Rossland Arena Society earns a substantial grant to help with Rossland’s arena costs
By Sara Golling
The Rossland Arena Society was one of nineteen recipients of grants from the Kootenay Savings Community Foundation’s latest round of donations. Nineteen not-for-profit organizations from Kimberly to Kaslo to Salmo, including the Greater Trail Community Skills Centre and the LeRoi Community Foundation, shared in a total of $89,000. The Rossland Arena Society received a grant of $10,000.
Mayor Kathy Moore said the donation is a huge help with the arena “in a time of serious need, when without an infusion of donated cash, we … would have struggled to open the arena this fall without a significant amount of money from taxpayers.”
Ona Stanton of the Rossland Arena Society confirmed that the Society will contribute the $10,000 grant, plus other funds they have raised, toward the costs of opening the arena this fall. “This will reduce the impact to tax payers and fulfill the commitment our group made to support fundraising efforts back in March,” Stanton explained.
The mechanical upgrades needed are a result of additional inspections done to all arenas in BC following the tragedy in Fernie, when an ammonia leak resulted in the deaths of three people. In that case, a chiller known to have a leak was put back into operation, as described in this CBC news story.
Moore expressed great appreciation for the Rossland Arena Society, which applied for the grant, and the energy and effort contributed by its members for the community good.
Councillor Janice Nightingale was formerly a member of the Rossland Arena Society. Asked to comment, Nightingale expressed her delight with the grant, and for the fact that Rossland’s arena was recognized for its value, not only to Rossland but to the region. She also commented on the dedication of Rossland’s volunteers: “Rossland is exceptionally lucky to have so many members of the community who volunteer their time to make our city a better place to live,” she stated.
The Kootenay Savings Community Foundation was established in 2000, to support not-for-profit cultural, social, educational, economic, health and environmental projects. So far it has given a total of nearly 4.6 million dollars to benefit the region.
The are two application deadlines each year: March 31 and September 30. For application forms and more details on the Foundation and how to apply for funding, go to: kscu.com/Community
Kootenay Savings Credit Union is, like all credit unions, a member-owned co-operative financial institution; based in Trail, it has eleven branches throughout the Kootenays.
In addition to the generous donation from the Kootenay Savings Foundation, other organizations are stepping up to help: the Men’s Curling Club is donating the $800 proceeds of its last bonspiel to the Rossland Arena Society, too, and this forms part of the Society’s donation to the City to help with the arena costs. The bonspiel was very successful, with eight out-of-town teams attending. Now the club and the bonspiel have benefited the community even more than usual.
Pictured below: Mike Amman (left) of the Rossland Arena Society, thanking Lief Devantier (right) of the Men's Curling Club.
