Great Grants Award Winners: Muskoka, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Timiskaming (l-r) Helen Burstyn, Chair, OTF Board of Directors; Renee-Anne Paquette of the Municipality of West Nipissing - winner of the Great Grants Award - Sports and Recreation; Diane Labelle-Davey, Director of HR and Volunteer Relations, OTF; and Christina Golding, Chair, OTF Grant Review Team North Bay, November 5 2007 – Five remarkable Ontario not-for-profit organizations will be honoured for the difference they have made in their communities at the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s 25th Anniversary celebration in North Bay, November 6, 2007.  The evening will be hosted by Dr. Rod Johnston of North Bay. “The Great Grants Awards recognize the vision, commitment and energy of Ontario’s volunteers and community organizations,” said Christina Golding, Grant Review Team Chair for Muskoka, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Timiskaming. “This is our 25th year of strengthening communities and we’re celebrating by holding 16 award events across the province. We look forward to meeting community members in the Muskoka, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Timiskaming region who help make Ontario a great place to live.” The Foundation presents the Great Grants Awards every two years. The award winners were selected by volunteers who serve on the local Grant Review Team. In the Muskoka, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Timiskaming region, five organizations were chosen for their outstanding achievements in the Arts and Culture, Sports and Recreation, Environment and Human and Social Services sectors. 2007 Great Grants Award Winners: Muskoka, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Timiskaming • Arts and Culture: Muskoka Lakes Music Festival Children and the arts go hand in hand. Encouraging artistic study, practice and appreciation can sometimes be another matter. The Muskoka Music Festival sought to make this process fun. In 2004, an OTF two year grant of $73,800 helped the festival deliver Kaleidoscope in the Schools (KITS), an arts education program for children in the Muskoka area. The grant supported a children’s festival, a children’s choir, after- school art and a summer arts camp. KITS linked schools with local professional artists who shared their skills and knowledge. Through drawing, singing, theatre and other artistic disciplines, kids experienced creativity first hand. There were 21 artists and 40 involved in reaching 2,000 elementary students through this innovative program. Three artists who participated in the project were so inspired they registered in a Bachelor of Education program! • Sports and Recreation: Municipality of West Nipissing With help from the Foundation, kids in the West Nipissing area are ready to “ollie off the kicker”” when the portable skate park comes to town! In 2004, the Municipality of West Nipissing received $16,300 from OTF to buy a portable skateboard park for area youth.  The skateboard park has decreased loitering in the downtown area and reduced the number of skateboard-related injuries.  Eight youth raised funds and then launched a Youth Action Advisory Committee. The portable park offers awesome outdoor activities for kids and youth in a safe, supervised environment. During the six month grant period, 100 children and 500 youth were able to enjoy some skateboarding fun. West Nipissing now holds skateboarding tournaments which, according to trusted sources, are “wicked.” • Environment: Muskoka Inventory Collaborative Ensuring the quality of waterways requires ensuring the health of the watersheds through which they flow.  The Muskoka Inventory Collaborative, a group comprised of the Muskoka Heritage Foundation, Muskoka Watershed Council, the District of Muskoka and Ministry of Natural Resources Bracebridge is on a mission to safeguard both water and the watershed. In 2005, OTF granted $49,000 over 18 months to do a comprehensive inventory and analysis of the ecologically significant Muskoka River Watershed land systems. They are a vital part of the area’s heritage and their scenic beauty attracts many visitors. During this period, these areas were identified for protection. Another OTF grant is now helping with the second phase of the inventory, which concerns the aquatic component. This initiative will ensure the public learns about the action needed to protect their rich natural heritage. • Human and Social Services: Amelia Rising Sexual Assault Centre Since 1994, Amelia Rising Sexual Assault Centre of Nipissing has provided counselling and support for adult survivors of sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse and incest. It also helps their parents, spouses and friends. The Centre served mainly women and children, but began to see a need to help male victims of abuse. The organization joined forces with the North Bay Crisis Centre and, with the help of a two year OTF grant in 2003 of $80,800, developed and implemented a support service for men. A total of 60 men participated in support group sessions for three months. For most of the survivors, their silence was broken for the first time. The support groups became a powerful means of transformation. Today, with the caring help of volunteers and staff, men continue to come forward, to heal and create a new life for themselves.  • Grant Review Team Chair’s Award - for exemplary volunteerism:  City of Temiskaming Shores’ New Liskeard Library Being able to borrow books or meet for various activities at a public library is a wonderful gift. The staff at the New Liskeard Library wanted to share this gift with more people and asked the Foundation for assistance. In 2005, OTF granted the library $6,700 to buy new resource materials and set up a website.  Making the library more accessible to rural areas was one of the grantee’s major goals, and a successful outreach library was established in the Township of Hudson. Volunteers were trained in basic cataloguing and, within three weeks, a “Friends of the Library Group” was formed.  Housed in the Hudson Town Hall, the tiny library continues to operate, all thanks to community volunteers. There’s no stopping a group of committed community volunteers -- especially when they’re waiting for the next Stephen King novel to arrive. Back to the events list