dunrovin staff: Gail Wittebrood and John, Adele Bachand, Leanne Broughton, Shannon Paley, Roberta McAndrews, Caitlin Statton, Roy Amundson,

Rotarians: Kathy Somerville and Jim, Esther Hastings, Liz Neave, Petrie Neave, Tim Cawdell, Debbie Wiens, Andrew Burton, Paul Mednis, and Cathy Walsh (missing from the picture because she took it!)
 
 
In the picture below, that's Leanne Broughton of Dunrovin looking on...

 

Quesnel Art Gallery

No more picture hook holes!
 
Doesn't sound like a big deal until you start imagining each and every picture in each and every exhibition require a hook in the wall. Now start thinking about all those holes. So when Quesnel Art Gallery came across a system whereby pictures temporarily hang from a permanent frame-like system, we thought that was a great idea and contributed $1,700 for the purchase and installation.
 
The picture below is not from the Quesnel Art Gallery but gives you an idea of how the system works. And, of course, you can go see for yourself at any given show!
 
 

North Cariboo Arena Replacement Project aka The West Fraser Centre

Back in 2013, we made a $10,000 pledge to the Multi-Centre Project, as it was known back then. A local referendum brought about changes to that project, due to cost, but our belief in the revised plans for a new arena was no less strong and, on 7th April 2016, we wrote our cheque for $10,000!
 
As of the time of writing this post, the construction was on budget and on time for the Grand Opening, 17th September 2017.
 
Below is a conceptual image; we'll post a picture of the finished article in due course.