The Abbotsford 2016 BC Summer Games raised $807,000 to host the multi-sport event July 21-24, 2016. As per the audited financial statement, the Games’ Legacy Fund exceeded $289,000. At Abbotsford City Hall on July 21st, the Abbotsford BC Summer Games handed out $150,000 to community projects.
Steve Carlton, Abbotsford 2016 BC Summer Games President, stated, “The Abbotsford 2016 BC Summer Games were a tremendous success in every way. The Games engaged the best emerging high-performance athletes in the province; trained and developed new leadership skills among the divergent base of community volunteers; and united our community positively in a celebration of youth! We are extremely grateful for the generosity of our corporate and community partners. We are delighted to be able to leave such a sizeable and permanent legacy of the Games in Abbotsford.”
The BC Games Society received $137,340 to support future Games while the remaining funds were disbursed as follows:
- $20,000 to the REACH Gallery and Museum: As a partner organization that promotes cultural literacy to children, the REACH Gallery and Museum received a grant to assist with facility upgrades of the cultural centre. Such upgrades would include acoustic remediation; solar window coverings for light abatement; and a retractable projection screen in the Great Hall presentation area. Long term, this upgrade will continue to allow the REACH to engage the youth in our community in art, local history and culture.
- $37,000 to the City of Abbotsford, Parks, Rec and Culture- Grant Park upgrade. The grant will combine with city funds to upgrade Grant Park baseball diamond to become a multi-diamond park for youth/developmental leagues. The upgrade will allow the Abbotsford Angels Hardball Association to have the little leaguers aged 7-11 in one location. The existing diamond will be refurbished and two new diamonds will be added for T-ball and Tadpole divisions. In the future there remains the option to further develop a fully accessible diamond for athletes with disabilities in the Challenger Baseball division.
- $33,000 to the University of the Fraser Valley. This grant, combined with funding from PacificSport Fraser Valley, will create a high performance athletic training centre at UFV for university and community usage. The grant will help cover costs associated with equipping and furnishing the new facility.
- $60,000 to the Abbotsford Community Foundation: The grant will be used to create the Abbotsford 2016 BC Summer Games Sports Legacy Endowment Fund. An additional $6000 will be added by ACF for a total of $66,000 to start the fund. The board of directors created the fund to be made available to support school-aged athletes, teams and programs across the community of Abbotsford in perpetuity.
When asked, “Why these projects?” Stan Petersen, Vice-President of the 2016 BC Summer Games and chair of the Games Legacy Committee explains, “The Board identified capital projects in the community, which when leveraged with our Games legacy contribution, would benefit the community as a whole. We believe these projects will benefit Abbotsford for many years to come and will serve as fitting reminders of the success of the Games.”
Leaving a legacy in the communities where they are hosted has been a long-standing tradition for the BC Games Society which also benefitted from the Games’ success. Kelly Mann, President and CEO of the BC Games Society said, “I applaud the investments made by the Abbotsford 2016 BC Summer Games Society. Congratulations to your Legacy Committee for the sound advice, strategic decisions, and passion you displayed as this legacy process unfolded. Abbotsford 2016 was an amazing success and your work to invest in the future of culture, sport and recreation in the region will serve as a great reminder of those four days in July 2016.”
Abbotsford 2016 BC Summer Games Facts: - 18 sports including 3 sports for athletes with a disability. - 3243 total number of participants: o 2415 athletes o 474 coaches o 354 officials - Over 39,000 meals prepared locally and served to participants in four days. - Over 2,100 medals awarded in 290 medal presentation ceremonies. - 2646 volunteers including our youngest volunteer at 7 years of age and our oldest volunteer at 97 years of age! - Estimated financial impact on the community related to the Games by spectators, visitors, and Games local spending $2.6 million.