The Our Vital Community microgrants program has opened a new round of applications for 2020-21. The local grant program aims to fund initiatives by citizens and/or community organizations that support the English-speaking community of the des Sources and Val-Saint-François MRCs taking place between now and March, 2021. Grants of up to $500 can be awarded to individuals, community groups or organizations, schools or municipalities. Projects funded are also eligible for support from the Richmond, Danville and Drummondville area CLC’s Community Development Agents.
Andrea Barrie and Nancy Dea helped organize projects that were funded by the program at this time last year. Where Barrie, along with Karine Brochu, helped to organize weekly craft nights for English-speaking women in the community, Dea, through the Parent Participation Organization at Asbestos Danville Shipton Elementary School, helped to organize a series of movie nights. Although both projects were cut short by spring shutdown, the organizers still acknowledged the important role the grants played in getting their ideas off the ground.
“The $500 paid for the location,” Barrie said, sharing that although there had already been a monthly scrapbooking group active in the community, having the space to do things on a more regular basis opened the doors to new people and new opportunities. “It was fun because you got to interact with different people from different age groups. We had a really good time,” she added, explaining that in addition to coming together and working on projects, the group began to engage in skill-sharing activities where they learned from one another.
But for the restrictions brought on by the pandemic, Barrie said, the group would absolutely have applied for the grant again.
In Dea’s case, the PPO had already been toying with the idea of a movie night activity within the school when the local Community Development Agent brought up the idea of applying for a grant.
“At first it was really just a school-based thing, but we realized that we had the potential to reach out to the community,” she said, explaining that the school had been having difficulty connecting with its community.
Using the grant money to pay for the otherwise too expensive public screening permit, the organization put together a plan to host four public movie nights over the course of the year.
