PHOTO: Chopping comfrey for the Regenerative Community Gardening for Seniors project.
By: Richard Smith
Bowen Island Community Foundation looking for fresh ideas
We lead busy lives. We work hard and sometimes commute long distances. We have families to care for and errands to run. Who has time to connect with neighbours? The benefits of connecting with one’s community are significant; when neighbours know and trust each other, people are healthier and happier, our children do better in school and in their social development, and community members support and look out for one another in times of stress or emergency.
Your Bowen Island Community Foundation’s Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) program is based on a simple but powerful idea—that everyone is a valuable member of the community and that we all have something to share. NSG empowers community members to put their ideas into action by providing grants up to $500 for projects that make neighbourhoods better places to live.
Some examples of our NSGs from this past year: the Josephine Lake Butterflyway by Cindyl Arnold, Regenerative Community Gardening for Seniors by Elaine Cameron, an Eaglecliff Neighbourhood Beach Party by Shelley Koke, the Tilting Tunstall Totem by Raf Izdebski, and a Little Free Library by MJ Davey.
See these and others at https://bowenfoundation.com/r-nsg-project-stories-and-photos/
A neighbourhood is so much more than a geographically localized area. It is the place we call home, where our children play, and where we have the most invested financially and emotionally.
Building community increases our health and happiness, reduces social isolation, and builds networks of care for people who could use our help.
Do you have a great idea that will connect and engage neighbours? How about a neighbourhood block party? A beach clean-up? Skills and knowledge sharing? Art or music lessons? A sustainable gardening workshop? Storytelling sessions? A celebration of diversity? An event to connect to Indigenous culture / communities? An ethnic cooking night to prepare and share? A neighbourhood walking tour? A showcase of local history?
The deadline for applications is Nov. 30. Learn more and apply now at: https://bowenfoundation.com/neighbourhood-small-grants/
Have any questions? Contact Martina at [email protected], or 778-233-9631.
