Votes sought for sports field floodlights from the Aviva Community Fund
The Valley Park Go Green Cricket Field project has climbed to 14th position in the rankings for the Aviva Community Fund grant, a fund that could bring between $100,000 and $150,000.00 to help the project’s funding. But, the Valley Park project needs to gain more support as it must place in the top ten in order to reach the final round. Voting for the current round of voting for an Aviva Community Fund grant ends on November 26, 2012. (Voting in this phase began on November 12th.)

The overall Valley Park project, involves the development of sports fields for cricket, baseball and soccer within an environmentally enhanced green space in the Don Valley. The broad scheme for the Valley Park Middle School is progressing, but now funds are sought for a specific floodlighting installation project for the sports grounds from the Aviva Community Fund. A cross-Canada community fund that has invited self-contained projects to apply for funds. In the early rounds, progress depends on votes from the community. In the final stage, a panel will make the decision on which projects win the available top prize grants in three categories: small, medium; and large projects. Projects reaching the final stages gain consolation grants.
The Valley Park Project made progress, rising five places in the rankings, thanks to votes gained from the community at a booth at East York Town Centre one day this week. At that time, some 329 more on-line votes would have placed the Valley Park project into the top ten.
Perhaps some of those who attended the exhibition game for the Valley Park Go Green Project at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club on May 6th between the Valley Park All Stars (captained by former Indian international Sunil Joshi) and an RBC team might not yet have voted. So please cast your vote, and invite support from your family, friends and kindly invite other members of the Toronto CSCC and any other club to which you belong to cast a vote for this project.
So, with a certain amount of effort and good luck, the broader cricket fraternity in the Toronto area could support youth cricket and schools cricket, as well as helping increase the cricketing infrastructure available to Toronto schools, by casting your on-line vote to support this project.
” Your vote would be ” a vote for cricket and kids and will help us win to pay for our outdoor sports lighting. Having outdoor lighting in a community the size of Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park means we can accommodate a LOT more kids in our programming when our new field opens next summer.”
In order to vote, cricketing supporters can access the Go Green Cricket Field website at website at www.gogreencricketfield.ca and use a link to the Aviva Community Fund website. Or, a vote can be cast directly through the Aviva Community Fund website and register to vote from our page https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf16293.
Those using facebook can vote for the project through Facebook users can vote for the project through http://www.facebook.com/avivacommunityfund. Once people are registered, do a search on the “valley park go green cricket field project.” Hit on us to reveal our page and then click VOTE NOW!
Others may be able to cast a vote this weekend by visiting the Green Valley at the East York Town Centre on Saturday and/or Sunday!
Do not forget, that while the Valley Park project was only 329 votes away from reaching the top ten at some point on Thursday or Friday, there are other projects that will be out there seeking your vote. So, please, help support the future of schools cricket in Toronto through this project.
At this time when many across Canada are celebrating Diwali and others Eid, both festivals where there is hope of light shining in the darkness, light that might bring enlightenment to the broad, global community and peace in that light, please try and support the hopes of those involved in the Valley Park Go Green Cricket Field project. May their flickering candle of light and hope gain them the ability to provide some greater candlelight through the floodlights over the enhanced cricket, baseball and soccer fields at the Valley Park Middle School. Fields and an environment that aim to provide a welcoming civic space environment to serve the broader communities in the Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park areas. Enhancing the beauty of the Don Valley in the area where the school is based, which can become an educational, bio-diverse area forms part of the broader project.
The Aviva Community Fund is a Canada-wide from Aviva Insurance, where community projects that can “create”, “make”, “change”, “purchase” or otherwise be intended for the greater good of the community can apply for funds as part of a small idea (up to $50,000), medium ($50-100,000) or large idea ($100-150,000) as a self-contained idea. The idea has to be well thought out, in order to be allowed to enter this competition for funds, and the project needs to demonstrate that it would be completed, or almost completed, by December 31, 2013. A minimum of six grand prizes will be awarded, while other projects reaching the final will receive $5,000. Thanks should go to Aviva Insurance for establishing this Canada-wide community funding scheme and a pool of $1 million.
So the Valley Park project is seeking to gain support for outdoor sports lighting. A project that should appeal especially to those keen to see T20 outdoor cricket under floodlights in the middle of December or even February, are encouraged to register their vote for the Valley Park project. But lighting on a cloudy afternoon or early between late April and late September might be a better time for outdoor cricket.
This message might also turn on a couple of lights, not just in the Toronto area, that similar projects might be able to benefit from a range of public and private/corporate sponsorship schemes if someone – you and your friends – do the necessary homework, planning and the subsequent work to bring a plan into fruition. Teamwork would be part of that design, planning and implementation process. Then your light could shine before you, from your good deeds (not your words of self-praise), so that others could see your good works, and join in to help or go off and start another project in another place where some cricket and sporting grounds could benefit a school, youth in an area and, in doing so, the broader community.
Having brought this plea for votes to other people’s attention, it might make sense if I check out the Valley Park Go Green Cricket field project and vote myself.
　
Eddie Norfolk, with thanks to Lisa Grogan-Green (Co-Chair, Valley Park Community Project Team).