Farm Credit Canada distributes $100,000 to community groups
Regina is a community filled with caring people, and on Tuesday 14 organizations received a helping hand.
For the ninth consecutive year, Farm Credit Canada doled out $100,000 through its Regina Spirit Fund to help charitable and nonprofit organizations continue to do the work they do for the Regina community.
For Hope’s Home, a $15,000 grant will make moving children around the daycare space a little easier.
The facility cares for several youngsters with complex medical needs and mobility issues and the money will go toward installing ceiling tracking so workers don’t have to carry children.
“We need it for our bigger kids because obviously it’s hard to lift them up, so it’s for accessibility and the safety of our staff,” said Kelsey Stewart, Hope’s Home fund development and marketing manager.
“We just moved into our new centre, it’s in the John Paul II Centre on 25th Avenue and have gone from a 65-space daycare centre to a 90-space daycare centre,” Stewart added.
“We are able to help more families with children with complex medical needs.”
The expansion means all three of its Regina locations are now under one roof.
However, the move meant modifications and renovations and the medical equipment that comes along with that can be very costly.
Hope’s Home received $175,000 from Mosaic, but that money did not cover ceiling tracking, which is expensive, so Stewart was thrilled FCC decided to help out with that expense.
The Prairie Piecemakers Quilters Guild received $1,500 for its Charity Quilts program from the Spirit Fund. The group provides comfort quilts to women and children experiencing violence, addictions, disabilities and chronic and terminal illness.
A representative from the guild said the group planned on purchasing batting with the $1,500 because it is costly. Although the group receives most of its material through donations, it has already spent $1,600 since September on batting alone.
Michael Hoffort, FCC president and CEO, said giving back to the community is the best part of his job.
This year, FCC had 137 applications for the Spirit Fund, which made the final decision even more difficult.
“There is a real cross-section of organizations that make our city a great place to live,” said Hoffort.
The funding ranged from $1,500 to $15,000 based on each organization’s specific needs.
“It’s a great way to give back to the community, where we have 750 staff who live and work in Regina,” said Hoffort. “We are just a share of what these organizations are really trying to raise for some pretty significant projects, whether it’s new kitchens that can help them out in offering nutrition to residents ... to improvements to their physical locations or maybe offering a new program they may not have been able to offer otherwise. We are just trying to be a small part of the solution for them, so they can continue with the good work they are doing.”