The recipients of this year’s Field Law Community Fund have been officially announced.
Every year, NWT residents are given the opportunity to vote on a number of initiatives which are each designed to benefit northerners in their own unique way. This year saw $75,000 up for grabs for program submissions from across Alberta and the NWT.
More than 40,000 votes were cast by the public for their favourite projects. A panel consisting of Field Law team members and community representatives took public voting into account to determine the final recipients.
Of the $75,000 in funding available this year, a total of $30,000 has been awarded to projects and organizations in each of northern and southern Alberta, with another $15,000 awarded to projects in the NWT.
Four NWT initiatives are among the many recipients who will now be receiving funding for their projects.
The first is the Sir John Franklin High School, which will be receiving $6,000 to help continue their robotics class, and kickstart a new generation of young students in STEM fields. The class has been up and running for three years, but has not had the funding necessary to support all of the new students who wish to join.
Second, $4,000 is being given to a Yellowknife art studio run by Nicole Loubert in order to become properly equipped to allow as many as 100 yearly participants to work on their desired projects. The studio will provide an opportunity to share knowledge and techniques between artists, with the goal of creating a more vibrant artistic community.
The NWT SPCA will be receiving $3,000 to help launch their new “Last Litter” program. This idea will allow for female dogs to stay with their families instead of being surrendered simply due to their pregnancy. The SPCA will provide shelter for the moms if required, and help them through the delivery process.
Finally, Yellowknife’s Home Base will be receiving $2,000 for their Making Home project, which Tammy Roberts, a member of Home Base, helped to explain.
“We do have youth that live with us full time, and we were looking to support them in personalizing their own spaces so that they would feel more comfortable in their living arrangements.”
This funding will allow for the youths who live full time at Home Base to decorate their dorms as they see fit, and make their rooms feel more comfortable.
Roberts also shared her thoughts on receiving the funding.
“It feels really great, because it makes us see that other community members see the value in supporting the youth that we support through Home Base Yellowknife.”
Including the awards announced today, the Field Law Community Fund Program has contributed a total of $835,000 to 144 community initiatives over the last 11 years.
