May 4, 2012
Provincial Wellness Initiatives Receive Funding
Community groups throughout Newfoundland and Labrador will benefit from a Provincial Government investment of $500,000 through the Provincial Wellness Grants program. The grants will provide support to 37 community-based organizations and fund a variety of programs designed to enhance health and wellness.
“Our government is committed to working with community groups to encourage healthy, active living and promote the importance of overall well-being,” said the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Health and Community Services. “We will continue to seek and create opportunities to build and strengthen our community partnerships. We all have a role to play in implementing the actions required to improve wellness.”
Minister Sullivan was joined today by Ray Hunter, MHA for Grand Falls-Windsor - Green Bay South, to present a grant of $18,000 to the Youth 2000 Centre in Grand Falls-Windsor to support the project You Grow Girl and other programs to be offered at the centre. You Grow Girl is a 23-week program that will provide girls the opportunity and guidance to help them make better decisions. In addition, the Youth 2000 Centre will conduct parenting programs such as Kids and Drugs to help parents and guardians better understand the issues around drugs. Other programs to be offered will focus on topics such as self-esteem, dating violence and bullying sessions. Additional details of the other grants awarded this year are listed in the backgrounder below.
The grants provided further the goals of the Provincial Wellness Plan by focusing on projects that put an emphasis on healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco control, injury prevention, mental health promotion, child and youth development, and environmental health.
“It is great to see the Youth 2000 Centre receive this grant which will allow them to provide programs that help our youth make better choices and provide programming that will make a positive difference in their lives,” said Mr. Hunter. “This funding has a real impact on communities and serves to enhance health and wellness for many people.”
Grants range in value from $5,000 to $35,000 and are awarded to municipalities, community centres and groups, youth centres, seniors groups, Aboriginal groups, and athletic associations. Applications for Provincial Wellness Grants are assessed based on a number of criteria including community involvement to improve well-being; developing skills and knowledge within the community; and building on existing strengths in the community.
“Since the launch of the Provincial Wellness Grants program in 2005, 211 community groups have received approximately $3.9 million to fund programs to enhance wellness,” said Minister Sullivan. “These grant recipients have developed innovative programs that will continue to benefit residents throughout the province as they learn new skills and become healthier and more active.”
In addition to the Provincial Wellness Grants, Minister Sullivan also announced today funding for two additional provincial grants programs – the Cancer Prevention and Awareness Grants Program and the Healthy Aging Seniors Wellness Grants Program.
The Provincial Wellness Plan receives an annual Provincial Government investment of $4.2 million. Additional information on the Provincial Government’s wellness initiatives are available at www.gov.nl.ca/health/wellnesshealthyliving.
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Media contact:
| Jennifer Tulk Director of Communications Department of Health and Community Services 709-729-1377, 699-6524 JenniferTulk@gov.nl.ca |
Tess Burke Communications Government Members Office 709-729-3551, 699-2402 tessburke@gov.nl.ca |
BACKGROUNDER
Provincial Wellness Grants 2011-12
Eastern Region
Association Communautaire Francophone de Saint-Jean
L’ Association Communautaire Francophone de Saint-Jean received $17,000
to hire a bilingual coordinator to gather information from the francophone
population on their needs regarding health and wellness. An action plan will
then be developed outlining the health promotion services and activities
they need.
Bay Bulls-Bauline Athletic Association
The Bay Bulls-Bauline Athletic Association received $18,000 to offer
free rental and exchange of sports equipment to children and youth and
establish free sponsorships for recreation events. In addition they will
develop programs to teach fundamental movement skills for development of
physical literacy.
Brother T. I. Murphy Learning Resource Centre Inc.
The Brother T. I. Murphy Learning Resource Centre Inc. received $15,000
to work with 20 young people between the ages of 17 and 30 to develop and
implement a health life plan. This would include healthy eating, physical
activity and the promotion of positive mental health.
Burin Senior Citizens 50+ Club
The Burin Senior Citizens 50+ Club received $15,000 to expand their
current services to include strength, flexibility, aerobic and balance
training to seniors in other communities. The organization will also add a
number of programs such as injury prevention, healthy eating promotion and
the development of physical activity resources.
Choices for Youth Inc.
Choices for Youth Inc. received $35,000 to develop and implement a
sustainable recreational/therapeutic program for at-risk youth. The program
will bring community facilitators to The Lilly, an affordable housing
facility for young people, aged 16-25 years to help them develop skills to
function and flourish in the community. The therapeutic play activities
include arts, music and physical activities.
Community Sector Council of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc.
The Community Sector Council of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc. received
$20,000 to create a Vibrant Sharing Chef program whereby seniors would
mentor youth as they prepare healthy, low-cost meals and share it together.
Teleconferences and webinars will be conducted so other communities can
learn about nutrition, setting up a community kitchen and building bridges
between youth and seniors.
Harbour Mille Seniors Association
The Harbour Mille Seniors Association received $5,000 to implement a
healthy lifestyle program for the seniors in their communities. The program
will include indoor/outdoor physical activities and nutrition education
sessions.
Newfoundland and Labrador Down Syndrome Society
The Newfoundland and Labrador Down Syndrome Society in St. John’s
received $15,000 to conduct a 40-week program that includes a combination of
activities and tutoring/instructions around healthy living and healthy
eating. The activities would be modified and customized for participants who
have intellectual and/or physical challenges.
MacMorran Community Centre
The MacMorran Community Centre received $12,000 to offer youth the
opportunity to learn, hands on, how to prepare, manage and succeed with a
budget and work within a committee. Youth will be engaged in the development
of a youth space at the centre to be used for education/training sessions
and workshops. Youth will be involved in all aspects of the project
including forming a committee, learning the fundamentals of room design and
equipment purchase while managing a budget.
Parker’s Cove Recreation Commission
The Parker’s Cove Recreation Commission received $16,000 to establish
programming suitable for small population areas. Two of the key components
will be a family fitness program and a creative sports program that will
require fewer participants per team and will be less restricted by age
categories.
St. Bernards-Jacques Fontaine 50+ Seniors Club
The St. Bernards-Jacques Fontaine 50+ Seniors Club received $5,000 to
provide indoor and outdoor physical activities, healthy eating seminars and
social events for seniors.
St. Bride’s Town Council
The St. Bride’s Town Council received $10,000 to provide opportunities
to members of the community to become more physically active and conduct a
number of workshops on how to deal with stress/health issues living in rural
areas.
Trinity Historical Society Inc.
The Trinity Historical Society Inc. received $15,000 to provide
educational sessions for teenagers and their parents on topics such as
drugs, drinking, healthy eating, bullying, etc. In addition they will
develop and implement Nights at the Historic Sites program which will focus
on educating youth on their community and family history.
Whitbourne 55 Plus Association
The 55 Plus Association in Whitbourne received $7,200 to develop
programs to promote socialization and inclusion of isolated seniors.
Wellness programs will be implemented to promote healthy aging, including
outings, community events and education/awareness sessions. Health
professionals will be invited to present information and materials on the
importance of healthy eating and physical activities.
Central Region
A Legge Up Therapeutic Riding Facility
The Legge up Therapeutic Riding Facility in Benton received $14,300 to
develop an operational plan and conceptual design for a Therapeutic Riding
Facility.
Baie Verte Peninsula Family Resource Program Inc.
The Baie Verte Peninsula Family Resource Program Inc. in Baie Verte
received $7,000 to develop and maintain a community garden adjacent to the
Family Resource Centre.
Cape Freels Heritage Trust Inc.
The Cape Freels Heritage Trust Inc. in Newtown received $20,000 for the
formation of the Kittiwake Network of Wellness Mobile Clubhouse to support
mental well-being by conducting a number of life skills workshops throughout
their region. They will also hold a Men and Male Adolescents Wellness Day -
which will include mental health promotion: Body Mind Spirit; youth
development; physical activity and tobacco control.
Central Tobacco Awareness Coalition Inc.
The Central Tobacco Awareness Coalition Inc. in Gander received $6,280
to develop a Tobacco Prevention Toolkit aimed at ages 10-12. The objective
of the toolkit is to encourage youth to consider the consequences of tobacco
use and to make responsible decisions when faced with tobacco.
Community Youth Network (CYN) - The Open Door
The CYN Open Door project in Gander received $13,150 to implement a
34-week program to encourage youth to start preparing and eating healthier
meals and participate in a physical activity outside the gym. The recipes
used will be placed in a CYN Cookbook for youth.
Corduroy Brook Enhancement Assoc. Inc.
The Corduroy Brook Enhancement Assoc. Inc. in Grand Falls-Windsor
received $16,000 to implement a number of initiatives including the
expansion of the Children's Nature Camp Program by adding two extra weeks to
the program allowing an additional 50 children to participate, develop a
nature program for the 11-13 age group, and work together with local
organizations to identify ways to utilize the Corduroy Brook Nature Trail.
Gander Boys and Girls Club
The Boys and Girls Club of Gander received $15,000 to enhance the Kids
in the Kitchen afterschool program. They plan to prepare afternoon snacks
and implement a weekly program that includes determining if a recipe is
healthy, proper measurement, field trip to a grocery store, and developing a
recipe book in the form of a scrapbook.
James Hornell Boys and Girls Club
The James Hornell Boys and Girls Club in Buchans received $20,000 to
provide regular fitness programming to their members along with educational
opportunities on health and wellness. Healthy snacks will be served
afterschool and healthy living information will be sent home to parents.
St. Jacques-Coombs Cove Recreation Committee
The St. Jacques-Coombs Cove Recreation Committee received $25,000 to
implement several initiatives including, an afterschool program offering
sports, homework program, music, craft instructions; a summer program that
will offer sports such as basketball, softball and soccer; and a healthy
living program that will stress the importance of healthy eating and
physical activities.
Youth 2000 Centre (Y2C)
The Youth 2000 Centre in Grand Falls-Windsor received $18,000 to
implement a 23-week You Grow Girl program to provide girls the
opportunity and guidance to help them make better decisions in their own
lives. In addition, they will conduct parenting programs such as Kids and
Drugs to help parents/guardians better understand the issues around
drugs so they can help their children. Other programs to be offered include
self-esteem, dating violence and bullying sessions.
Western Region
Bay of Islands Community Support Group
The Bay of Islands Community Support Group in Corner Brook received
$19,270 to conduct the following breastfeeding initiative in four phases: 1)
needs assessment and focus groups to determine best way to service needs; 2)
recruitment and training of volunteer resource mothers; 3) advertise and
implementation of support program; and, 4) analysis of focus group sessions,
evaluation of program and future suggestions for the group.
Bay St. George Status of Women’s Council
The Bay St. George Status of Women’s Council received $5,500 to conduct
a number of activities to support women and their families, including
learning to read food labels; shopping in bulk; developing greater social
supports; learning about Canada's Food Guide; and providing the council with
basic cooking utensils and shelf ingredients to get started.
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross in Corner Brook received $20,000 to conduct the
following initiatives: deliver Beyond the Hurt bullying prevention program;
distribute five Challenge Abuse Through Respect Education personal safety
kits throughout the western district; and conduct In Motion Abuse Training,
an online training course focused on creating a safer environment.
Cow Head Tourism Committee
The Cow Head Tourism Committee received $5,500 to conduct the following
initiatives simultaneously to target different populations: All Together-
intergenerational project; The YOU Club- youth physical activity program;
Step it UP- safe and affordable recreational activities for seniors; and
Community Kitchen Graduating and Eating Right - prepares young adults about
to move away to cook healthy meals on a budget.
Curling Seniors 50+ Club
The Curling Seniors 50+ Club received $5,060 to provide an opportunity
for seniors to gather monthly to help reduce isolation, engage in a variety
of activities for mental stimulation, recruit members for the club, and
build a social network within the broader community to promote socialization
for all seniors in Curling.
Dunfield Park Community Centre-Corner Brook
Dunfield Park Community Centre in Corner Brook received $15,000 to help
a total of 36 families plan healthy menus while learning safe food
preparation techniques. The families will work together to prepare meals and
take them home to their families.
Grand Lake Centre of Economic Development
The Grand Lake Centre of Economic Development in Deer Lake received
$10,000 to conduct workshops on topics of healthy eating and mental health
promotion along with implementing a number of recreation activities. The
organization will also promote traditional Newfoundland and Labrador
practices.
Three Rock Cove
The Town of Three Rock Cove received $6,560 to encourage community
members to adopt a healthier lifestyle by offering a number of physical and
healthy eating activities including cooking classes, community walks,
exercise programs, dancing and art classes.
Labrador-Grenfell Region
Birch Brook Nordic Ski Club
The Birch Brook Nordic Ski Club in Happy Valley-Goose Bay received
$5,180 to provide nature hiking activities which will include the
identification and harvesting of healthy wild plants and fungi. Workshops
and presentations will also be conducted to raise awareness about food
security in the community.
Community Youth Network St. Barbe Development Association
The Community Youth Network in Plum Point received $15,000 to implement
a 30-week youth program which will include various educational and hands-on
sessions that will help youth understand the benefits of keeping their minds
and bodies healthy.
Food Security Network NL
The Food Security Network in Happy Valley-Goose Bay received $11,000 to
develop the Children's Community Garden project with students from two
schools and children from the town summer recreation program.
Hopedale Dog Society
The Hopedale Dog Society received $5,000 to provide education and
activities for children and youth on the protection and care of abused and
unwanted dogs. The program will teach empathy, compassion and respect for
others as well as the practical aspects of dog care.
St. Anthony & Area Boys and Girls Club
The St. Anthony & Area Boys and Girls Club received $17,000 to conduct
the following initiatives: highlight the importance of exercise and fitness
including utilization of fitness equipment; develop new programs combined
with an enhanced activity schedule; implement Healthy Kitchens where members
and caregivers will learn creative ways of preparing healthy and low-cost
meals; and to hold a number of information sessions to stress the importance
of active living, nutrition, alcohol use, smoking and positive body image.
2012 05 04 3:55 p.m.