Courtesy of the Government of BC:
Seniors in every region of B.C. will benefit as 52 local governments receive age-friendly grants to support older residents in staying healthy and active in the community.
One element of Age-friendly BC is a partnership between the Province and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) to provide grants of up to $20,000 to local governments, through UBCM’s age-friendly planning and project grant program, to help establish or continue a variety of projects, from improved transportation options for seniors to community gardens.
In September 2011, Premier Christy Clark announced the launch of Age-friendly BC, a grant and recognition program to help local governments create environments that support the good health and community participation of seniors. Due to an overwhelming response from communities, the Province has provided an additional $750,000 to further support age-friendly community planning and projects.
Examples of age-friendly community changes include widening sidewalks, installing benches, maximizing green space, and making information, programs and services more accessible to the older population.
More than 120 B.C. communities have completed some form of age-friendly initiative to date, ranging from setting public policy to making physical improvements to address the needs of older residents. With this round of grants, 100 local governments will have received grant funding for age-friendly planning and projects since 2007.
The Age-friendly BC program focuses on providing communities with support, information and recognition to help meet the needs of an aging population. Local governments can achieve age-friendly recognition and officially become an Age-friendly BC community once they have completed four basic steps that focus on community engagement, commitment, assessment and action.
Until Feb. 29, 2012, local governments can apply to be recognized using applications available at www.seniorsbc.ca/agefriendly
Micheal de Jong - Minister of Health said:
"Seniors are the cornerstone of families and communities. Through Age-friendly BC, local governments have worked hard to create programs and tools that allow seniors to be healthier, active members of the community. These communities are demonstrating that even modest improvements can make a real difference in the lives of seniors"
Ron Cantelon, Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors to the Minister of Health stated –
“In an age-friendly British Columbia, older people are supported to live active, socially engaged, independent lives. These grants reflect our work with local governments, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and other partners to achieve a vision where people of all ages and abilities feel included and valued in their communities.”
Heath Slee, president, Union of British Columbia Municipalities also commented –
“We are proud to partner with the Province on the Age-friendly BC program and it is wonderful to see how many B.C. communities completed some form of age-friendly initiative to support the needs of their older residents.”
For the City of Williams Lake:
Project: Fall Prevention/Balance Classes. Grant Amount: $20,000
For the District of Wells:
Project: Workshops and Resources Directory. Grant Amount: $14,000
No comments:
Post a Comment