You know what it is. The thing that Bowen doesn’t have but you sorely wish it did. Every day it gnaws at you a little more... until you just can’t stand it. The Bowen Island Community Foundation understands gnawing feelings and we want to help you get rid of them. We do this through Community Impact Grants. This is a fancy way of saying: “We help people build things that make Bowen better.”
Two years ago, we helped Sam Nosek. The thing that gnawed at him was disc golf. Sam loved disc golf with a fiery passion, but there was nowhere on island to chuck the ‘bee (frisbee). All he wanted to do was unleash monster bombs into baskets but he didn’t want to cross the ocean to do it. So Sam decided to build a disc golf course.
He asked around and had some meetings. He talked to the Bowen Island Municipality. He talked to his friends. He started a Facebook group. Pretty soon, he found a lot of other people who wanted to unleash ‘bee bombs on baskets. But he needed a bit of money to help complete the project. So he applied for a Community Impact Grant.
He needed a few things to do this. First, a charity to partner with. This was a bit tricky. Sam reached out to a few registered charities on the island (for a list, look at Canada Revenue Agency’s online search tool - we have a link on our website). Eventually, the Bowen Island Municipality agreed to partner with him on this project (and also helped him secure the land). We know that this is an annoying requirement but the BICF has to give the money to a charity for tax reasons. Now that he had a partner, Sam needed a plan…and he needed to be able to complete the plan within a year from the date he received the grant. He submitted a 500-word summary of his idea and his application and had a meeting with the grants committee (reducing gnawing requires a lot of meetings—sorry about that). Then he, and many hardworking friends, built the disc golf course at Veterans Park. Now he chucks monster bombs anytime he pleases. And the gnawing sensation? Long gone.
Want to be like Sam? Submit a 500-word summary of your idea here: bowenfoundation.com/grants/grant-application/
Deadline: Feb 15 at 5 p.m. Send questions to: [email protected].
