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IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL YOUTH PROGRAM ENTRANTS: Dec 4, 2009: After
the B.C. Liberal Government cut funding for the arts and charities
in their September 2009 Provincial Budget, Ripple Effect has been
trying to fundraise in the hope of continuing to publish the Wordscapes
Youth Arts Journal. Due to the recession, fundraising is proving
to be extremely difficult and we have not yet secured operating
funding to proceed with publication. However, our efforts are
ongoing and we are still hopeful. We will provide another update on
publication and the 2009 contest early in 2010. We thank everyone
for their continued patience.
Unfortunately, given the difficult economic environment, and with
further deep cuts to the arts at both the federal and provincial
levels in 2010 already announced, Ripple Effect has decided to put
our Youth Literacy in Arts Program on hiatus in 2010 and we will not
be holding our annual Youth Writing and Design Contest in spring
2010.
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September 2009: Like thousands of other not for profit organizations and
charities across British Columbia, Ripple Effect Arts and Literature
Society was recently informed by the Provincial Liberal Government
that Premier Gordon Campbell has decided to revoke all grant funding
to the arts administered by the B.C. Lottery Corporation. This
shortsighted decision has thrown a whole economic sector into utter
chaos and caused thousands of lost jobs -- a completely bizarre
action to take during a recession, when jobs and business stimulus
is of the utmost importance to help the economy recover. Large
provincial institutions like Ballet B.C. have been forced into
bankruptcy and numerous small organizations like Ripple Effect are
now facing a similar fate.
Ripple Effect was already reeling from a 70 per cent drop in
private donations and a drop of 20 per cent in earned revenues over
the past year due to the recession. We had already cut our
operational expenses to the bone and have been forced to lay off our
Wordscapes editor of nine years. We were counting on receiving our
annual B.C. Gaming grant to get us through what was already an
extremely difficult year. The unexpected loss of this key operating
grant has dealt a fatal blow to our organization, and our future is
now uncertain.
The volunteer board members of Ripple Effect are now trying to
raise funds to meet our commitments to the hundreds of youth authors
and artists who entered our program. Due to the recession,
fundraising is extremely difficult right now (as noted, we had
already seen a drop of over 70 per cent in donations over the past
year). We ask that you please bear with us as we try to find
alternative funding in an effort to keep the program going and
continue publishing Wordscapes, which was about to celebrate its
10th year of publishing youth writing and visual art. If we are not
able to raise enough money to continue the program, we will at least
try to refund all program entry fees paid.
We will provide another update on this website by the end of
November 2009, at which time we should have a clearer idea of our
financial situation going forward. We sincerely apologize for the
delays and uncertainty surrounding our program this year, and thank
you all for your support and patience during this very difficult and
frustrating situation.
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