Northern Health recently announced that 22 Imagine grants have been awarded to communities across the Northern Interior region, including Burns Lake, as part of a number of Northern Health grant funding initiatives. The 'Imagine' grant funding can be applied for annually and comes from the healthy eating, active living, heal for your heart, injury prevention, road health and healthy minds and healthy youth programs. According to Christine Glennie-Visser, Northern Health's heal coordinator, the grants are given to provide financial support for the work of community organizations to promote healthy citizens and healthy communities. The Spirits of Burns Lake received a total of $2,000 for a healthy spirits project as part of the Heal For Your Heart grant. Glennie-Visser said that she has worked extensively with the Spirits of Burns Lake in the past. "We have a very hands off approach to the funding," she said adding that the grant funding is given to the community group to be used to promote healthy hearts. "This grant funding allows the community to implement their own ideas because real health happens in the context of the community," she said. Glennie-Visser went on to say that the Spirits of Burns Lake are planning to use the funding to reintroduce culture into health. "Its about promoting blood pressure awareness and the Spirits of Burns Lake plan to do this through dancing and drumming activities," she added. Another local group to receive funding is the Decker Lake Recreation Commission as part of the Injury Prevention Grant. A total of $2,000 has been granted for upgrades to the Decker Lake Hall entrance. "The upgrades will help people get in and out of the hall more safely and it also increases social opportunities for people. A third grant for the local area is being given to the RCMP's North District Traffic Services as part of a Road Health Grant. A total of $5,000 has been given for a rollover simulator project. The rollover simulator demonstrates to community members the difference a seat belt can make when a vehicle is subjected to a rollover style accident. “The combined investments of community energy, commitments and resources, along with Northern Health’s financial and in-kind partnership supports, can realize lasting improvements to the health and well-being of those living, working, learning and playing in northern BC,” said Northern Health's director of population health, Julie Kerr. 2011 IMAGINE grants have also been awarded to community groups in Prince George, Fort St. James, McBride , Quesnel, Mackenzie, Vanderhoof, Valemount, Wells and Takla Landing More information on Imagine grants can be found at www.northernhealth.ca, www.roadhealth.org and www.healbc.ca.