The successful recipients of the Responsive Neighbourgood Grants have been selected for the spring/summer cycle, totaling $3,665 in project funding to date.
This year, The City of Abbotsford partnered with the Vancouver Foundation and the Abbotsford Community Foundation to launch the Responsive Neighbourhood Small Grants (R-NSG) to fund small-scale projects that reduce social isolation. Approved R-NSG projects will adhere to physical distancing guidelines in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic and address one of the following areas:
- tackle and address social isolation,
- build community strength and resilience, and
- foster community creativity and wellbeing
The successful projects include:
- Sewing Masks:
- A local family made over 300 washable masks and handed them out to surrounding neighbours including local small businesses, health support organizations, grocery stores, and seniors.
- Yoga for a Healthy Community
- A local certified Yoga Instructor held weekly free online yoga classes for the month of June. The classes were hosted on the platform Zoom and saw over 30 new participants each week!
- Care Packages for Elderly and Youth
- Abbotsford teens put together care packages and handed them out to local teens in need at the Cyrus Centre.
- An Abbotsford family with three small children put together care packages for local elderly neighbours. Along with essentials in the care packages, they included hand painted frames and small wooden birdhouses for each recipient to enjoy as a special personalized gift. The family then delivered the packages and enjoyed connecting with the seniors, while maintaining physical distancing.
- Online Science Café (Coming in the Fall)
- The Virtual Science Café is a series of online and informal talks, where anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science, research, and technology. These talks, followed by Q&As, are designed to engage the public in learning about recent research in science.
- The talks, which are given by experts in the field, provide an opportunity to stimulate discussion around some of the most exciting topics in modern science.
Free for anyone to participate in Sept.1, Oct.6, Nov.3, and Dec.1. Sign up at http://sciencetalks.ca
The Responsive Neighbourhood Small Grants will be reopening for applications on Sept.1st for Fall 2020.
Background
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Neighbourhood Small Grants Program has shifted to help fund small-scale projects that reduce social isolation.
Grants range from $50 to $500. The Program is a partnership between the City of Abbotsford, the Abbotsford Community Foundation, and the Vancouver Foundation.
For more information, contact:
Alex Mitchell
Public Affairs Officer
E: amitchell@abbotsford.ca
T: 604 751 3092