Farm Credit Canada has announced recipients of their annual 'AgriSpirit Fund'. 

Each year, FCC awards between $5,000 and $25,000 for community improvement projects, and this year awarded $1 million to 78 projects across Canada. 

12 Saskatchewan communities received FCC funding, including the Wakamow Valley Authority. 

Wakamow was given $5,000 to put towards rebuilding the Kinsmen Wellesley Playground structure, which was burned beyond repair by vandals in June of 2015. 

Since that time, fundraising efforts have been underway to install a new playground. 

"We had the idea that $75,000 would make a really great playground," explained Wakamow Valley CEO Margaret Moran. "It would allow us to make it wheelchair, stroller and bike accessible, and to upgrade the whole playground area (including) the washroom in that playground."

Moran says the FCC donation is just the latest in what has been a successful fundraising campaign, with money pouring in from several sources including "the City of Moose Jaw, Kinsmen Club, private donations as well as two fundraisers."

She says they are now $10,000 away from their goal, but are close enough to get the project underway within the next few weeks. 

"It's going to be done with volunteer labour with the Kinsmen Club," she explained. "We're going to be awarding the tender very soon, and by the end of September we'll have the playground ready for everyone to enjoy." 

The playground space remains bare in the background, but not for too much longer

Moran says if anyone would like to donate to the playground project, they can just contact the Wakamow office. 

In addition to Wakamow Valley, other southern Saskatchewan communities to receive AgriSpirit funding from FCC were the Mortlach Recreation Board ($12,000) and the Davidson Swimming Pool Committee ($25,000).