A Neighbourhood Small Grant from the Bowen Island Community Foundation was all that was needed to get Rafal Izdebski’s big idea off the ground — and to get the cedar sculpture at Tunstall Bay standing upright again.
For more than five decades, the Tunstall “Totem,” as many locals know it, had been perched on a bluff overlooking the beach. Not a traditional First Nations totem at all, but in fact a former prop from the 1966 film The Trap, filmed locally, the sculpture was nearly blown over by a powerful windstorm last November and significant rot at the base was revealed.
Motivated to preserve this cherished local landmark, Rafal applied for a Small Grant to pay for tools and materials and teamed up with volunteers Adam Taylor, Galen Evans, and Iishan Cruz to restore the piece, which is now securely re-installed and welcoming visitors to the bay once again.
This year, the Community Foundation funded seven diverse initiatives that brought neighbours together for a common good. The impact of Small Grants (up to $500) is diverse and far-reaching, including a butterflyway at Josephine Lake; regenerative community gardening for seniors; an Eagle Cliff neighbourhood beach party; a Little Free Library in Miller’s Landing; enhancement of the bus shelter in the Bishop’s Hill community; a spa night with an offers-and-needs market for moms; and, of course, restoration of the Tunstall Bay sculpture.
Your monthly or one-time gift to the Bowen Island Community Foundation supports Neighbourhood Small Grants so community members can put their ideas into action, making Bowen neighbourhoods better places to live.
Visit bowenfoundation.com to learn more about giving.
