Mission council is awarding a total of $287,100 in grants for community enhancement, community events and fee for service to a variety of local community groups.
Each year, groups apply for financial assistance to provide programs and events that benefit the community.
Community enhancement grants are awarded to help local organizations to provide community-focused activities in the fields of the arts, culture, recreation or social services.
Those grants were awarded to:
• Fraser Valley Mountain Bike Association – Youth Program: $2,100
• Fraser Valley Mountain Bike Association – Trail Maintenance: $4,000
• Joy Vox Community Choir Society: $500
• Mission Artists Association: $1,000
• Mission City Boxing Association: $4,000
• Mission City Farmers Market Society: $3,000
• Mission Community Services Society – Seniors’ Connection: $5,000
• Mission Community Services Society – Food Security: $3,000
• Mission Folk Music Festival: $5,000 ($1,000 for each concert held in 2017 up to a maximum of five)
• Mission Friends of the Library: $1,000
• Mission Friendship Centre Society: $2,000
• Mission Horse Club: $4,000
• Mission Hospice Society: $2,000
• Special Olympics BC – Mission: $2,000
• Valley Singers: $500
Community event grants are awarded to support recurring events that council has pre-determined provide a significant benefit to the broader community and are open to all members of the public, without charge.
Events grants went to:
• Mission Community Services Society – Festival of Lights: $2,000
• Mission Literacy in Motion Association – Riot of Reading: $3,000
• Mission to Move Forward CCC Inc. – Spring Stair Party: $2,000
• Stave Falls Community Association – Stave Falls Family and Friends Day: $500
• Mission Seniors’ Centre Association – Seniors’ Week: $1,950
Fee-for-service grants support a service or program that otherwise would likely be offered by the district.
Fee-for-service grants were awarded to:
• Adopt-A-Block: $35,000
• Fraser Valley Humane Society: $30,000
• Lifetime Learning Centre Society: $9,500
• Mission Arts Council: $31,500
• Mission Association for Seniors Housing: $3,000
• Mission District Historical Society: $86,000
• Mission Downtown Business Association: $11,000
• Mission Search and Rescue: $4,737
• Mission to Move Forward CCC Inc.: $5,000
• New Horizons Lawn Bowling Society: $2,500
• Youth Unlimited: $20,313.
Coun. Carol Hamilton expressed interest in creating a multi-year agreement, especially with the fee-for-service grants, to allow groups to set budgets and programs earlier, rather than waiting each year to find out if funds are available.
“Here we are, well into January, and they still don’t know. It gives them more certainty if they knew it was a multi-year agreement,” she said about the community groups.
Council has asked staff to investigate and report back on the possibility of multi-year agreements.