Two decades later and the Community Foundation of Swan Valley is going stronger than ever.
They held their Spring Granting Night recently at the Swan Valley Historical Museum, and what a night it was. This year, they handed out 17 grants, totalling $112,950 to various community organizations.
The Benito Splash Park Committee was the biggest recipient, getting $50,000 for the Benito Splash Park build.
Donna Martin has been with the Foundation for eight years and is currently the executive director.
"It's really grown over the years. I never dreamt it would grow this much in the time I've been here," said Martin. "I can't imagine how our founders, who started with $1,500 to give away, would feel if they were all still living to see this."
The Benito and Area Drop-in Centre got $2,400 for exterior renovations and repairs, while the Durban Community Cemetery received $5,000 for a cemetery information centre. The Swan Valley Snowmobile Association got $8,000 for Phase 3 of a shop heating system, and the Swan River and District Community Resource Council got $4,000 for a commercial dishwasher in Heritage Manor.
Full list:
- Steeprock Bay Bible Camp - $1,250 for archery program equipment upgrade;
- Swan River Nursery School Inc. - $5,000 for bathroom renovations;
- Tread the Thunder Bile Club - $2,000 for a trail groomer;
- Minitonas and Bowsman COPP – $2,000 for COPP operating equipment purchase;
- Minitonas and District Arena – $3,500 for a water fountain and bottle filling station;
- Wellman Lake United Church Camp – $8,000 for Phase 2 of a water system upgrade;
- Swan Valley Girls Softball Association – $2,000 for jersey purchase;
- SVRSS – $3,000 for first aid equipment purchase;
- Minitonas School – $4,300 for basketball equipment upgrades;
- Minitonas School PAC – $3,500 for school outdoor space;
- Swan River Trap Club – $4,500 for a storage building; and
- Bowsman Community Skating Arena – $4,500 for an overhead door replacement
"We had a very nice variety from all parts of our Valley, this is the Swan Valley Community Foundation, not just Swan River," added Martin. "We've really covered the Valley very nicely in this intake, which makes me very happy."
Three additional grants were also given out to Steeprock Bay Bible Camp ($500 for the archery program equipment upgrade), Tread the Thunder Bike Club ($1,000 for a trail groomer), and Swan Valley Girls Softball Association ($1,000 for jersey purchase).
These were given by the Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program. Martin closed by saying she's living a dream.
"I have the best job in the world, I get to do some things I like when it comes to administration work, and we get to give out money to the community to make it a better place," ended Martin. "The philosophy of the Foundation isn't to pay the hydro bill, change lightbulbs, or that sort of thing. It's to give us things that we possibly wouldn't have or to improve our existing infrastructure to make it better than it would have been if the Foundation had not existed."
With $4.4 million in donations, the Swan Valley Community Foundation has launched a campaign, "Drive for Five."
