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INUVIK
The Children's First Centre is drawing closer to the semifinals in a national competition to win funds, but needs the help of the community to pull into the top 10.

Seven-year-old Hannah Rogers, front, plays Twister at the Inuvik Children's Development Centre, with Savannah Lehoux and Ruby Angus, both 5 years old. The centre will lose its space in Sir Alexander Mackenzie School once the new school opens and it is demolished. - Samantha Stokell/NNSL photo

As of press time, the Children's First Centre sat in 13th place in the Aviva Community Fund competition, which provides funding for community projects or organization. The competition is now in the second of three rounds and needs to get into the top 10 to enter the semifinals and a chance to win up to $275,000 from the fund, according to Children First Society which is promoting the project.

Children's First is only about 300 votes out of 10th place and 400 votes from seventh place and the society wants the town of Inuvik and entire territory to get behind the project.

"We need people to be consistent in their voting and more people voting," said Paula Guy, chair of the Inuvik Child Development Centre, one of the four groups that will move into the early childhood development centre when it's built. "If we had 1,000 votes in town every day, we'd be winning. Do this for the kids."

The Children's First Centre will provide a facility dedicated to early childhood development in Inuvik, something that is currently lacking. The new facility would provide space for 120 children and costs about $4 million to design and construct. The society has already raised more than $1.5 million and says that any amount will help.

"It's quite a big amount of money we would be able to access from the community fund," said Melissa Lennie, a parent with two children in daycare right now. "There's a shortage of childcare services in town and the kids need to have a place that they can go."

The Town of Inuvik is trying to find a way to provide funding for the project, even though it's not a town initiative. The GNWT does provide funding for early childhood education, but only in the form of programming. Funding for capital costs or buildings isn't available.

"I know the history and the ICDC has been in four buildings: the old hospital and they tore that down; Grollier Hall, then they tore that down; the Baptist Church and now in (Sir Alexander Mackenzie School) that's going to be torn down," said Denny Rodgers, mayor of Inuvik. "Our thought process is that sustainable childcare is just as important as recreation. We agree it's important to a community."

It's tough to grow a community without early childhood education, as professionals may not move here for jobs, or may move away if childcare isn't available to them. Not only that, but children that attend preschool gain skills such as staying focused before they start school.

"Participants who go to preschool attend school and have more future success," Guy said. "If all kids had access to quality early childhood education, they're more likely to not drop out and that success would have a trickle-down effect to the whole society."

Even if Children's First doesn't make it into the semifinals, Guy will be pleased with the awareness that has been created through the campaign. That being said, she thinks the cause has a real chance to get into the top 10.

Guy said it's tough to compete with more savvy groups, like those related to the SPCA, which have a wide network to draw votes from.

Because Inuvik has a small population to draw on, members of the Children First Society hope that people will take the time to vote each and every day. Suggestions include sending out e-mail to friends and family; setting Internet homepages to the Aviva Community Fund website; using multiple e-mail addresses to double votes and not forgetting to vote every day.

"Just make it a part of your day to vote every day," Lennie said. "Put a reminder on your calendar. We're doing OK, we just need a last little push."

Voting for the second round ends on Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. Guy reminds people to get those final votes in on that morning, or else projects on the eastern side of Canada will have a benefit.

To vote for the Children's First Centre on the Aviva Community Fund, voters will have to set up an account before selecting the project. Visit the Children's First Centre website for a direct link or search for Aviva Community Fund online to vote.

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