Kicking Horse Culture launches new "put a face to the arts" campaign

A new initiative launched by Kicking Horse Culture in Golden, BC has caught our attention and we thought you should see it.  Take a look at this slideshow of their "put a face to the arts" campaign. 

Here's their press release:

Provincial Funding Cuts to Nonprofit Volunteer Organizations

As you have heard on the news, non-profit volunteer organizations have had their provincial
funding support cut to drastic levels.

What's often stated in these discussions is that "organizations didn't get their grants" and
the general populace shrugs and says to themselves "what's their problem, money's tight
and hard choices have to be made."

What's missed in these discussions is the perspective that over many decades governments
have fostered the creation of the non-profit volunteer sector to do the grass roots work of
creating a healthy, civil society, work that is crucial to that society's sustainability.

Governments know well that $20,000 to a non-profit volunteer organization will leverage
the passion and commitment of professionals who will volunteer their time to work in their
way and in their sector of expertise and passion to deliver a program of activity that will
help create that healthy, livable society.

Investing $20,000 annually probably leverages 10 to 20 times that amount in cash and
thousands more in volunteer effort. Cash that otherwise would have to be found in
government coffers to pay professional staff to do the same work to create and deliver
those programs. Non-profit volunteer organizations work to support the aims, goals and
objectives of the government at a fraction of the cost. That's why they’re given the grants:
they satisfy the criteria that the funder has set out to fulfill the funder’s needs
Governments have fostered the system of the professional non-profit volunteer sector to
support government's own goals and objectives as well as fill those program gaps that
government does not have the resources for. This is a wonderful thing and appeals to the
generosity of spirit and the enrichment that comes for both the volunteer and the recipient
of those efforts.

The non-profit sector is a partner with government not a petitioner looking for a handout.
When governments cut grants to the non-profit volunteer sector - whether it be arts,
health, social, sports & rec, you name it - they are cutting support to all of us, the
beneficiaries of the passionate work of our neighbours who volunteer their time and
passion to make our communities healthy places to live.

Put a Face to the Arts in Golden, B.C.

Like all arts organizations around the province, Kicking Horse Culture is facing a 40% cut to
100% cut on our provincial funding. If the provincial government continues with this
approach, KHC will no longer be able to deliver the level of programming and excellence
that you expect.

Yes, these are hard times in the economy and when it’s hard times, we need hope,
inspiration, and hard work, not despair.

Cuts to the arts volunteer groups all over the province who deliver this hope and inspiration
is near sighted.

Enlightened societies aspire to happy citizens who love their communities. Non profit
volunteer groups deliver that hope with their passion, their professional skills and their
dedication to delivering the programs and activities that a community needs.
Cut the funding to those volunteer community groups and the heart of ‘community’ is torn
out.

At times like these, increasing support to non profit volunteer groups in arts and culture,
health, environment, social, sports and rec will increase hope and inspire a community to
work harder and pull through the tough times.

Given the massive scale of the provincial budget, the investment amount to create and
sustain these community programs is ‘nickels and dimes’.

That’s OK because volunteer organizations know how to squeeze a dime so it spends like a
dollar.

Put your faith in the community volunteer and they will deliver hope.

Here’s what you can do:

Put your face to the arts in Golden. We’ll give you a ‘dime’ to squeeze. We’ll upload all the
photos to Flickr and then let communities all around the province know to come join us.
This is your way to tell our provincially elected officials that the nonprofit volunteer
organizations in our community are crucial to you and to the heart of community.