The Army Cadet League of Canada (ACLC) has announced that the cadets of the 2963 Seaforth Highlanders of Canada RCAC, which trains in Sechelt, will benefit from one of the four 2017 Gerard Buckley Cadet Fund grants (GBCF) offered to Army Cadet Corps annually.
Gerard Buckley, a former army cadet, Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC) officer and now director with the ACLC’s board, created the Gerard Buckley Cadet Fund in 2001 jointly with the Army Cadet League of Canada and Scotiabank, to support optional training for Canadian Army Cadets. A few years ago, Buckley increased this support to the Army Cadet movement by increasing the number of awards to four cadet corps, with grants of $3,000 each for a total of $12,000 annually.
Every year the National Office of the Army Cadet League of Canada receives numerous applications from corps across the country, making the decision process at times difficult. Based on the guidelines and criteria for the corps’ eligibility, the GBCF committee felt that the cadets of the 2963 Seaforth Highlanders of Canada RCAC would best benefit from this year’s grant.
These grants are intended to assist corps in communities in Canada where the resources for fundraising and donations may be limited. The grants will help sustain many of the costs for additional activities or the purchase of expensive equipment such as musical instruments, biathlon and marksmanship equipment, and various other items that help make the cadet experience worthwhile for the youth in these communities.
The needs of the 2963 RCACC fall well within the criteria of the funding, as it has been operating on a shoestring budget and has not been able to provide many extras to their cadets these last few years. This grant will provide the corps the opportunity to replace their leaking tents and other camping gear along with their much-needed Highland kit, which is in desperate need of replacement. With the quality activities these grants help fund, the corps can remain viable, continue to help develop outstanding young individuals and attract other youth to join.
The Royal Canadian Army Cadet program is a federally sponsored
program for young Canadians ages 12 to 18. For more information, see www.armycadetleague.ca and www.cadets.ca.
– Submitted by Captain Shiloh Gregorchuk
