WAKAW — Summer Kids Club in Wakaw is back and starts on Monday, July 14, at the Wakaw Arena. Operating from 9 a.m. until 12:15 p.m., the program is intended for children aged five to 12 and is offered free of charge.
Kids Club is not a childcare program. Since its inception, the program has been delivered free of charge to families, enabling it to qualify for grant funding as well as ensuring that all families can access the program.
The Town of Wakaw offers the program to provide fun activities for children during the summer. Students hired to deliver the program received support in the planning and organization of the program that they are then in charge of delivering on a Monday to Friday basis. The student employees received supervision, guidance and feedback to facilitate their growth as employees.
In 2023, the Town of Wakaw’s application for a Canada Summer Jobs grant to fund the Kids Club was rejected, resulting in a temporary cancellation of the program. Last year, the program was back after funding was secured through a different grant. This year’s program is made possible through the Community Initiatives Fund (CIF). The Community Initiatives Fund offers financial support to Saskatchewan community projects through two grant programs: the Community Grant Program and the Summer Grant Program. These grant programs are in place to support program delivery that benefits folks of all ages across the province of Saskatchewan.
The CIF is a Special Purpose Fund created by the Government of Saskatchewan through the Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan Corporation Act to distribute a portion of the net profits generated by SaskGaming for the benefit of Saskatchewan people and communities. As defined in the Act, CIF receives 25% of annual net profits, less a portion that is shared with the Clarence Campeau Development Fund.
The CIF Community Grant Program provides funding support to a wide range of programs and services under three Funding Themes: Healthy Growth and Development of Children and Youth; Individual and Community Wellbeing; and Nonprofit and Community Leadership. Through its Community Grant Program’s April 1 deadline, CIF approved $4,881,207 in support of 202 grants for programs that contribute to the well-being of children and youth, families, and communities. These programs provide opportunities for children and youth to gain knowledge, skills, and support to promote positive mental health, self-esteem, and healthy lifestyle behaviours, and to ensure families have access to supports and resources to create healthy and caring environments. Funding also supports nonprofit organizations to enhance their program delivery, governance and leadership capacities, and to engage individuals as volunteers.
Local recipients of funding through the Community Grant Program include Rosthern Good Neighbours Food Centre: Community Garden & Orchard Expansion Project; Rosthern Agricultural Society: Gardening & Preserving; Town of Rosthern: Community Recreation Programs; and St. Louis Public School Nutrition Program.
Summer program grants are intended to support standalone programs that are only for participants under 18 years of age that provide recreation opportunities for children and youth participants. Programs must be held between the months of June 1 and Aug. 31 and include summer camps and day programs offering recreation, culture, mentoring and mental health supports, literacy and learning opportunities for children and youth. Eligible programs support the healthy growth and development of children and youth and are intended to result in: developing children’s social, emotional, language and communication skills; ensuring children and youth are physically literate, physically active, and achieve minimum levels of daily activity; aiding children and youth to participate in learning, culture and recreation programs; assisting children and youth to gain the knowledge, skills, and supports to develop positive mental health, self-esteem, and healthy lifestyle behaviours; and alleviating child and youth hunger through the provision of nutrition. Two hundred and fifty-five Summer Grant programs were approved, totalling $1,645,106 to support camps and day programs offering positive recreation, arts, culture, and learning opportunities for Saskatchewan children and youth during the summer months. Both the Town of Rosthern’s Summer Program and the Town of Wakaw’s Summer Kids Club program were recipients of funding through this grant program.
This year, CIF is investing $6.5 million through 457 grants in 156 Saskatchewan communities. Since it was established in 1996, the Community Initiatives Fund has distributed more than $211 million to 510 communities across the province, with more than 21 percent of the province’s population benefiting annually from CIF support.
