The Hickson and District Lions Club celebrated its newly renovated Hickson Ball Park/Pavilion. In March, the Club received a $75,000 OTF grant for renovations to park facilities, including making it accessible, upgrading its hydro and installing a baby change room.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orillia and District &
Couchiching Jubilee House

(l-r) Richard Smelski, OTF Grant Review Team member; Dan Mathieson, Mayor, Stratford; John Wilkinson, MPP (Perth-Wellington); Jaret Henhoeffer, Perth County Community Futures; Tine Buechler, President, Stratford Rotary Club; Ted Boniface, DocFest and Stratford Media Arts Alliance and Perth Arts Connect; Cathy Bieman, Perth County Visitors Association; Julie Behrns, Warden, Perth County

Perth Arts Connect and its partners celebrated news of an $110,000 grant that will help create and implement a marketing strategy at Factory 163 in Stratford. Over the next two years, the group will use funding to promote Perth County as an arts and culture destination and strengthen tourism in the area.

(l-r) Thomas Ting Sang Cheung, Coordinator, WoodGreen Cantonese Elderly Persons Club; Peter Tabuns, MPP (Toronto-Danforth); Selwyn Henry, OTF Grant Review Team member; Ann Boglis, wife and caregiver of WoodGreen client Don Boglis; Thomas Hofmann, Board Member, WoodGreen Community Services; Oona Cass, Toronto East Rotary Club; Chow Lee Tak, WoodGreen Cantonese Elderly Persons Club member; Phung Thi My, WoodGreen Cantonese Elderly Persons Club member; Chan Meu Fai, WoodGreen Cantonese Elderly Persons Club member

The WoodGreen Community Services showed off its newly purchased bus, made possible with an $85,000 OTF grant provided in March. The 16-seat accessible bus will be used to transport frail and isolated seniors to grocery stores, medical appointments and social outings.

(l-r) Lucie Allard, OTF Grant Review Team chair; Thi Mi Le Nguyen, President, KW Vietnamese Association; Tim Dang, KW Vietnamese Association; John Milloy, MPP (Kitchener Centre); Lan Nguyen, Board Member, KW Vietnamese Association;Thaun Ngu, Vice-president; KW Vietnamese Association; Sang Thai, Board Member, KW Vietnamese Association

The Kitchener and Waterloo Vietnamese Association celebrated news of a $14,500 OTF grant just in time for the holidays. Over the next year, funding will be used to hire a part-time coordinator and cover office costs as the association work to serve the needs of the growing Vietnamese population in Kitchener and Waterloo.

(l-r) Sylvia Jones, MPP (Dufferin-Caledon); Centre; Marolyn Morrison, Palgrave, Mayor; Sylvia Jones, MPP (Dufferin-Caledon); surrounded by supporters and members of the Palgrave Rotary Club

A cheery crowd braved the cool temperatures to celebrate the  opening of a new gazebo in Palgrave Rotary Park, the result of an $85,200 grant from OTF made in June. The gazebo will serve as a great meeting spot for hikers and cyclists using the Bruce, Oak Ridges and the Trans Canada trails.

(l-r) Paul Cormier, Chairman, Habitat for Humanity – Huronia; Mervat Rashwan, OTF Grant Review Team member; Claudine Benoit, Director, Barrie Film Festival; Aileen Carroll, MPP (Barrie); Melody Edwards, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity – Huronia

Two not-for-profit groups in Barrie were the latest recipients of grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The Barrie Film Festival received a two-year $60,000 grant to develop programming through part-time staff support and computer equipment. A two-year grant of $116,000 was provided to the Habitat for Humanity-Huronia to install a more energy-efficient heating system in its ReStore, and build its organizational capacity by hiring a fund development officer.

(l-r) Bernie Martenson, President, Oakville Literacy Council; Kevin Flynn, MPP (Oakville); Gayle Wadden, OTF Local Grant Review member

The Ontario Trillium provided a three-year $157,200 in 2008 to the Oakville Literacy Council to support additional outreach, fundraising, and partnership development that will increase the Council’s capacity to support local readers. In the summer, the Oakville Literacy Council moved into an office at 1200 Speers Road that offers a separate room for tutors and students to meet for lessons.

(l-r) Ted Smith, resident of Sunderland; Mike Manchester, resident of Beaverton; Rick Johnson, MPP (Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock); Dr. Ramesh Makhija, OTF Grant Review Team member; Larry O’Connor, Mayor, Township of Brock and Chair, Brock Physical Activity Network; Lidia Novis, Sunderland Ringette Association; Anthony Woodruff, Brock Youth Centre; Darlene Jones, Brock Soccer Club

A $212,300 OTF grant is helping to advance the implementation of the Township of Brock’s Physical Activity Plan as part of a collaborative initiative. Over the next three years, funding will be used to hire a Physical Activity Coordinator to explore new strategies to increase the levels of participation in physical activity, recreation and sport. In addition, the grant will be used for training, hiring instructors in various activities, hosting a Community Capacity Building Workshop and some rental costs for venues.

(l-r) Yasir Naqvi, MPP (Ottawa Centre); Daniel Kelley, Executive Director, M.A.P; Todd Sloan, Director, M.A.P.; Frank Dyson, OTF Grant Review Team member; Dick Hudson, President, M.A.P.

The board of directors and employees of M.A.P. Ottawa (Mentorship-Aftercare-Presence) received a $50,000 grant from OTF to recruit and train volunteer coaches from the Ottawa Islamic community, so they can assist with the re-integration of individuals of Islamic faith leaving the criminal justice system.

(l-r) Khalil Ramal, MPP (London-Fanshawe); Peter Thomas, roofing company; Ed Seduikis volunteer, London and Area Food Bank; Sheila Simpson, Program Manager, OTF; Michael Crook, OTF Grant Review Team member; Glen Pearson, Executive Director, London and Area Food Bank

Representatives of the London and Area Food Bank took time out to celebrate their new roof, newly installed thanks in part to a $50,000 OTF grant received in June.

(l-r) Calna McGoldrick, Manager, Sault Ste Marie Soup Kitchen; David Orazietti, MPP (Sault Ste Marie); Sergio Saccucci, OTF Grant Review Team member

The Sault Ste Marie Soup Kitchen and Community Centre showed off its van purchased in part thanks to a $15,000 OTF grant. The van will be used to pick up donations and deliver food baskets in Sault Ste Marie and surrounding communities.