April 4, 2011
Boost in Gaming Grants for Abbotsford Groups

ABBOTSFORD – A total of $392,415 in community gaming grants will support 59 non-profit community organizations in Abbotsford. This is part of an immediate injection of $15 million in new grant funding announced by Premier Christy Clark, which will benefit more than 2,000 groups across British Columbia.

Why this matters:

• The government is fulfilling its commitment to provide this immediate $15-million boost and in doing so, putting families first by supporting programs that build healthier and more vibrant communities.
• The restoration of grants will bring more than 500 organizations back up to historical funding levels, including youth arts and culture groups; community service groups like Rotary and Kiwanis; fairs, festivals and museums; and organizations involved in community education like parent support services.

Quotes:

“This funding injection will bring many of our non-profit organizations back up to historical funding levels, and will help them continue to contribute to the well-being of our community."-Abbotsford West MLA Michael de Jong

"Many of these groups, such as our Parent Advisory Councils, are part of the education sector. The extra funds will ensure they will be able to cope with the increasing demands of our growing community." -Abbotsford South MLA John van Dongen

"The bulk of this funding boost is going towards school and youth programs, and is one of the many ways we are putting families first." -Abbotsford-Mission MLA Randy Hawes

Additional information:

Many groups in the health and social services sector - such as transition houses, food banks and drop-in centres - already received funding this year at approximately 100 per cent of historical levels. This new funding will provide an extra 25 per cent to help food banks meet growing demand, as well as to support youth and family programs; PACs and DPACs; community centres; cultural organizations; and scouts and cadets.

The year-end funding boost will also provide:

• An extra $5 per K-12 student for extracurricular sports and music programs across B.C. This represents a 25 per cent increase from the $20 per student that parent advisory councils and district parent advisory councils received earlier this year from gaming grant funding.
• Parents of young people in scout troops and cadet corps with an additional $25 per participating child, to help them cover registration costs.
• $300,000 to support seniors' participation in nine annual sports competitions known as Seniors Games Zones.

The additional funding brings to $135 million the total community gaming grant funding that approximately 6,000 community organizations will share in 2010-11. This represents a 12.5 per cent increase from the previous year's total.

For more information about community gaming grants, please visit: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/gaming/grants/

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