Ineke Hughes
Market News contributor
The Arts Council for the South Shuswap (ACSS) turned the tables on the Shuswap Community Foundation at the foundation’s Annual Community Meeting held Sept. 28 at the Elks Hall in Salmon Arm.
The council, incorporated in 2013, has been busy creating a vibrant cultural scene in the South Shuswap. After significant renovations to the lower floor of Carlin Hall, FACES (Fine Arts & Cultural Experiences in the Shuswap) was relocated there, offering classes in art, dance and music to kids and adults alike.
The studio is also home to Music in the Bay, the Shuswap Lake Culture Crawl, the South Shuswap Children’s Choir and the South Shuswap Children’s Theatre.
Familiar with the work of the Shuswap Community Foundation and how the council’s money could work for it, as well as for the foundation, Karen Brown, administrator of ACSS, invited the foundation board to speak to her board of directors, explaining what the foundation does and how it does it. As a result, a decision was taken to establish an Agency Endowment Fund with the foundation.
The most recent fundraising event towards achieving this goal was a dinner, dance and live auction. The musicians, the auctioneer and the owners of the venue for the event donated generously, as did those who contributed items to the auction. The highlight of the evening was the drawing of the winning raffle ticket for two tickets anywhere in the world that WestJet flies. It was a very successful evening.
At the foundation’s Annual Community Meeting, Brown and the council’s treasurer, Debbie Reeves, were presented with a grant provided by the Founders’ Endowment to help with the construction of a community mobile stage that can be taken to any event.
The tables were turned when they then presented the foundation with $8,200 to open the council’s agency fund. When the fund reaches $10,000, the interest it accrues as part of the foundation’s capital fund will be returned to Arts Council of the South Shuswap annually.
The foundation’s capital fund currently holds well over $8 million.
To learn more about the Shuswap Community Foundation, call 250-832-5428, email info@shuswapfoundation.ca or drop into the office at 102-160 Harbourfront Dr. NE in Salmon Arm between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
@SalmonArm
barbbrouwer@saobserver.net
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