A local society will offer specialty programming for seniors and other groups after receiving a grant from the federal government and the Canadian Red Cross.
The grant of nearly $15,000 will help the Sidney Arts and Media Society offer senior specific programming through Sidney Radio by way of on-air shows and podcasts.
Bill Collins, president of the society, said the money will go a long way toward helping the station’s mandate of giving voice to underrepresented people.
Barry Rooke, executive director of the National Campus and Community Radio Association, said the group representing hundreds of stations across the country is excited about the proposed programming. “We know that campus and community radio programs such as this help tackle social isolation and connect people to their communities,” said Rooke.
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Almost 41 per cent of Sidney’s population is 65 years and older, according to Statistics Canada.
The funding package will see Radio Sidney offer financial support to Peninsula community groups as an incentive for participation in the radio series as financial pressures on volunteer-based organizations make it difficult to go what Collins called the “extra mile” in telling their story.
One group participating will be the Sidney Community Association (SCA).
“The SCA welcomes the opportunity to tell our story and in particular to hear from the diverse set of volunteers that are determined to uphold this part of the world as the best place on earth to live,” said Steve Duck, SCA’s president.
The first shows will be released around Christmas.
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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com