Great Grants Award Winners: Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin (l-r) Jennifer Lynn, OTF Board member, John Carson, Run for Life - Sports and Recreation winner; Bonnie Schmidt, Wings of Discovery c/o Let's Talk Science - 25th Anniversary Award winner; Peter Williamson, Wellington County Community Forestry Initiative - Environment winner; Madji Bou-Martar, the Multicultural Theatre Space - Arts and Culture winner; Peter McFadden, Waterloo Region Immigration Employment Network - Human and Social Services winner; Sylvia Cheuy, Headwaters Communities in Action - Grant Review Team Chair's Award winner; L. Robin Cardozo, CEO, OTF Waterloo, November 15th, 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 Waterloo, November 15, 2007.  The evening will be hosted by Neil Aitchison of Waterloo. “The Great Grants Awards recognize the vision, commitment and energy of Ontario’s volunteers and community organizations,” said Don Bourgeois, Grant Review Team Chair for Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin. “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 Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin 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 Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin, 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: Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin • Arts and Culture:  Multicultural Theatre Space (the MT Space) The Kitchener-Waterloo area is expanding and welcoming large numbers of immigrants and refugees every year; people who bring talent and creativity. With encouragement from an OTF grant in 2005 of $97,200 over 18 months, the Multicultural Theatre Space was created.  Since its inception in 2004, MT Space has become a destination for innovative theatre.  MT Space seeks to promote multiculturalism as not exotic or simply folklore, but as a rich aspect of Canadian life.  The company focuses on young, physically-oriented performers and includes a culturally diverse group of participants. In a short period of time, it has had work accepted in numerous fringe festivals across the country.  Volunteers contribute over 5,000 hours annually to fulfill technical, design and research needs.    OTF applauds this dynamic company.   • Sports and Recreation: Run for Life Run for Life welcomes anyone over five years of age who wants to run or walk their way to fitness. OTF walked the walk with an initial grant in 2003 of $16,000 to help get the organization up and running. Led by strong role models, Run for Life establishes and supports simple, accessible, year round group running and walking programs across Canada. Volunteer coaches introduce community members to the fun and fitness benefits of running and walking. A primary focus of Run for Life is to get adults and kids who are not active more engaged. With a goal to establish a national program to address childhood obesity and illiteracy in low-income communities, Run for Life emphasizes the link between physical fitness and life long learning. With help from OTF, this two time grantee is “in the zone.” • Environment: Wellington County Community Forestry Initiative When a community bands together for a cause, there is nothing more powerful. With the Optimist Club of Alma taking the lead, concerns for the environment galvanized over 22 organizations in the Wellington-Waterloo region. In 2003, OTF assisted the collaborative with its goal to preserve and rehabilitate community forests by giving a three year grant of $147,500. Through educational workshops, promotion, technical advice and good old elbow grease, the initiative improved the quality of the local environment. 150,000 trees were planted in Wellington County in 2004 and additional 151,000 trees were planted the following year.  Students and volunteers continue to be trained by the District Forester in their area. The Foundation grant also helped leverage more funding from the County of Wellington, making the initiative sustainable. We need trees. They help the planet breathe. We also need more programs like the Wellington County Community Forest Initiative. • Human and Social Services: Waterloo Region Immigration Employment Network Waterloo Region is one of the fastest growing communities across the country and has the fourth largest immigrant population in Canada. Finding work can often be a difficult experience for new arrivals. In 2006, OTF granted the Waterloo Region Immigration Network (WRIEN) $195,000 over three years to lead systemic change in order to support more employment opportunities for immigrants.  A collaborative between the Greater Kitchener Chamber of Commerce and the Centre for Research and Education, WRIEN links the business community directly with the immigrant community for employment opportunities. In a short time, WRIEN has increased awareness for employment opportunities and has educated employers about the talent in their midst. Today, more employers are hiring new Canadians and are influencing change in their companies. New Canadians are bringing a wealth of skills and knowledge to help strengthen communities. OTF will continue to support initiatives like WRIEN for the benefit of all. • Grant Review Team Chair’s Award - for exemplary volunteerism: Headwaters Communities in Action Healthy and vibrant communities are communities that work, and work together. When a group of community leaders in the Headwaters area sought to improve the quality of life for its residents through an innovative program, OTF responded in 2005 with a $42,000 grant over 14 months.  Rapid growth, health issues and family stress, and increasing levels of poverty are some of the growing challenges for the communities of the Headwaters area. Headed by Community Dufferin Living, the initiative brings together people from the business, education, health, social services, government and environmental sectors to identify problems and they can best pool resources to take action.  This initiative is thriving because of the leadership and heart of a dedicated group of volunteers drawn from every sector of the community.  Headwaters Communities in Action is making great headway. • 25th Anniversary Award - for remaining a leader in the not-for profit or charitable sector by consistently delivering on the Foundation’s granting priorities:  Wings of Discovery c/o Let’s Talk Science    Wings of Discovery is an innovative child-centred program designed to develop critical skills, core knowledge and a positive attitude toward science. The first curriculum-based early years learning program developed by Let’s Talk Science encourages children and young families to explore and apply basic mathematics, science and technology concepts in their daily lives. In 2002, OTF granted $207,000 over three years to Let’s Talk Science and to the Butterfly Learning Centre, a new child care centre in Waterloo, to implement the Wings of Discovery program. The grant provided training and support for staff and helped with fundraising. Both programs successfully raised over $457,000 in foundation and corporate support for the program. Over 30 volunteers, parents, professionals and students were involved in the curriculum design. Today, this volunteer-generated initiative serves as the basis for a curriculum that has been adopted by several day cares and colleges across the county.  Now we’re talking! Back to the events list