Lhtako Quesnel 2024 BC Winter Games Society is awarding $200,000 in legacy funds to three initiatives that will work to help the community for years to come.
Half of the funds will go to the Quesnel Community Foundation, which will create an annual fund that will be awarded to a sports team or club for a project or maintenance of facilities. Another quarter of the fund will go to the Community Foundation to create two annual scholarships for student athletes from SD28, home-schooled athletes who live in the district will also be eligible. The final quarter will go to the Lhtako Dene Nation as start up funding for a cultural trail network on reserve lands.
The legacy funds come from donations from the business community, merchandise sales and financial management and the low-cost problem solving of the board of directors and volunteers from the games.
The funding allocation was announced at a Legacy Celebration held at Lhtako Dene Longhouse on November 29. Invited guests included key volunteers from the Lhtako Quesnel 2024 BC Winter Games, as well as elected officials from the Lhtako Dene Nation, City of Quesnel, Cariboo Regional District and representatives from the BC Games Society.
The decision was made by a small committee made up of volunteers from the Games.
“We are blown away by the support we received from the community for these Games,” said Brenda Beatty, vice-president, Lhtako-Quesnel 2024 BC Winter Games Society. “Whether donating funds, providing in-kind support or volunteering their time, the community came together to make the Lhtako Quesnel 2024 BC Winter Games a success and have a lasting positive impact. These legacy projects will benefit the broader community for years to come.”
Prior to the Games, the region saw other investments through the BC Games Society’s Powering Potential Fund, which supported improvements to the biathlon range at Hallis Lake, a coaching course for the Quesnel Technics Gymnastics Club, new mats for Judo and Karate, Wibit play equipment for the Quesnel & District Arts & Recreation Centre, accessibility improvements for Quesnel Curling Club, the development of a Slopestyle course at Troll, and the creation of a local Freestyle Ski Club.
“The BC Winter Games took place over five wonderful days in Quesnel and surrounding areas, the benefits to the community are long lasting,” said Alison Noble, President and CEO of the BC Games Society. “There were 1,200 volunteers who came together to make the games happen.
The Lhtako-Quesnel BC Winter Games took place in February and saw participants and spectators from across B.C. come to Quesnel to watch the games. There were over 1,000 participants and 13 different sports at the games. The 2024 games were the first time the games that a city and First Nation partnered to host the Winter Games.
