Like many local events, the annual Beautiful Plains Community Foundation Grants Luncheon returned to an in-person format this year, presenting over $175, 000 in grants to community organisations and other recipients. Since forming in 1995, the foundation has awarded over $2 million in grants, largely in the form of Community Fund Grants to local non-profits, organisations, and projects.

Foundation Board Members shared the happy job of distributing this year’s awards, which also include several scholarships and designated funds, to dozens of recipients. Each recipient was asked to share what the grant would be contributing to, which also allowed them to encourage additional community participation in their own projects.

Some of the projects highlighted included a new roof for the Margaret Laurence Home museum, life skills training equipment and furnishings for the Salvation Army,  ice rental fees for the Breakfast Club to keep the program free for participants, greenspace development at the Kinsmen Kourts senior housing complex, and a new masterplay computer and additional equipment for NACTV.

ArtsForward, which has often received grants in the past for facility renovation, reached out this year for help with funding their events for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation which they hope to continue to expand each year. Neepawa Kin Club, in partnership with Home Assistance Neepawa and District, received a grant for equipment to develop their “Cycle Without Age” program, which includes electric assist and multiperson cycling vehicles and encourages intergenerational community development.

Another recipient was the local chapter of Victoria’s Quilts, which makes and gives handmade quilts to people undergoing treatment for cancer. Neepawa boasts the only chapter in Manitoba, and announced during the luncheon that they had just mailed out their 1500th quilt.

The foundation also mentors a group at the high school called the Youth Advisory Committee which has a pot of money they distribute to local organisations. The students solicit applications, interview applicants, and make all their own decisions about how the money will be distributed in the community. Recipients this year included, among others, the Neepawa Figure Skating Club, Cats TNR and Rescue, and Touchwood Park Day Program.

A full list of all of this year’s recipients can be found on the Beautiful Plains Community Foundation website.