Investment in Arnaud Hits a Home Run
There is an “if you build it, they will come” storyline playing out in Arnaud, MB where a small committee of residents has been building up the heart of the community.
“It started with the decision to update the play structure for the kids at the park and it kind of snowballed from there,” says Chris Delaquis, President of the Arnaud Community Improvement Committee.
“That was phase one and now we are wrapping up phase two of our project, which are improvements to the community center, and raising funds for the third phase which is a new baseball diamond,” he says.
Delaquis farms in the area and when his local ag retailer, GJ Chemical, told him about ADAMA Canada’s Stomping Grounds program the committee jumped at the chance to submit an application.
Now in its second year running, Stomping Grounds was created by ADAMA Canada with the mandate to invest in local initiatives that support youth, health and connection. The committee received word in April that their project was selected for a $5,000 investment.
“I’ve been watching this project progress through the phases and have seen firsthand the positive impact it is having in Arnaud and the surrounding area,” says Andrew Kaminsky, Area Business Manager for ADAMA Canada. “I was very happy to hear it was chosen for support by our selection committee this year.”
The investment will be put towards a new baseball diamond and field, including a new location of the backstop, players box areas and landscaping on the field and backstop area. Relocating the backstop is a priority for safety reasons, as the current placement has players hitting balls towards the community center and playground.
Delaquis says each phase of the project has had a noticeable impact on the community.
“We noticed shortly after the play structure was completed that we had families coming from all over the RM to play on it,” he says. “Now with the community center nearing completion we have people talking about hosting classes and regular coffee get togethers.”
“Between the play structure, the community center and now the revamped ball diamond, this project is really turning into something that all ages from all over the surrounding areas can take advantage of,” says Kaminsky. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of smaller rural communities lose spaces like these and I think it is really special what the Arnaud community is doing here.”
Delaquis says the whole community has been very supportive of the project, but now five years into it he senses the community of 30 needs a boost of outside support more than ever. “Projects like this don’t happen without fundraising and volunteer time and there is only so much of that to give in a small community, so programs like Stomping Grounds are amazing,” says Delaquis. “It is awesome that when the program came to the attention of GJ Chemical, they thought of us and got the ball rolling with the application for ADAMA. This just shows you how a small community and the businesses that they support can work together to build something."
About ADAMA
ADAMA Canada has been supplying the Canadian agricultural community with crop protection products for more than a decade. We offer an innovative approach to ag and proactively seek opportunities to listen to what our customers, experts and colleagues have to say, taking their inputs and learning from their experience. We combine these insights with our expertise and respond with new products, solutions, services, tailored commercial policies, or information that is relevant to them. We are passionate about agriculture and approach what we do as much more than just a job. Our straightforward, get-it-done attitude helps us stay focused on what we care about most: helping our customers create more sustainable, profitable businesses. ADAMA is the seventh largest crop protection company globally with sales in 100 countries and has the largest portfolio of any company with over 270 active ingredients.