Community grants, gardeners and investments – as published in Rocky Mountain Outlook, May 14, 2020

Covid 19 is exposing numerous cracks in our social fabric.

The future for community groups and the social service providers is full of uncertainty and precarious plans. But, as national poet Leonard Cohen sings, ‘there is a crack in everything… that’s how the light gets in’.

The light I see? Hyper-local investing and spending our dollars within a 200-kilometre radius of home could be brilliant.

Ten years ago, I was working for the local community foundation and after careful consideration, the grants adjudication committee, a volunteer board, recommended that $10,000 be awarded to the local Banff Gardening Society. My job was to be the messenger, first seeking approval from the board of directors, and subsequently talking to the president of the gardening society.

“I am happy to advise that your application for a grant of $10,000 has been approved.” Began my telephone conversation.

My next question asked, “Is the Gardening Society still in a position to accept $10,000 to invest in building a community greenhouse?”

This specific question was asking – do you have the leadership, determination and capacity to deliver on the greenhouse project?

I heard a long pause, a deep inhalation and an enthusiastic “Yes!”

“Great,” I said, and we chatted about logistics and process.

I closed the conversation by saying, “I am so excited for your group. This is the largest grant our organization has ever awarded, and I know gardens give great value. Congratulations. Good luck.”

Time passed and the society requested an extension beyond the original one-year deadline, confirming that they were still moving in the right direction, but had faced some challenges.

 At the official ribbon cutting ceremony, a seasoned member of the group approached me, expressing gratitude.

“You know, I was so delighted when we heard the news,” she said, “but also rather surprised. The idea of a community garden had been around for so many years, I had really given up hope. We had been rejected so many times, I figured we would never see this dream.” I understood why she had felt defeated.

We continued chatting, with a back-and-forth banter of all the reasons that gardening in Banff is futile. Infertile soil; Land is too expensive; Elk eat everything; And what about Parks regulations? The long list continued: The growing season is too short; Snow comes before Labour Day; Late night partiers; Cold nights and early frosts.’

“But,” she concluded, “when the foundation agreed to give us money, it was like a bright light got switched on. We looked at each other and said, ‘Well, if the foundation believes in our project, we better believe in ourselves!”

By committing to the viability of the project, the group’s gardener instincts kicked in and they sharpened their hoes, addressed each of the many concerns and found the best possible solutions in the local context.

With more time, more money, an abundance of positive energy, and lots of chutzpah, the seed funding resulted in a built asset valued at over $80,000.

The society leveraged hundreds of hours of sweat equity to secure a provincial grant, they used salvaged construction materials, worked through issues in consultation with staff from the municipality and solicited more donations from private investors. What grant-maker wouldn’t be happy with an eight-fold growth in value?

The orange doors to Banff’s first Community Greenhouse opened in May 2011, and a pipe dream became reality. Today, community gardens are considered essential services. Yes, our communities have cracks growing. But, as Cohen says, “that’s how the light gets in.”

Once we get past Covid-19, let’s look for bright lights, believe in ourselves and make investments within 200 kilometres of home. Community groups and local investments often offer maximum returns that weave benefits into our social and cultural fabric.

About Lorraine: Over the years, she has worked for Parks Canada, The Whyte Museum, The Friends of BNP, The Banff Centre, and retired from Executive Director of the Banff Canmore Community Foundation in 2017. She and her family (including two remarkable granddaughters) celebrated 40 years of owning and operating Ticino Restaurant in 2019. This year she is initiating “The Gratitude Project”. Follow her by signing up at lwcbanff.ca