Pat Pimm’s Column – October 24th 2012

In the past few weeks, Parental Advisory Councils (PACs), District Parental Advisory Councils (DPACs), and community groups across B.C. have received funding through our province’s Community Gaming Grants program. Here in Peace River North, twenty-one non-profit organisations received over $130,000 in funding to help them keep up the great work they are doing in our communities.
The organisations that are eligible to receive funding through this program provide a direct service to their community and respond to the needs and issues in that community. They can fall into a variety of categories, including Arts and Culture, Sport, Environment, Human and Social Services, Public Safety, and PACs and DPACs. The grants are given out throughout the year, and help these organisations continue making their unique contributions to the communities they are based in.
PACs and DPACs have been major recipients of Gaming Grants funding this past month. PACs and DPACs allow parents to have a voice in school affairs and to participate in important decisions regarding their children’s education. Whether it’s at Fort Nelson Secondary or Baldonnel Elementary School in Fort St. John, PACs and DPACs provide services that benefit students and improve their educational experience. The funding they receive through the Community Gaming Grants is given based on the student population of each school, with $20 being given per student.
This funding benefits the schools the PACs and DPACs work for in all sorts of ways; it can go towards student newsletters and yearbooks, student societies, computers for students, playground equipment, and much more. Each school has its own unique needs, and with the gaming grant funding that PACs and DPACs receive, they can work to meet those needs.
The recent Gaming Grants have also included community organisations like the Community Arts Council of Fort St. John, going towards initiatives that benefit the whole community. In the case of the Community Arts Council, for example, this funding is going towards artist development and arts awareness and education.
Community Gaming Grants are awarded on a rolling basis; as they are awarded throughout the year, all kinds of organisations throughout Peace River North will get help funding their wonderful contributions to our communities.

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