Community Foundation hands out spring grants

By Mo Cranker on June 9, 2018.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com @MHNmocranker

Groups around the city were given some support Friday during the Community Foundation of Southeast Alberta’s annual Founder’s Day Picnic.

A number of charitable groups gathered with the Community Foundation Friday afternoon on top of the Esplanade, as the foundation handed out more than $200,000 to numerous charitable organizations.

“This is the time of year that we hand out our spring grants,” said Community Foundation executive director Chris Christie. “The total is around $216,000 today, and it’s going out to groups that everyone knows like the food bank, the YMCA — names that people have heard of.”

The local Community Foundation is celebrating its 25th year of serving Medicine Hat and its surrounding area, and just passed a large milestone.

“This grant today puts us over the $5-million mark of grants that have gone out into the community since we started in 1992,” said Christie. “We’re just wrapping up celebrating our 25th year, and our fund is almost at $13 million.

“We’re hoping to push pretty hard for about $90,000, so we can hit the $13-million mark as soon as we can.”

One of the groups on hand was Medicine Hat Family Services, and co-ordinator Syl Bellefeuille says the financial support makes a big difference.

“It’s big for us,” he said. “It offers us the chance to expand our services, and allows us to reach more senior citizens in the community.”

Christie says 80 groups in the city and its surrounding area receive from the foundation, and that the foundation hopes to have a good rest of the year.

“We want to show people that their money really does have an impact,” she said. “So many donors are quiet in their giving, and we want to show people that their grants have such a big impact in the community.”

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