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The Hollybank Cul-De-Sac pollinator garden has some new additions thanks to a Neighbourhood Small Grant.
Photo courtesy City of Richmond
Neighbourhood small grants help build community throughout summer
Published 12:44 PDT, Mon July 11, 2022
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Earlier this year, Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives awarded 45 Neighbourhood Small Grants to Richmond residents.
The funding—$20,825 in all—is now being used by grant recipients to complete a variety of community projects. Some of those have already taken place, helping the community bounce back from the pandemic.
For instance, community member Michelle Li invited neighbours of all ages to help refresh the Hollybank Cul-De-Sac pollinator garden by adding landscape hedging, new water-wise plants, and a fresh coat of compost. Along with buying gardening supplies, Li used her grant to purchase and prepare flower-themed snacks. When the event was over, everyone received a water-wise, pollinator-friendly plant to add to their own garden.
Janice Kok successfully applied for a Youth Neighbourhood Small Grant, available to residents between the ages of 12 and 24. With the funding, she and her Fearless Youth Leadership group hosted a screening of Beans, the coming-of-age story of a young Indigenous girl set during the Oka Crisis in 1990. Directed by Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer, Beans has won multiple awards, including Best Canadian Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
The screening, held at City Centre Community Centre, included a discussion afterward, where audience members—all youth themselves—could share their thoughts on the film and reflect on the ongoing challenges faced by Indigenous communities. The event also gave attendees an opportunity to try Indigenous cuisine. During an intermission in the film, Kok served bannock, a traditional frybread, which she had purchased from an Indigenous-owned business.
Florist Jane Lee used her Neighbourhood Small Grant to host a series of flower-making workshops. The audience, in this case, was children, although their parents offered a helping hand. In total, Lee led four workshops at King George Park.
With Lee’s instruction, the children quickly became experts, creating beautiful arrangements worthy of the finest flower shops. But these flowers weren't destined for stores—instead, the children wrote uplifting messages, added them to the arrangements, and gifted each one to a local senior.
Applications for the fall cycle of Neighbourhood Small Grants will open in a few months. For more information, visit: www.rcrg.org/WhatWeDo/RCRGPrograms/neighbourhood-small-grants.
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