Women’s shelter day camps among spring grant recipients

By KELLEN TANIGUCHI on June 3, 2021.

ktaniguchi@medicinehatnews.com@@kellentaniguchi

The Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta is giving $63,466.50 through its Smart and Caring Community Grants to 13 community organizations.

“Our Smart and Caring grants support the communities right across southeastern Alberta, and what it does is it looks to strengthen where there might be gaps for some of the non-profits and charities in our area,” said executive director Sue Edwards.

The Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society is one of the organizations included in the spring grants and received $10,000 to use toward its summer day camp program.

The program is offered to children at the shelter, both in its second stage and emergency shelter, and the goal is to provide children with the knowledge and skills to develop respectful and healthy relationships through educational, social and recreational activities, said Jennifer Ottenbreit, the shelter’s assistant director.

“The children that come to our program often don’t get to have the same kind of memorable summer that some of their peers do,” she said. “So, we offer them an opportunity to build some good memories, make some friendships and just learn some valuable skills they can take forward with them.”

The program is offered to kids aged 6-12, however the shelter has options for older children to join the group as a junior leader, which helps build leadership skills. Ottenbreit says fundraising has affected fundraising events this year and the grant from the CFSA helps ensure they can run this program.

“We’re able to take the kids on outings and do different kinds of activities and give them an experience that some of us might take for granted … we do get to see children change from being sometimes really introverted at the beginning of the program to flourishing, and we get to see a whole other side of growth throughout the whole summer,” she said.

Ottenbreit says if people want to support the program they can reach out to the shelter or if they are interested in supporting another program, they can check out their website at http://www.mhwss.ca. She says they are still looking for donations for the day camp program in terms of sunscreen, beach towels, summer hats and other things children may need.

Community Food Connections, Redcliff Action for Youth Society and Brooks Animal Protection Society are other organizations which received the Smart and Caring Community Grant from the CFSA.

Edwards says the foundation has a grants committee in tune with what the community needs are and they take a look at funding priorities established at the beginning of the year. This year’s funding priorities are mental health, working economy and the vulnerable population. The committee goes through applications to see if the areas are met by applicants.

Edwards says individuals sometimes donate to the foundation and don’t really know where they want to donate to, so they encourage a donation to the Smart and Caring Endowment Fund, which leads to two grants a year – this one in the spring and another in the fall.

The fall Smart and Caring Community Grant cycle will open applications in August and if you’d like to apply or donate to the endowment fund you can call 403-527-9038 or visit the foundation’s website at http://www.cfsea.ca/we-give/smart-.

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