Community Foundation Fall Grants Celebration

Dec 17, 2019 | Featured, Front Page 3, Grants – Community Grants

Photo Credit: Garrett Elliott

Community comes together to celebrate grants to local charitable organizations

Residents in Kingston and area will soon benefit from a spending boost focused on enhancing the quality of life in our community. On December 16, 2019 the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area (CFKA) granted over $151,000 to 14 local charities to undertake innovative projects that have a direct impact on the communities they serve.

These local projects will benefit 11,213 people, and thousands more indirectly. They include grants for the following fields of interest: Arts & Culture, Children’s Mental Health, Community Development, Education & Literacy, Environment, Health & Social Services and Youth.

The Community Foundation provides grants to local projects representing a wide range of fields of interest and of variable size, benefiting many charities in Kingston and surrounding area. This round of grants awarded included four first-time grantees. They include the Land Conservancy for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington who received a grant of $3,650 to further develop the Passport to Nature program. Another first-time grantee, the KFL&A Children & Youth Planning Committee have received a grant of $ 21,850 to tackle the issue of rural transportation. The Committee will work with service delivery organizations to take a coordinated approach of rural transportation needs in Kingston & Frontenac Counties so that more children, youth and families can access the services they need.

“These initiatives provide opportunities for learning, growth, participation and inclusion for some of our neighbours, especially youth, newcomers, women, and those with disabilities. Addressing long-standing community issues such as rural transportation is just one strategy to decrease social isolation and create a sense of belonging in our community,” says Community Foundation for Kingston & Area (CFKA) volunteer Grants Committee Chair, Julie Burch.

Grants were awarded at this year’s bi-annual Community Grants celebration held on December 16th. Each recipient took the opportunity to speak about their project and how it will benefit the community.

Funding for annual grants comes from the income produced by the Foundation’s endowments, which have been established and built by local donors. All local charities can apply to the Community Grants Program twice a year. To date, the Foundation has funded 352 unique local organizations and granted more than $2 Million in local charities through its Community Grants Program.

The next application deadline for local charities is February 15, 2019. Details about the Foundation’s Community Grants program and the projects they have funded can be found on their website at www.cfka.org.

Projects funded this granting round include:

Arts & Culture

Kingston School of Art

Improved Access to Art Programs – Course Registration System – $2,300.00

Funding from the Michael Potter Memorial Fund, The Audrey and Peter Scholes Memorial Fund

Project Description: Kingston School of Art’s current registration system for courses (an excel spread sheet) is cumbersome with repetition and duplication of information required for each program and every session. This grant will help replace the current system with an online registration system to improve the efficiency and ease of registration for all members.

Agnes Etherington Centre

Art and Wellness Symposium – $7,100.00

Funding from the Arts & Culture Community Fund, McNevin Family Fund, Edward Ratcliffe Fund, The Audrey and Peter Scholes Memorial Fund, Peter Hartel Community Fun…d, Skolnick Family Fund

Project Description: The Art and Wellness Symposium will bring together those in the Kingston community who are both practicing in the Art and Wellness field such as Providence Care and KGH facilitators, and those who are interested in learning how artmaking and art appreciation can impact the health, well being and social cohesion of communities.

Kingston Chapter of Autism Ontario

Creating Social Opportunities for Adults with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Community – $6,000.00

Funding from the Eddie Bak Memorial Fund, Gordon Barr Ltd. Fund, Helping Hands for those with Disabilities Fund, The Audrey and Peter Scholes Memorial Fund, Ellen Shepherd Community Fund, Cyril E. Wharrie and Evelyn D. Wharrie Fund

Project Description: The goal of the program is to provide a series of Activity Based Programs that would allow Adults with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) the opportunity to experience the arts and physical activities like music, visual arts, dance, drama. boxing, cross fit.

Children’s Mental Health

The Psychology Clinic at Queen’s

Identifying Support Needs to Keep Kids in School – $13,000

Funding from the Health & Social Services Community Fund, Dr. Samuel S. Robinson Charitable Foundation, Sunnyside Children’s Fund, Young Adults Mental Health Fund, Youth Community Fund

Project Description: The program will focus on providing psychological consultation and assessments for children and youth who are struggling to learn and stay in school, and need help identifying appropriate supports at school and in the community. The program will provide direct services to the Kingston and surrounding areas, and we will partner with Pathways to EducationKingston (PtoE) (a program designed to increase high school graduation rates and support students attending postsecondary), to identify high priority clients.

Canadian Families and Corrections Network

Making Connections – Supportive Events for Children – $ 8,125.70

Funding from the Terry Harris Endowment Fund, Gordon Barr Ltd. Fund, The Audrey and Peter Scholes Memorial Fund, Gordon F. Tompkins Funeral Home Children’s Endowment Fund

Project Description: Canadian Families and Corrections Network (CFCN) runs a Visitor Resource Centre inside many Kingston area prisons. They welcome families to prison visits and offering information, referrals, education, interim support/intervention and provide an opportunity for families to discuss the difficulties that they may face in confidence. This grant will allow CFCN to expand this work with a pilot project inside Collins Bay Institution (CBI) to offer supportive event days for children.

KFL&A Children & Youth Planning Committee

KFL&A Rural Transportation Project – $21,850.00

Funding from the Smart & Caring Community Fund, Sunnyside Children’s Fund, Ronald & Mildred Grant Family Fund, Ross and Suzanne Kilpatrick Fund, Richard Moorehouse Fund

Project Description: Lack of transportation in Kingston & Area’s communities continues to be an obstacle for rural children and youth. This often means youth and families have difficulties accessing needed services, attending social events, participating in sports and leisure activities. Most agencies in KFL&A have a small transportation budget or program. This project will take a systemic view of rural transportation by supporting planning among agencies to see how transportation services can be coordinated so that more children, youth and families can not only access the services they need, but also participate in community activities to support their overall wellbeing and feeling a sense of inclusion in their community.

Community Development

Kingston Community Health Centre – Immigrant Services Kingston Area (ISKA)

Art and Play Wellness Group – $10,023.07

Funding from the Henry & Loretta Lee Legacy Fund, David Middleton North End Development Fund, Smart & Caring Community Fund, Bill & Nancy Gray Fund, Regina (Gini) Rosen Fund

Project Description: Earlier this year, Immigrant Services Kingston Area (ISKA) facilitated the first two Art and Play Based Therapy Groups and was met with a great demand for more. This grant will allow the project to continue to provide newcomer children and their families learn basic strategies for the healthy expression of difficult emotions.

Education & Literacy

Learning Disabilities Association of Kingston

Reading and Robots Rock Summer 2020 – $7,000.05

Funding from the Alcan Endowment Fund, Marion Meyer Opportunity Fund, David C. Riley Fund, Kingston Whig-Standard Literacy Endowment Fund

Project Description: Reading and Robots Rock ran a very successful summer camp program in 2019 for youth with learning disabilities. The grant will allow the Learning Disabilities Association of Kingston offer the program again in the summer of 2020 and add an additional week of camp due to unmet client demand in 2019.

Environment

Land Conservancy for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington

A sustainable model for an annual Passport to Nature – $3,650.00

Funding from the Ruth and Stu Barton Environmental Fund, Douglas Branton Fell Memorial Fund, Anne & Bill Patterson Community Fund, Cyril E. Wharrie and Evelyn D. Wharrie Fund

Project Description: The grant will allow the Land Conservancy to hire a skilled administrator to build on the success of the 2019 Passport to Nature and help prepare and document the process for the 2020 edition. In future years, a small team of volunteers can put together the annual Passport easily and efficiently.

Health & Social Services

Partners in Mission Food Bank

Walk-In Freezer Repairs – $1,500.00

Funding from the Bob & Margaret Fund

Project Description: The walk-in freezer at the Partners in Mission Food Bank was installed in 2011 using a donated door that doesn’t fit snugly. This misalignment creates ice builds up in the entrance walls and on the threshold creating a trip & slip hazard. This grant will help contribute to the cost of replacing the door to help eliminate that risk as well as reducing the amount the unit needs to run, which will in turn reduce electricity bills and maintenance issues.

Resolve Counselling Services Canada

WISP (Women’s Intensive Support Program) – $13,000.00

Funding from the Assante Financial Management-Fenlon Division Endowment Fund, Russell and Susan Park Memorial Fund, The Audrey and Peter Scholes Memorial Fund, Sandiford Family Fund, Jim & Julie Parker Fund, Neil Currie Davis Fund, Richard Moorehouse Fund

Project Description: This project involves piloting a new initiative in Resolve’s Women’s Program, that will offer quick access to services to women who have experienced Intimate Partner Violence or Childhood Sexual Abuse. The Women’s Intensive Support Program (WISP) will enable women to attend a weekly dropin to see a counsellor for assessment, safety planning, and case management.

The Poverty Challenge

The Poverty Challenge -Next Level – $24,637.00

Funding from the Audrey and Peter Scholes Memorial Fund, Regina (Gini) Rosen Fund, K-Town Tri Legacy Fund, Ruth and Stu Barton Community Fund, Rescue Donor Fund, The Tragically Hip Community Fund, Robert W. Clark Endowment Fund, Community Fund

Project Description: The Poverty Challenge is an experiential learning activity that was created by a small group of volunteers in 2009. It has been offered to groups for over 10 years. This grant will allow the originators to update all the materials used in this activity and the associated do-it-yourself kit, including developing 10 new case study profiles and holding three targeted learning events this year.

Youth

La Salle Intermediate and Secondary School Environmental Club

Gould Lake Centre – $9,000.02

Funding from the Community Fund, Phil Quattrochi Memorial Fund, Ontario Endowment for Children and Youth in Recreation Fund, Frank & Sarah Good Memorial Fund, William Cherry Fund

Project Description: The La Salle Outers Club’s provides students with an experience that will teach life-long skills for outdoor pursuits and helps foster an appreciation of the value of the natural world and how to travel safely in outdoor settings. This grant will be used to replace aging equipment for the Limestone District School Board’s Gould Lake Outdoor Centre allowing more students to access the canoe tripping program as well as provide better equipment for all Board students who attend the Centre.

Kingston Community Health Centres

Pathways to Education – Becoming Trauma Responsive – $23,870.00

Funding from the Alcan Endowment Fund, Community Fund, Larry Gibson Community Fund, Aaron and Norma Palmer Endowment Fund, Woodbury Enterprises We Care Charitable Youth Fund, Smart & Caring Community Fund

Project Description: The goal of this project is to increase awareness of the effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Kingston Community Health Centres and the Pathways to Education team will arrange for and facilitate Trauma Responsiveness training for community partners who support children and youth in Kingston & Area. These efforts will better support children and youth, and we hope to help Kingston become widely recognized as a leader in trauma responsive care.

Donate Now to support future Community Grants