Town of Olds announced last Tuesday the three recipients of the NU-2-U grants.
The Olds Emergency Shelter received $8,000, while the Olds and Community Assistance Foundation and the Olds Kiwanis Music Festival each received $1,000.
The town pledged last fall to distribute the NU-2-U profits back into the community.
“The community contributes things to the store. We run the store out of those proceeds,” said Barbara Hill, the town's director of community services.
“Anything over and above what its costs to run the store, we have a program to give it back to the community.”
The grant recipients were decided by a committee, comprised of town officials and NU-2-U employees.
The recipients had already planned what they will do with their grants.
While the Olds Kiwanis Music Festival will use its grant to help pay for adjudicators, the Olds and Community Assistance Foundation will put its $1,000 in a community savings account.
“The interest will be used to come back in the community,” said foundation member Michelle Honeyman.
“We are trying to build up the principal in that savings account so more money can come back to the community,” Honeyman said.
As for the Olds Emergency Shelter, the board intends to hire someone with the grant money to help it find more grants.
“We will also use that money to help us with some of the capital and operating expenses,” said Mary Turner, director of the Olds Emergency Shelter board.
The town plans to make the NU-2-U grants a regular event. In fact, the deadline for the second round is March 20. Applications are available at the NU-2-U store, at the town office or by email.
“We will also take another round of applications in the fall,” said Hill.
