The Community Foundation of Portage and District (CFPD) gave out nine grants to organizations around Portage la Prairie on Tuesday.

One of those recipients was Sunset Palliative Care. Volunteer Coordinator Aldene Moroz says the nearly $7,500 will go toward expanding their memory garden at Island Park. She says it's a project they couldn't afford until now.

"The Foundation really believed in our project... It needed to be done. We did not have the funds to really do it. It's a lot of money, and it's going to really improve the Memory Garden... It's a big expansion that we're doing. The public has come to us about having celebrations of life there, because many people in the community do not have a cemetery plot," says Moroz.

She says the grant will help many people in the years to come. She notes the total amount for the Memory Garden is around $15,000. She adds having the grant makes the reality of the garden that much closer.

"We're so close to it we can see it. We're just very excited. It's great to see the people that support the foundation, and the foundation in turn realizes what we do in our community," Moroz says.

Another grant recipient was École Crescentview School. CFPD gave the school $12,700. Teacher Keri Bacon says the money was a surprise, as they were only expecting about half that amount.

"I had to read the e-mail a couple of times, because we proposed only $6,000 and they doubled it. We were incredibly ecstatic," says Bacon.

Bacon says the school will be using the money for their after school coding club, and for improving their classrooms. She says the money is incredibly important to help the school implement more modern technology.

"We want to move with today's times, and our school at the moment doesn't have that technology, so incorporating that into our school will be very useful for our children," Bacon says.

Bacon notes they're hoping to order what they need by the end of the week, and says hopefully after Christmas they'll be up and running.

Sunset Palliative Care Volunteer Coordinator, Aldene Moroz (File Photo)