Montmartre, Saskatchewan – Living in a rural community sometimes means access to arts and recreational programs is limited or requires travel to other communities. Centre 48 Arts and Education works to bring arts, culture, fitness, and continuing education programming to a number of rural communities in Saskatchewan.
The non-profit organization provides programming to over 5,000 people in 20 communities and is an important resource for kids and adults alike.
Andrea Kotylak, a local cattle and grain farmer, nominated Centre 48 for a $2,500 Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities (CFGC) grant so the organization could continue to provide great programming for rural Saskatchewanians. Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities is a program offered by Bayer Crop Science to strengthen rural communities through local non-profit organizations that do much-needed work in their communities.
Andrea has participated in Centre 48 programming herself on many occasions and says the CFGC grant application process was quick and easy. She says she chose Centre 48 because she feels it’s an important presence in rural communities.
“Centre 48 is a really worthwhile and amazing organization,” she says. “I was super excited to find out they received the CFGC grant. Centre 48 tries to provide classes and programs as cheaply as possible so it’s affordable for everyone and they also offer a wide range of classes for free. The CFGC grant is huge for Centre 48 and I knew the money would be used well.”
Natasha Romanow, Coordinator at Centre 48, notes the CFGC grant allowed the organization to pay for facility rentals, purchase supplies, and hold a variety of classes for people of all ages, including music lessons, craft clubs, gymnastics lessons, and paint nights, to name a few.
She says she was happy to learn that Centre 48 was selected to receive the CFGC grant and was eager to share the exciting news with others.
“It meant a lot to know that we had been chosen and that our community members saw the benefit in what our organization is doing,” she says. “A grant like this will help us continue to offer programming and keep our rural communities active and involved in programs they would normally have to drive quite a distance for otherwise.”
Andrea’s message to other farmers who might be considering nominating a local non-profit organization in their community is to just go for it.
“There are so many worthy organizations out there,” she says. “If you can take five minutes of your time to nominate one of them, it’s so worth it. Any organization appreciates receiving any funds at all – it helps them with their programming and their mission.”