If you are looking for a place to make a difference, feel personally satisfied, and be appreciated for your skills, the Community Foundation of Greater Grande Prairie is accepting applications for membership to the Board of Directors.

Embracing the Smart & Caring Communities vision, the Board of Directors works at a governance level to ensure regional residents are served by the Community Foundation and are provided opportunities to strengthen their connection to their community. 

Members of the board are selected for their skills and experiences as well as their commitment to building for the long-term success of regional communities.  Representing a variety of fields including finance, law, marketing, accounting, administration and community development, they draw on their collective wealth of experience to successfully govern the Foundation into the future. 

If you would like to discuss this opportunity or submit a resume, please contact Leonard Scharbach, Chair at (780) 532-2336 or Tracey Vavrek, Executive Director at (780) 538-2820.

Ron Regnier and is wife, Lejla, at the annual 2012 Community Foundation Gala and Auction.  Ron is the general manager of the Canadian Tire in Grande Prairie.

Giving back to the communities that have been so loyal to them is very important to Canadian Tire which has been serving the residents of Grande Prairie and area for a number of years.  General Manager, Ron Regnier, attributes the business's success to the loyalty of Peace region residents. 

"People have choices about where they go to shop and the community has supported us so well," he said.  "The least we can do is our very best to support our community because we wouldn't be here without the people of Grande Prairie and the surrounding area."

One way Canadian Tire gives back to its communities is through the Canadian Tire Grande Prairie Community Fund.  Established in 2009, this fund provides the Community Foundation with the flexibility to address up-and-coming community issues. Generally described as a community fund, it complements with other funds held by the Foundation which may have a particular focus such as on the environment or health.  

In 2012, the Canadian Tire Grande Prairie Community Fund provided the first grant in support of Seniors Outreach, Elders Caring Shelter and a new interactive youth program at the library in Beaverlodge.

Ron has been involved with the Community Foundation of Greater Grande Prairie for a few years and is very pleased with his experiences.

"We choose to work with the Community Foundation because it is an effective way for us to be able to provide support to many areas of the community while working through one organization," he said.  "I have always found the staff of the foundation to be not only professional and efficient at their jobs but passionate about what they are doing and truly caring about the community."

In addition to a strong donor program, Canadian Tire also appreciates the transparency of the Community Foundation believing the Foundation to be very fiscally responsible and forthcoming about their finances.

"I have enjoyed working with the Foundation over the years and will continue to do so," said Ron.

In addition to establishing the Canadian Tire Grande Prairie Community Fund, Canadian Tire is a member of the Community Leadership Program.  This group of community-minded corporate sponsors has chosen to demonstrate their support in a very visible way to encourage others to lend their support to the Foundation and by extension, to the communities of northwestern Alberta. Canadian Tire is also a regular supporter of the annual Community Foundation Gala and Auction.

People!  Throw off those winter blues, lace up your 

skates, grab your sled and come on out to the Frost Moon Winter Celebration. 

Featuring free and low cost events, the focus is on bringing people together for some family-style fun.  Dates of the event are February 21 to 24.

Beginning the evening of February 21, everyone is invited to Montrose field located south of the Public Library and the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie where you will find skating rinks, a sledding hill, and snow sculptures.

Warm up at any one of the bonfires located throughout the site to drink your hot chocolate which will be available at a nominal cost.

And a new take on Beach Volleyball is Snow Volleyball featuring a glow-in-the-dark ball.  Be one of the first to participate in this newly-created sport designed to make you laugh, have fun and join in some family-style, friendly competition.  All ages, all skill-levels are invited.  To register your team, or yourself, contact: info@frostmoon.ca  Cost is $20 per person or $100 per team.

Rather stay inside?  No problem.

A family barbeque event featuring live, local entertainment, interactive art and much more is scheduled for February 22. 

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is also working on a new exhibit which they hope to have in place in time for Frost Moon.

More events and activities are being planned so follow us on Facebook  and watch the celebration grow. 

Recognizing quiet heroes 

Pictured above are the proud parents of students Kevin Waldie, Shyann Nichol, and Leah Collins who were recipients of a student award from the 2000 Alberta Summer Games Legacy Fund.  At the time of the award ceremony the students were writing final exams so their parents gladly stepped in.  Pictured at the far left and far right is Chair, Leonard Scharbach and Ryan Blais, representatives of Foundation's Board of Directors.

During the Christmas season, I was very pleased to receive a note from Kevin Waldie, a Peace region student currently studying at the University of Lethbridge. Kevin was a 2012 Community Foundation Student Award recipient and he wanted to thank us for our generosity.

I wanted to share his story with you because there are some heroes in this story that can often go unnoticed.  In this case, it is the individuals that sat on the 2000 Alberta Summer Games committee.  It was their leadership and generosity that led them to make the decision to establish the 2000 Alberta Summer Games Legacy Fund which is the fund that provided Kevin, and many other students, with their awards over the past 12 years.

And there are even more heroes in this story.  Our entire student award program is made possible by the many individuals and organizations that have chosen to selflessly give to our students with no expectation of receiving anything in return.  Their gifts help offset the costs of tuition and books for students they generally do not know.  In addition to helping today's students, many will be continuing to support Peace region students well into the future as this is the nature of the endowment funds entrusted into the care of your Community Foundation.  They are managed in a way to ensure they are available forever to benefit our communities.  

Kevin plans to study Kinesiology and Physical Education with the goal of becoming a a physical education teacher at the junior high or high school level and we wish him much success.  We would also like to pay tribute to those individuals behind Kevin and all our others students.

If you are interested in learning more about establishing a student award, please send me an e-mail or give me a call (780) 538-2820.

If refurbishing or renovating is in your future, the following grant opportunity for community groups will have you reaching for your pencil.

Benjamin Moore & Co., Ltd. made a total of $24,000 in cash grants available to community groups in the four western provinces.  The purpose of the grants is to support heritage restoration and community projects.  Along with the grants, which can total up to $4,000, successful projects will also receive donated Benjamin Moore paint and colour expertise.   Grants may be used in the renovation project, or for other program expenses outlined in the application.

Projects supported in the past include the restoration of a small museum, renovation of a youth centre, refurbishing rooms in a women's shelter, contributing to a cutting-edge seniors' residential complex, and restoring one of Canada's original post offices.

Deadlines for applications are as follows:  Central- March 18th 2013, Western- March 21st 2013.  Final decisions will be made in May 2013.

The grants are available through a partnership between Benjamin Moore & Co., Ltd. and the Community Foundations of Canada (CFC).  This well-known icon in the home decorating world chose to work with the CFC because of its extensive grant-making experience and its national network of local community foundations.

Click here for an application form and for more information.

Amanda Reimer is no stranger to the 125 km long Canadian Deathrace based in Grande Cache.  She is pictured above on top of Grande Mountain which forms part race's second leg.

In her nine months as a new member of the Community Foundation's Board of Directors, Amanda Reimer's commitment to the community foundation movement has only deepened.

It was the Community Foundation's focus on growing community that first led Amanda to explore volunteer opportunities with the Community Foundation.  She also appreciated the long-term vision of the Foundation and its commitment to building a lasting saving account to help meet diverse community needs.  These, combined with an appreciation of where she is at in her life today, led her to actively pursue an opportunity with the Foundation.

"Grande Prairie has been really good to me and my family," she said.  "We've had a lot of success and it is becoming more important to me to give back to the community."

With a very strong business background, developed as a business owner and manager of other local businesses, Amanda brings many years of experience in the Civil Litigation and Collection fields.    With three years on the Swan City Rotary Club Board, Amanda strongly believes in volunteering to strengthen community, it is this belief that caused her to take on the role of Chair of the Community Foundation's Governance committee.

Amanda was also an active participant in the 2012 Random Act of Kindness committee where she lead the corporate team leader in providing the business community with opportunities to become involved in this very popular initiative.

Along with her many business, family and volunteer commitments, Amanda has maintained her dedication to living a healthy lifestyle which includes physical exercise.  Following her 18-year career as a fitness leader at the former Leisure Centre where she worked until its closure, Amanda moved on to work as a trainer with those people who have specific goals such as training for a race. 

Thank you, Amanda for your dedication, commitment and support.