Great Grants Award Winners: Grand River (l-r) Janet Passmore, OTF Board of Directors; Tracey Ryan, Brant-Brantford Children’s Water Festival c/o Grand River Conservation Authority - Environment winner; Zach Melnick, Visual Heritage Project: Phase 2 (c/o Cayuga and District Chamber of Commerce) – 25th Anniversary winner; Barbara Tanner-Billings, Old Town Hall Association – Arts and Culture winner; Sharon Brooks, Kids Can Fly – Human and Social Services winner; Rob Luke, Lynn Valley Trail Association – Sport and Recreation winner; Delia O’Byrne, OTF Grant Review Team Chair Absent from photo: Wendy Trenholm of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brantford and District  – Grant Review Team Chair’s Award winner  Brantford, November 14th, 2007 – Six 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 Brantford, Wednesday, November 14, 2007.  The evening will be hosted by Brock Dodington of CKPC FM 92.1 Brantford. “The Great Grants Awards recognize the vision, commitment and energy of Ontario’s volunteers and community organizations,” said Delia O’Byrne, OTF Grant Review Team Chair for Grand River. “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 Grand River area 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 Grand River, six 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: Grand River  • Arts and Culture: Old Town Hall Association In 1999, the Old Town Hall Association was created with a mission to restore Waterford’s historic town hall.  Early in 2000, OTF gave $20,000 to help with preliminary architectural studies and in 2003, gave an additional $75,000 to assist with restoration. Combined with fundraising revenue secured by the local community and the Association, OTF grant improved safety and accessibility to the building, specifically to the upper auditorium and stage. Significant work had been done with “sweat equity”. Volunteers in the community continue to maintain the building and surrounding area. Approximately 500 volunteers assisted with raising funds and with the renovations themselves. Renovations were successfully completed. The Old Town Hall is open for cultural and community events and is frequently booked by theatre, musical and recreation groups.  As anyone will tell you, the Old Town Hall is “a happenin’ place” in the Waterford community.  • Sports and Recreation: Lynn Valley Trail Association The Lynn Valley Trail is an eight kilometre trail connecting the southern Ontario towns of Simcoe and Port Dover. Once an abandoned rail line, the trail is used for hiking, biking or cross-country skiing through a part of the Carolinian forest region. In 2005, when the Lynn Valley Trail Association asked OTF for help repairing one of the trail bridges, the Foundation chipped in with a fortifying $61,000 grant. Between 7,000 and 8,000 people in the connecting rural communities use the trail annually. The Association raises funds each year to cover costs, but the majority of trail maintenance work is done by volunteers. Thanks to an OTF grant, the Burt Bridge was strengthened and access to the entire trail was resumed. The trail was also widened to accommodate more users. The Lynn Valley Trail Association truly walks the walk.   • Environment: Brant- Brantford Children’s Water Festival c/o Grand River Conservation Authority  Water is the basis of life and in Ontario we enjoy an abundance of it. Protecting and preserving our water is essential. In 2005 when the Grand River Conservation Authority and a steering committee of eight stakeholders sought to establish a Children’s Water Festival in Brantford, OTF dove right in with a three-year grant of $99,800. The 2005 Brant/Brantford Children’s Water Festival is part of a larger growing network of existing festivals.  The free event encouraged students in Grade 4 to become aware of our primary natural resource. There were 55 students from three area high schools who staffed the activity centres. The centres used 30 hands-on learning stations to educate kids about water use, consumption and the need to protect it. Over 1,460 students participated it the festival and 400 parents acted as volunteers. The Brant/Brantford Children’s Water Festival has made a big splash in the Western Ontario community. • Human and Social Services: Kids Can Fly OTF believes kids can fly -- they just need someone to give them a boost. A group of committed volunteers and advocates in the Brantford area are lending a helping hand. In a few short years, Kids Can Fly has established itself as a leader in early childhood development.  From infant to toddler to full fledged child, the organization helps kids prepare to learn.  In 2003, OTF gave a two-year $70,000 grant to the group to help kids fly higher than ever. With the grant, 10 more Launch Pad parent-child drop resource centres were opened in area schools.  The Roots of Empathy anti-bullying program reached 17 classrooms and over 500 children, teaching young people about having respect for one another. Many of the programs are free, and a strong effort has been made to reach to low income neighbourhoods.   Kids Can Fly is also a driving force behind the Family Literacy Committee in Brantford. With over 60 volunteers who lead programs in the community, Kids Can Fly knows that for children, the sky’s the limit. • Grant Review Team Chair’s Award - for exemplary volunteerism: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brantford and District Making a difference in a kid’s life is immensely satisfying. The staff and volunteers at Big Brothers of Brantford and District know this, and wanted to spread the word. In 2004 with an OTF grant of $60,100 over two years, they successfully got their message out. The agency has been extremely creative in using limited resources to get supports for children and in reducing the wait time for matching volunteers with kids. Through new partnerships in the community and the hiring and training of staff, the organization attracted 121 additional volunteers. Carefully screened and trained volunteers provide over 5,000 hours of work with kids. The agency has increased its programming options by reaching out to new volunteers like university and college students.  When everyday moments are shared with a buddy, life becomes all the more meaningful. Thanks to Big Brothers, kids in the Brantford district never have to go it alone. • 25th Anniversary Award - for remaining a leader in the not-for profit or charitable sector by consistently delivering on the Foundation’s granting priorities: Visual Heritage Project: Phase 2 (c/o Cayuga and District Chamber of Commerce) Toronto may be Hollywood North, but Brant and Norfolk counties aren’t far behind! In 2003 with the help of an OTF grant of $60,100, the local community produced a DVD highlighting the heritage and culture of its region. An extraordinary program, the Visual Heritage Project had its genesis at the Cayuga Chamber of Commerce and is now the template for similar productions in several communities across Ontario. The program creates multi-media tool kits that teach, preserve and promote the history of Ontario to audiences of all ages. In Brant and Norfolk counties, many volunteers were involved in story development, filming and historical reenactments. The DVD is in use at area museums and schools and has provided teachers with a new tool to bring history alive for students. This program has indelibly connected area residents to their communities, their region and their land.  Lights, camera, history – Brant and Norfolk counties has it all. Back to the events list