If you are a group looking for financial assistance or an athlete travelling overseas to an international competition you will be happy to know the Town of Ponoka has passed a new sponsorship policy to help.
The recreation/culture financial sponsorship program was approved during a Ponoka town council meeting Nov. 27 and gives Wes Amendt, director of community services, the guidelines needed to review and approve applications.
A total of $5,000 has been set aside in the 2013 budget and CAO Brad Watson said it comes with guidelines to those applying for sponsorship.
Those groups that host regional, provincial, national, or international events or individuals/teams that have qualified for national or international competitions or events can apply. They need to meet certain criteria to be eligible:
• To raise the profile of a sport or activity in Ponoka.
• To help local participants to share and promote positive aspects of Ponoka.
• To have a measurable economic impact on the community.
“There are several applications received annually, this would give guidance on an operational basis,” explained Watson.
The amounts granted are up to $500 for an individual and $1,000 for a group, explained Amendt. “I think the intent is to spread it around.”
Coun. Doug Gill feels this policy will dignify the application process. “Everybody has an equal chance to apply for the funding. It’s not a significant amount but if the requests are greater than the amount there we can look at it in future budgets, but it definitely dignifies the process.”
One of the requirements of the policy is to include the Town of Ponoka as a sponsor of the event in promotional materials; they are also asked to make a presentation after the event.
Considering that it is a new policy, Watson suggested it could be reviewed in three years. “It’s not to say that we can’t look at it annually, it will be discussed in the budget.”