KIDS WITH A CAUSE
Creative Kids and RCMP partner for gala.
Encore time! Creative Kids Saskatchewan and the RCMP are partnering for the second year in a row. On May 23, their sold-out charity gala will be held at the RCMP Drill Hall at “Depot” Division in Regina, bringing together 400 members of the arts, culture and business communities.
Organizers hope to raise $100,000 for grants to help children and youth who need financial assistance to access cultural activities.
Last year, the Creative Kids RCMP Charity Gala raised $85,000.
“That was our first major fundraiser of that size,” said Christie Nenson, who is responsible for fund development for Creative Kids. “We weren’t really sure what to expect. But the support from the community, our donors and corporate community especially was really great. We sold out last year, too.”
The event features entertainment showcasing a variety of artistic mediums, from song and dance to visual arts. RCMP chef Jeff Varls will prepare Saskatchewan-inspired cuisine.
“All the money we raise goes 100 per cent to supporting applications we receive from children and youth throughout the province of Saskatchewan to participate in art and culture activities right in their own community,” Nenson explained. “So kids that have those financial barriers to participation ― they can’t afford to pay for music lessons, dance class, art classes, theatre, that kind of stuff ― can apply to Creative Kids and we will help pay for those activities.”
Children and youth, ages four to 19, who can demonstrate financial need, can apply for grants of up to $750 a year to help cover the costs of “creative” activities.
“We started the Creative Kids Program in 2010 ― the first program of its kind in Canada ― as a way to help ensure that all young people, no matter what financial barriers they faced, could access cultural activities in their communities,” Sask-Culture general manager Rose Gilks explained in a media release. “To date, Creative Kids has granted over $1.4 million to over 3,500 kids in 144 different Saskatchewan communities.”
This is the second and final year that Creative Kids will be the charity of choice for the RCMP fundraiser.
After two years, the RCMP picks a different charity to support. In 2016 and 2017, the annual fundraiser will support Kids Help Phone.