Re: “Nelson CARES heads up new project," August 28
This submitted item describes a project funded by the Osprey Foundation and the Columbia Basin Trust.
Does anyone, particularly the well meaning people who gave money to Osprey, understand what this project aims to accomplish? Do they wonder if this is really how they wanted their money spent?
One project goal is to “define an age-friendly community.” The definition seems self explanatory, and doesn’t Nelson fit the description already?
It next aims to “develop a model of community collaboration.” Why not just check out some of the many organizations and non-profits in Nelson (including city council) that seem to be working just fine, many of them models of community collaboration by any standard?
The project’s next aims are to identify gaps in services, barriers to access and to “develop and fund a network of services” for seniors...etc. Fine, but why not just ask the existing Seniors Coordinating Society and other service providers what extra funding they need and then simply pass the money on to them, rather than waste it on more studies to tell us what most people know already?
Other lofty goals of the project are said to include a “searchable database and mapping function” and “facilitating multi-sectoral dialogues to address emerging issues.” Wow — this senior can hardly wait!
So, Mr. Editor, how about doing a little digging to find out where this charitable money is actually going, what it will accomplish, and whether the donors really wanted their bequests to be spent this way?
I hasten to add that I’m not knocking the work of Nelson CARES, since by all accounts they do good and much needed work, but it seems to me that the Seniors Coordinating Society and other existing organizations are already serving the community well — and I’m sure they could use the money.
Tim Kendrick, Nelson