The Battle River Community Foundation awarded a $2,600 grant to the Sedgewick United Church for the Merna Cemetery which is now the responsibility of the Church. Battle River Community Foundation Treasurer, Neil Lunty, presents the cheque to Debbie Leslie, Secretary/Treasurer, and Bill Leslie, President, of the Merna Cemetery Association.
This grant was given to support new fencing at Merna Cemetery. The grant is from income earned by the Jim and Mell Hampshire Fund, the James and Mabel Quast Fund, and the Robert and Ruby Moro Fund, all established as Field of Interest Funds supporting residents of communities that include Merna.
Debbie Leslie stated the scenic Merna Church and Cemetery is a historic site dating back to 1907 when the church was built. The site is located along highway 608 and Range Road 124.
“With the generous grant from the Foundation, we were able to remove the old barbed wire fencing, mow down the old caraganas, and construct a new rail fence,” said Leslie, “All labour was supplied by volunteers from the Merna community.”
The Battle River Community Foundation exists to support organizations in East Central Alberta, which benefit the local communities and have a positive impact on the future.
Grants from the Battle River Community Foundation are primarily made possible through the generosity of individual donors and organizations that have created endowment funds. The principal of these endowment funds are kept intact and the income is made available annually to support local projects and organizations.
Since it was founded in 1995, the Battle River Community Foundation has granted over $8,216,000 to support charitable activities in the Battle River Region.