Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/591861
Find out if there's a Neighbourhood Small Grants program in your area at vancouverfoundation.ca/nsg. You can also help support Neighbourhood Small Grants with a donation. Call Calvin in Donor Services at 604.629.5357 for more information. Attracting a diverse crowd was one of the main goals for Leblanc, who wanted both the attendees and the presenters to represent both the ethnic diversity and age range of the com- munity in Surrey. It's one of the reasons it was decided not to limit what types of skills could be presented. e result was an eclectic group of skill-sharers who were happy to teach the curi- ous but who were also keen to learn, too, says Leblanc. It's that kind of community connectivity that Leblanc gets excited about. "ere are lots of events where someone from the outside comes in and they'll host a workshop or a lecture or a performance," says Leblanc. "We just had this idea that 'Let's have a forum where people in the community can connect with each other' . . . We don't have any greater visions to change society, but rather just to have a simple, local, celebratory event of what's going on in our community." Two to three hundred people showed up to learn a new skill or hobby in 2014. Leblanc was quite happy with the turnout and was buoyed by such an enthusiastic response from the community. Initially, the organizers thought it would be a one-time event, but the feedback changed their minds. "A lot of the presenters and the people who were there came up to us and said, 'I think we should do this more regularly' – like once a month or once every two or three months or something," Leblanc says. "And you know," he laughs, "time passes and you forget about all the hard work it took, and so then you're up for doing it again." In addition to the "buckets and buckets of volunteer hours" Leblanc says the core group put in, it's also numerous other vol- unteers and the donated space provided by Surrey Nature Cen- tre that make the event possible. Not to mention the unpaid presenters who do it simply for the love of sharing their knowl- edge and a nice lunch. But, none of it would be possible without the $1,000 grant from the Vancouver Foundation, says Leblanc. "For that we are grateful." e next skill-share offering promises to be equally as diverse as the first year's. Some presenters are returning, and others are bringing completely new skills, including balloon-dog making, solar oven cooking, laughter yoga and sewing with a 1920s hand-crank sewing machine. Photos: Courtesy Surrey Skill Share Fair F a l l 2 0 1 5 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l p a g e 1 5 Community members attending the Surrey Skill Share Fair learned everything from how to fix a bike and knit a scarf to artistic endeavours like bookmark making and wood burning.