As Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, one of the programs my ministry looks after is the Community Gaming Grant program. This is a wonderful program which really gives back to the community organizations that make our cities and towns such great places to live.
Organizations throughout the province can apply for gaming grants, as long as they have been operating for at least one year prior to their application and fall into the category of arts and culture, sport, environment, public safety, human and social services, or parent advisory councils and district parent advisory councils.
Gaming grants are awarded in batches on a rolling basis throughout the year, and a large number of organizations get funding for all sorts of programs and services. We expect around 5,300 organizations to share $135 million in gaming grants this year!
This includes organizations right here in the Cariboo — just last month, the Quesnel Agricultural and Exhibition Society received a $10,000 grant to go towards funding the Quesnel Fall Fair 2013.
If you work for an organization that may benefit from community gaming grants, don’t miss out on a great opportunity! Right now, applications are being accepted for the environment and public safety categories, with an application deadline of Aug. 31, as well as for human and social services, with a deadline of Nov. 30. It’s important to know when and how to apply; to find out more, visit https://www.gaming.gov.bc.ca/gaming/home.do.
I hope to see many local organizations benefitting from this great program!
Coralee Oakes is the MLA for Cariboo North and is the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.