On Feb. 28, Western Financial Group (Western) announced it will provide a $5,000 infrastructure grant to the 100 Mile Agriplex Society to improve the Stan Halcro Arena.
The grant is one of 14 infrastructure grants totalling $70,000 that Western is distributing in 2013 through its charitable arm, the Western Communities Foundation. The foundation supports community infrastructure, student bursaries and other worthwhile endeavours, including public health, recreation and education in the communities Western serves.
“Making the Agriplex a reality has been a community initiative and we’re proud to demonstrate our support through a grant,” says, Jennifer Appleby, manager of the Western Financial Group branch in 100 Mile House,
“This facility is important to the whole community and we look forward to seeing many groups using the building to its full potential in the years to come.”
Peter Reid, who is a director of the 100 Mile Agriplex Society, says receiving the grant was “fantastic.”
He adds the local Western Financial Group contacted the society and suggested the directors submit a request letter to Appleby so she could apply for an infrastructure grant through the Western Community Foundation.
“They read about what we were doing in the Free Press and then contacted us,” Reid says, adding they applied last year but didn’t get a grant, so the society was very pleased to get it this year.
“They realized we’re trying to do some upgrades to the entrance door, which we estimated would cost between $3,500 and $5,000.”
The society will replace the side door because people keep breaking in through it, he explains.
“They busted it up so bad we can’t repair it anymore, so we had to nail it shut.”
Meanwhile, Reid says the arena is getting more use all the time.
“We’re getting lots of dogs, lots of archery and the horse people were a little slow coming back but they’re starting to come back now. Obviously, the arena is needed because it’s covered and out of the snow.
In its 12-year history, the Western Communities Foundation has put an Automated External Defibrillator in 46 communities and has distributed approximately 60 infrastructure grants and 357 bursaries. The foundation has also distributed more than $35,000 in matching money, helping to double the impact of fundraisers put on by Western employees in their communities.