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Burns Lake receives age-friendly grant

The money will be used to start a healthy-living program for seniors.

Burns Lake has been awarded a $14,975 age-friendly community planning and project grant to help support local strategies to help seniors stay mobile, physically active, socially connected and healthy.

In Burns Lake, the funding will be used for the Let’s Get Active 365: Burns Lake and District Seniors’ Leisure Programming Pilot Program.

Dooseon Jung, director of recreation services for the village of Burns Lake, said the program will offer activities throughout the four seasons to improve the life quality of seniors in the Lakes District area. Activities will include arts and craft, card tournaments, community garden, healthy living classes, fitness classes and free membership for the Lakeside Multiplex.

The program is expected to start in February 2015, and Jung said she expects well over 100 seniors to participate in the program.

“Fitness, social and recreational programs are beneficial to physical and mental health,” Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad said. “This program will give seniors in our community a way to stay active while meeting new people.”

The age-friendly community planning and project grant program is a partnership between the provincial government and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. Each successful local government receives up to $20,000 to help undertake a variety of activities - from setting public policy to delivering information and services - that address the needs of older residents. In September 2014, the Ministry of Health announced further funding of $500,000 to continue to support the grant program.

"Community projects, from accessible trails to workshops on preventing elder abuse, have significant impacts on the health of older adults," said Michelle Stilwell, Parliamentary Secretary for Healthy Living and Seniors. "I am particularly pleased to see numerous communities' projects focused on accessibility and keeping seniors safe."