News Leader News for September 23, 2008
COMMUNITY FUTURES TALKS TO COUNCIL
Community Futures, a business loan foundation established by Regional District 26 years ago, is still strong, and Mary Ellen Heidt and Jaymie Atkinson wanted Town Council to know. They attended the September 15 Council meeting to review past performance and present activity.
Heidt gave examples of businesses Community Futures has helped in Hedley and Princeton: Upper Similkameen Indian Band received bridge financing and working capital for the Mascot Mine project, and Princeton Co-Gen received financing for start-up costs. Fifteen new businesses were started in Princeton with assistance from Community Futures self-employment program.
Heidt was quick to advise that Community Futures does not simply hand out money. There is a process of business education starting with the creation of a solid business plan.
In addition, there are a number of workshops each year to help business people, and a peer mentoring program.
Community Futures is involved in economic diversification planning for the region, as well as providing financing for businesses that would like to expand.
Recent goals include community development in the form of affordable housing, transportation, and a customer service training program in secondary schools that would provide students with a certificate and credits.
Council was very interested in the affordable housing concept, and will follow up with other members of the community.
PRINCETON ARTS COUNCIL LOOKS AHEAD
Princeton Community Arts Council met September 17 to discuss plans for the coming year.
The first item on the agenda was to welcome Dawn Campbell, who received an art bursary from Vermilion Artists. Campbell, age 17, is a student at Princeton Secondary. She displayed some of her work to Arts Council members, who gave many compliments. Campbell's work will be shown to the public later this year.
Princeton Concert Society hopes to bring in three concerts this year as well as the Kelowna Ballet, which is booked for April 19, 2009.
Nick Mills advised that the museum has had a record number of visitors this year, but may not open next year due to the renovations and expansion of the museum building. Artifacts must be moved and stored while the work is underway. Mills has agreed to remain as Operations Manager until the project is complete.
Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists has a line-up of excellent guest speakers for the coming year. They meet once a month on the second Tuesday, but they are involved in a number of other activities, such as the Swan Lake conservation project and the annual Christmas bird count. Starting on September 24, Madelon Schouten will teach a bird identification course from 10 :00 AM to 4:00 PM Wednesdays.
Princeton's Community Band is healthy and growing. The band has a number of beginner members who will later join the senior band.
Performing Arts will present two plays, Monsters Under the Bed and The Prince Who Wouldn't Speak, on November 21, 22 evenings and an afternoon matinée on November 23. Both plays are presented on each occasion. In late January, Performing Arts will present You Have the Right to Remain Dead, an audience participation dinner theatre, in which the audience tries to solve the murder mystery.
Vermilion Artists plan a watercolour workshop this fall, and an acrylic workshop in the spring. The group hopes to do a beginner's watercolour workshop at some point.
Potters have had a busy year, and the pottery mural is ready to mount. The Arts Council will pay for mounting and hanging the unique mural in Riverside Centre. The Potters' Guild offers Going to Pot every Thursday afternoon at Riverside Centre.
Arts & Culture Week is April 19 - 25, 2009. The Kelowna Ballet will kick off the week, but Arts Council member groups were asked to consider other activities to take place during the week.
The BC Assembly of Arts Councils has a conference May 1 - 3, and two members of Princeton Arts Council will attend.
Princeton Traditional Music Society plans some carolling during the Christmas season and three or four concerts between January and June. They plan to expand the music festival to include a Friday night street dance with live bands, and an increased number of performers. The performers who came this year want to come back.
Nick Mills has organized the grant applications and received several at the meeting. Applications must be sent to the BC Arts Council before the end of the month if groups expect a grant.
WEYERHAEUSER KEEPS PROGRAM AFLOAT
For Denis Ogrinc it was just a matter of time before he would pursue his childhood dream and become a competitive swim coach at Princeton's Centennial Pool.
"It's a great place, very friendly and highly rewarding to help the kids improve. When they drop seconds off their times it's exciting for everyone," said Ogrinc who came back to coach for the third consecutive summer.
Ogrinc is pursuing a movie directing career and is enrolled in Capilano College's motion picture program.
"I hope to be an independent film maker, making horror films with lots of special effects," said Ogrinc.
Ogrinc was told by the College that being a swim coach was good training for the movie directing business.
"To be a successful coach you need to be comfortable with a lot of organized chaos while you stay focused on every swimmer and their individual needs. You are like a director of a movie set," said Kokanee Swim Club President Amanda Carmichael.
"When there's a swim meet, it demands a high level of organization and anticipation on the part of coaches to keep parents, children and the rest of us focused on the next race."
The Kokanee Swim Club offers competitive swim lessons to children from ages 6 to 15, including adult lessons. This year over 35 children will be taking lessons, and nearly 20 of them will be participating in swim meets throughout the Southern Interior.
The program has increased in popularity to the point that Princeton children now compete in Provincial meets every year.
It's the first time that the Swim Club has accessed funds from Weyerhaeuser's Jobs for Youth Program to hire summer students. Seven British Columbia non-profit, community organizations hired students this summer thanks to Weyerhaeuser's Jobs for Youth program.
"The Jobs for Youth program is an opportunity for Weyerhaeuser to give back to the communities where we have a strong presence," says Jeff Larsen, manager at Weyerhaeuser's Princeton Sawmill.
"We believe programs such as Jobs for Youth can make a positive difference for the community and the students who are employed because of the program."
Grants ranging from $1,300 to $2,500 were given to a variety of organizations including animal welfare programs, arts and sports groups and social services agencies. Students are gaining work experience in a wide range of positions, such as tourism assistants, coaches, promotional/marketing assistants, and garden and animal care workers.
In total, $16,115 was donated to 7 different organizations in British Columbia to create 8 summer jobs in 2008. This year, in addition to the Kokanee Swim Club recipients include:
- BC Society of Training for Health and Employment Opportunities
- Critter Care Wildlife Society
- Hedley Heritage Museum Society
- Okanagan School of the Arts
- Similkameen Country Development Association
- Vancouver Book and Magazine Fair Society
Since the program was launched nationally in 2002, more than $1.4 million has been awarded to more than 700 organizations, creating almost 1,000 summer jobs for young people.
Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest forest products companies, was incorporated in 1900. In 2007, sales were $16.3 billion US. It has offices or operations in 13 countries, with customers worldwide.
Weyerhaeuser is principally engaged in the growing and harvesting of timber; the manufacture, distribution and sale of forest products; and real estate construction, development and related activities. Additional information about Weyerhaeuser's businesses, products and practices is available at
http://www.weyerhaeuser.com.
