Lower North Thompson Forest Society is donating $10,000 to worthy causes in the Little Fort to McLure area.
"Our directors have made the decision to donate $5,000 to Barriere Secondary School to be given out in five $1,000 bursaries to graduating students," said LNTCFS chairperson Harley Wright, "We are also going to offer $5,000 that will be available to a community non-profit society, or divided between a number of such groups, depending on the applications we receive."
LNTCFS) is such a group was incorporated on Apr. 23, 2004, and encompasses the five communities of McLure, Louis Creek, Barriere, Chu Chua and Little Fort.
"The directors have been very frugal with our [LNTCFS] funds to make sure the bills are paid and there is money in the bank," said Wright, "The forest industry has had mills shutting down and going bankrupt, but we have been able to achieve success in the industry by being frugal."
Wright notes that there are a number of community forest groups that have run into trouble, especially ones that have rushed to disperse moneys to their communities.
"We've been very careful," said the chairperson, "We want to be here for the long term, and we have planned accordingly."
Wright says the Society has been very active the past year not just harvesting timber but also sponsoring a Job Creation Partnership program through the Ministry of Housing and Social Development. The program provides training and work experience for EI funded participants.
Wright says the deadline for application will be Dec. 31. Application forms and guidelines will be available at the LNTCFS office in Barriere at 4648 Barriere Town Road, Tuesday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The LNTCFS board members will review all applications. You can call 250-672-1941 for more information.
"It's not a lot of money," said Wright, "But it is a start, and by being frugal with our finances we hope to be able to offer this community support for a number of years."
The LNTCFS will be holding its annual general meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m., at the North Thompson Volunteer and Information Centre in the Ridge.