BC150 Community Funding program grants are being awarded to community groups and organizations on the Sunshine Coast staging local BC150 celebrations.
Through 2010 Legacies Now, Spirit of BC Community Committees worked with community leaders and event hosts to develop plans for local BC150 celebrations. BC150 Community Funding program projects support the BC150 pillars of heritage, communities, multiculturalism, Aboriginals and arts and culture and reflect the unique nature of each British Columbia community.
"History was made everywhere in the province, and local communities will be the foundation of BC150 celebrations," said Tourism, Sport and the Arts minister Stan Hagen in a news release. "Funding available through the BC150 Community Funding program extends to every region of the province, helping to make hometown festivals and arts and culture exhibitions extra special for families and visitors in 2008."
The Sunshine Coast has been awarded $6,000 total for three groups. $2,500 will be used for a BC150 Coast Trek 2008 that will encourage residents and visitors to experience the Sunshine Coast. Community groups will conduct guided tours of the region through walking, running and biking. A grant of $1,500 will be used to support a variety of events taking place on the Sunshine Coast during 2008. And $2,000 has been granted to the Sechelt Indian Band as they welcome the Cowichan 2008 Spirit Pole as it makes its way to Sechelt during a 13-week tour of 45 British Columbia communities before it is raised at the 2008 North American Indigenous Games.
This year, B.C. is celebrating BC150, the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in 1858. Every community in the province is invited to participate in this year-long celebration of B.C.'s cultural diversity, community strength and widespread achievement. For more information on BC150 programs and events, visit www.BC150.ca.
