The A Rocha Buck Creek Canfor Hatchery and Nature Centre and Houston Link to Learning have both received grants from the Bulkley Valley Community Foundation.

The two organizations were among groups receiving a record amount of $60,000 for this year’s distribution by the foundation.

A Rocha will use its $2,400 grant for travelling summer day camps for young people.

“We will use the funding to purchase ball caps that we use during our day camps to help keep the campers with their groups,” said Cindy Verbeek, Northern B.C. project coordinator for A Rocha.

“Getting funding for supplies allows us to use the fees from campers to pay our staff and keep programs like this at a low cost for participants.”

The caps will be for a July camp and an August camp and will say “Explore Outdoors” with the A Rocha and foundation logos on them.

The nature centre and hatchery have run camps for five of the past six summers.

Meanwhile, Houston Link to Learing is using its grant of $2,000 to replace and upgrade some of its computer equipment.

“Houston Link to Learning has always used computers for staff, programming and for individuals and computer literacy is a big part of our adult literacy programming. During Covid everything went on-line and the number of community members looking for assistance with computer literacy has tripled,” explained staffer Jennifer Williams.

“We use our computers and technology more than ever. Zoom meetings are part of everyone’s lives now. Computers have a short lifespan before they require replacement or upgrades and we need to maintain enough computers and the level of technology,” she said.

The community foundation provides grants to community groups and helps graduating students with education expenses in the area from Topley to Kitwanga including Granisle, Houston, Telkwa, Smithers, Witset and the Hazeltons.