Cultural centre awarded Beach Radio Community Airtime Award

The Greater Vernon Cultural Centre has been chosen as the latest recipient of the Beach Radio Community Airtime Award.

The award is granted semi-annually in partnership with Lake City Casino and Hytec, a Kohler company, to a non-profit group or charitable organization with an advertising grant of $35,000 to be used over a six month period.

Bryan Ford, general sales manager of Beach Radio, says it helps groups get the word out about their programs, or to launch fundraising campaigns.

“Non-profit groups are some of the hardest working people in the world, and unfortunately most groups don’t have the funding to get the word out, or to launch a fundraising campaign, as almost all funds go to operating costs,” said Ford. “They are just like most other businesses; they have goals and aspirations for their organization, and our hope is that the Community Airtime Award will help these organizations take things to the next level.”

Dauna Kennedy, executive director of the Vernon Public Art Gallery, which along with the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives, will be the main tenants of the proposed cultural centre, says they are excited to receive the award, and to use the radio airtime.

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“I think a big part of this campaign will be community awareness of what the museum and art gallery do. So a lot of it will be drawing some attention to our purposes and mandates, what we do within the community and the benefits that this new cultural centre will have for the community as a whole,” Kennedy told Vernon Matters.

Greater Vernon voters approved borrowing up to $25 million for the centre in a 2018 referendum.

The projected cost is $40 million, with the rest coming from fundraising and senior government grants which have been applied for.

The plan is to start construction once all, or most, of the funding is secured.

The proposed location is the former Coldstream Hotel site in downtown Vernon between 29th and 30th streets.

The Beach Radio Community Airtime Award is the latest initiative from a radio station known for its community involvement.

“The station has a rich history in the community. We’ve been proudly serving the North Okanagan since 1947 when the station was at 940 on the AM dial,” says Russell James, Senior Program Director for The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. “We take great pride in connecting our listeners with local organizations, and the Community Airtime Award will do that for two non-profit groups a year.”

Beach Radio encourages non-profit groups and charitable organizations throughout the North Okanagan to apply for the Community Airtime Award online at VernonMatters.ca

Beach Radio has donated over $175,000 in airtime to local charities or non-profits since the Community Airtime Award program began.