Lyster, Quebec, August 26, 2005 – The Corporation des loisirs de Lyster is benefiting from the Farm Credit Canada (FCC) AgriSpirit Fund with a donation of $15,000.

Through the FCC AgriSpirit Fund, a structure will be built to house a facility where young people can enjoy and take part in various recreational activites. In the winter, the space will house a skating rink; in the summer, it will provide a place to play outdoor sports and hold cultural events.

Marc Gaudreault, who is in charge of recreational activities for the Municipality of Lyster, noted, “The multifunctional surface will be a place to organize sports and other large-scale events. This infrastructure gives us the opportunity to develop new activities that we are currently unable to hold in our area. The objectives of this project are to create a feeling of belonging in the community, increase the physical activity for people of all ages in our community, increase the participation in certain sports and focus all our energy on an infrastructure that meets the needs of Lyster’s citizens.” 

“We’re proud to give even more back to rural Canada and to the community of Lyster where our customers and employees live and work,” said FCC District Manager André Blouin. “The enthusiasm of Canadians is evident in the projects that are being created in our rural communities. It’s that spirit and passion that makes Quebec a great place to live.”

From the 489 applications received this past winter, FCC selected 38 projects from across Canada.

In November 2004, FCC announced the AgriSpirit Fund. This Fund awarded $400,000 towards capital projects for rural communities with populations under 100,000. These projects will receive between $5,000 and $25,000 to create or enhance facilities in their community. A significant amount of time and consideration went into each evaluation including how the project would make a difference in the community.

The FCC AgriSpirit Fund will continue for a second year. Details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process will be posted this fall through the FCC website at www.fcc-fac.ca.

Operating out of 100 offices located primarily in rural Canada, FCC employees are passionate about the business of agriculture. FCC's healthy portfolio of more than $11 billion and 12 consecutive years of portfolio growth are a reflection of our customers' success.

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For more information, please contact:

André Blouin
Farm Credit Canada
District Manager
(450) 348-3514

Nadine Hakim (Bilingual)
Farm Credit Canada
Corporate Communications
(306) 780-8572