Everyone is welcome to a meet and greet and new members are always welcome. The Princeton Community Arts Council has been working hard to ensure that the organization is functioning at the level required to access provincial funding for our community. The changes that we have been putting into place are the ones recommended by the BC Arts Council which is an arm of the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural development. In order to receive funding ,programming and budgeting needs to be done through the organization . Our operating grant was stopped in 2008 as our financial statements did not reflect activity, simply re-granting Arts BC. Arts BC is a non partisan body which represents arts councils and other art organizations. Last year, it was given the task of adjudicating the applications for the Spirit Festival and Arts in the Parks funding. In order to access these grants, an arts council has to be a member of the organization. Marjorie Holland, Vicky Jones, Robin Lowe and Del Hall attended the annual conference and met with the community development officers. Princeton Community Arts Council Our job is Advocacy Locally, Regionally, Provincially Resources Riverside, Gallery, Website Communication Promotion /eblasts Although our operating budget was cut we were advised that we could apply for project grants which are adjudicated and must be used for a specific objective. In the last 18 months, we have applied for and received 2010 Legacies Arts Catalyst $1,400 Website Art Innovation $8,000 Tree of Life Mural at Riverside Creative Community $4,000 Cultural plan BCAC Spirit Festival $10,000 Arts in the Parks August 18, 2012 $5,000 BCAC Theatre project Bill W and Dr Bob $4,000. Our ability to apply for grants and complete the projects funded will be key in reestablishing our provincial operational funding which is also dependent on local government support. Our current success has resulted in the organization being described as a regional champion of the arts.