Help is on the way for organizations needing a financial boost to improve services for Foothills seniors.
Nine Foothills organizations will receive up to $25,000 each from the New Horizon Seniors Program to improve the quality of life for seniors across the region.
The Sheep River Library in Turner Valley will receive $19,290 for its maker-spaces program, which will go towards the cost of installing large cupboards to store equipment like sewing machines, scanners and light-weight tools for small household projects.
“Many seniors downsize and they don’t have the space for crafting supplies, especially if it’s something that requires a lot of stuff like scrapbooking or quilting,” said library manager Jan Burney. “Many seniors are on pensions and can’t afford to purchase the equipment to do some of these kinds of things.”
Some of the money will pay for a scanner that converts slides to digital photographs, Burney said.
“People have boxes of slides and sometimes don’t have the projector or can’t get the bulb anymore,” she said. “Instead of having boxes of slides they are going to have one CD.”
Burney said people will also be trained to use equipment such as the scanner, sewing machines and more complicated household tools.
“We will have these things and people who can help train people who can use these things,” she said. “Now you won’t need to go buy your own set of tools.”
This isn’t the first time the Sheep River Library received money from the New Horizon Seniors Program. The program also supported bringing books to the seniors lodge and purchasing walking poles, snowshoes and micro-spikes for the Sheep River Ramblers hiking group, Burney said.
“It’s great that they recognize that we are successful with the grants they have given us in the past that they keep giving it to us,” she said. “Hopefully out of that we might get some groups that want to meet on a weekly basis.”
Another New Horizon Seniors Program recipient is the year-old Longview and Area Seniors Club, which will receive $24,364 to upgrade the kitchen in the Longview Community Hall.
Club chairman Ivor McCorquindale said members wants to host more community meals and teas, but the kitchen equipment is outdated.
He said the funding should allow the club to purchase and install a new gas stove, sectional stainless steel sink, warming table, commercial-sized sanitizing dishwasher and some games.
“The steam table (used to keep food warm) burnt through and the stove is ancient,” he said, adding there also isn’t a dishwasher. “With the upgraded equipment it will be much easier and safe, too. Some of the things down there are quite old.”
McCorquindale said the cost of many of the items priced last year went up, and the club plans to approach Village council to request help.
“Some of the costs have increased quite substantially,” he said. “We have to get a more recent quote. We will work with the Village to get the upgrades finished.”
Without help from the program, McCorquindale said the upgrades might not have been possible.
“We would have had to have some other source of funding or we just would have left it as is,” he said. “We are very pleased to have been given this funding from the New Horizons Grant.
“John Barlow, our MP, is most supportive of this community. He has a special affinity with seniors. He just loves to sit down and have a game of cards and chat, which is great.”
Other projects approved for funding in Turner Valley are $21,000 to replace the roof, stove and PA system at the Valley Neighbours Club and $25,000 to replace furnaces and the air conditioner and refrigeration units at the Royal Canadian Legion Turner Valley Branch #78.
The Town of Okotoks Library Board will receive $8,000 for a seniors creative writing class.
Regional projects are the Literacy For Life Foundation’s technology across the ages program for $24,872 and Foothills SNAPS tea, music and mirth program for $24,692. Funding was also awarded to the High River Seniors Friendship Centre and Stavely Golden Age Centre.
“These are very important community groups who offer wonderful programs to our local seniors,” said Barlow last week. “This funding will ensure they can continue on with these programs and maintain important infrastructure in some of these community facilities.”
Barlow said that while the New Horizon Seniors Program was implemented by the previous government, he is glad to see the current government continue to support and maintain it.
“To see so many of these get close to the maximum it’s great news,” he said. “Many of these groups are very well known, they are very active in the community, they are very important social aspects for our seniors to make sure they are getting out and being active.”