Peggy Revell
A handful of programs and projects were given a funding boost as the Town of Fort Frances announced the recipients of this year’s Moffat Family Fund at Monday evening’s regular council meeting.
Nine community groups were selected this year to receive part of the $43,750 allocated to the town by the Moffat Foundation.
With the fund’s aim to benefit children, families and the less advantaged, the largest cheque presented Monday was one made out to the Salvation Army for $12,650.
“We were praying to have something like that for our programs,” said Capt. Angel Sandoval of the local Salvation Army. “Especially for our new program that we’re going to start in September.”
This new program, he explained, will be one that helps provide personal hygiene products to less fortunate families.
“What we’re going to do is to provide families with personal hygiene products for their children,” Sandoval explained, noting that in the last year the Salvation Army helped 573 families throughout the year with hampers, a number that included close to 446 children.
“Today it’s sad to note that many children go without brushing their teeth, or washing their hair because the family income is going elsewhere.”
Part of this is due to the economic situation which families are facing right now, alongside the higher prices of hygiene products since the community is located farther away from the big cities, Sandoval explained.
“For the family that is facing economic problems, it is more difficult,” he noted. “And we have families where there is need, where there is extended families with a lot of kids, the situation becomes more and more difficult for them.”
As well, they’ve noticed that many children in this situation are faced with teasing because they aren’t going to school clean.
“Cleanliness increases self-confidence and ambition for children,” Sandoval said, adding that the ambition of this program is to increase the self-esteem of these children, as one step towards stopping the cycle of poverty.
And program like this can mean avoiding higher expenses later on, Sandoval added, such as through promoting dental health and avoiding later problems that would come from lack of hygiene.
With support from the Moffat Foundation, as well as Family and Children’s Services, Sandoval said that this program will be launching with the new school year.
Alongside the Salvation Army, Monday night’s announcement by the town saw eight other organizations presented with cheques—including the Rainy Lake Ringers.
Youth will have new musical opportunities with $3,000 in funding going towards a new project with the Rainy Lake Ringers.
“We’re very very excited amd I’m very excited,” said choir director, Diane Maxey.
This new project, she explained, will see her taking hand chimes into J.W. Walker School from the fall until Christmas, where she will be working with students in Monica Armour’s Grade 4/5 class to teach them how to play.
“We’re very thrilled to have been given this opportunity,” she said, adding that it’s her hope that some of these students will eventually learn and grow so that they can join the Rainy Lake Ringers, or even form a children’s group to perform publicly.
“I think the arts are extremely important and we’ve got so many kids that are just so talented in so many ways, vocally and musically and instrumentally,” Maxey said. “This is just another opportunity for them to participate and try something a little different.”
“I’m very excited. Going into the classroom is just going to be a blast,” she added
But alongside giving youth an opportunity with music, youth sports was also given a boost with $4,000 presented for Kitchen Creek Golf Club’s Junior program.
The club’s junior program is meant to encourage young golfers, explained Faye Flatt who accepted the cheque on behalf of Kitchen Creek.
“We’re certainly thankful for council’s recommendation on supporting our request as well as grateful for the Moffat Foundation, because now we can expand that junior program and incorporate more kids, and even some who may not have had the opportunity before,” she said. “Because golf can be, depending on how deep you get into it, it can be a rather expensive activity.”
Coordinating with schools in the the district, the junior program gives youth the opportunity to learn about and play the game of golf, she explained, and encourage the game as an outdoor activity.
While there is a minimum price per person to cover the costs of such things as green fees, instructors and equipment, Flatt explained that the goal of the funding from the Moffat Foundation would mean they could offset these costs.
“The youth are the future of the golf course,” she added, noting that the youth who get involved with the sport now will one day become members of the club.
Meanwhile, funding to the tune of $6,500 will be going towards the Fort Frances Public Library, for a discovery station for children that has “preloaded games, lots of fun activities and educational activities on a colourful computer,” explained head librarian Margaret Sedgwick, adding they also will buy early literacy interactive panels.
“We’re always pleased to get more funding to enhance our services, and the Moffat Foundation—being geared towards children’s services—we thought it would be a great opportunity to enhance what we offer for children,” she explained, adding that they’re very appreciative of the Moffat Foundation for the support given to the community.
Other organizations who received funding included the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board, who was presented a cheque for $9,000, the Rainy River District Family and Children’s Services who were given $3,000, and the Fort Frances Museum, which received $2,600.
On behalf of the Fort Frances Highlander Pipes and Drums, Jordan Manty and Ryan Wood were presented with a cheque for $1,000. Meanwhile, representing the 908 Rainy Lake Air Cadet Squadron, Lisa Strom was presented a cheque for $2,000.
