We're semi-finalists! Neighbourhoods of Learning project gets 8,000 plus votes in Aviva competition
By Andrew Zwicker
With the support of hundreds of locals, Rossland’s Neighbourhoods of Learning Committee has taken a step closer to gaining additional funding as it charged into the semi-finals of the Aviva Community Fund competition this week.
Competing in the medium project range category for funding between $25,000 and $100,000, the Neighbourhoods of Learning project has captured the hearts, attention and mouse clicks of Rosslanders as over 8,000 votes were cast for the NOL project. Those votes placed the NOL project in second place overall out of 1,500 competitors and first for the medium size project category in round one.
The only project to beat out Rossland’s was one put forward by the Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving. OSAID’s project is to fund a vehicle with a portable information, education and resource display unit that will provide teens with an interactive means to acquire current knowledge about the realities of making smart road safety choices. The race was close, however, with Rossland being beaten by a mere 800 votes.
Shelley Ackerman, who sits on the NOL Committee, has been leading the e-mail charge along with the Rossland Telegraph and was enthused by the results of round one “We did excellently considering how much smaller we are!”
Competitors for the grant have now been narrowed down to 89 semifinalists. Voting will open once again for ten days beginning at 9:00 AM Pacific Time on Thursday December 2nd. Each unique e-mail address will be allotted one vote per day over a ten day period.
For Rossland to move on to the finals the project will need to finish in the top ten of the medium project category.
Projects that make it through to the finals will then scored by the Aviva board on five criteria.
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Impact
How deeply are people affected by this idea, and how urgent is the need? How many people will this idea benefit, and will it be compelling for a broad audience?
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Likelihood of Success
How likely is this idea to be successfully executed in the short term?
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Longevity & Sustainability
How long will the idea’s affect last? Will it require regular funding beyond the initial request? If so, is there a plan to obtain additional funding?
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Originality
How original is the idea?
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Submission Quality
How much effort went into this entry? Was
Finalists will then be ranked by their score from one through 30 based on how much the board believes the project will cost. The judging board will then select one project from each category (Small, medium and Large) starting with the highest ranked ideas. Should there be money left in the pot the judges will continue down the list until the entire one million dollar in grant money is awarded.
If you haven’t yet voted, get your mouse clicking finger warmed up and register you re-mail address(s) here today. Voting begins on round two this Thursday morning at 9:00 AM our time.
