… Norma's Ark is the only fully licensed daycare with preschool and after-school programming in Telkwa. It serves hundreds of families each year, even families from Smithers and area. Over the past two years a dedicated group of volunteers has been working with Norma Stokes to transfer ownership of the centre to a non-profit society so that the facility and the programs will become owned and driven by the very community it serves. There have been some battles along the way, you've read about some in this very newspaper over the past few months, but the biggest battle is the one that has yet to be resolved.

As part of transferring ownership of the daycare to the society a new building inspection had to be done. As a result, volunteers from the community stepped forward and graciously provided their services to draw up plans for the necessary renovations to make sure the building complies with all current building code regulations. With a plan in place, and with the support of the licensing department, the society then applied for a major capital grant through the Ministry of Children and Families. The grant would not only bring the historic building up to current building code, it would actually increase the number of spaces the facility can serve.

….a decision on the grant would be forthcoming within the next six weeks, I mean 42 days, I mean 41 days and 16 hours.

My Christmas wish is that the Treehouse Housing Association receives the grant and we can find a way to keep these amazing programs going.