“The grants we celebrate today support diverse and exciting community-led celebrations and explorations of Kingston’s role in Canada’s history as we mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation”

Today the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area (CFKA) and the City of Kingston awarded $80,000 to local charities to support thirteen special projects to be undertaken in Kingston this year to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation.

“We are very pleased to be able to award these special Canada 150 grants in addition to our regular Community Grants program thanks to a partnership with the City of Kingston and Community Foundation of Canada,” said CFKA Executive Director Tina Bailey.   “I’m particularly excited about these projects because not only will they help Kingston mark Canada’s 150th, but they will create meaningful impact in our community.”

Bailey indicated that it was through partnerships that CFKA was able to draw funding dollars into Kingston from the national Community Fund for Canada’s 150th – a collaborative effort, seeded by the Government of Canada and extraordinary leaders from coast to coast to coast.

“The grants we celebrate today support diverse and exciting community-led celebrations and explorations of Kingston’s role in Canada’s history as we mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson. “These community grants were made possible through a great partnership and matching program which saw the City’s $40,000 contribution matched dollar for dollar though the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, Community Foundations of Canada, the Government of Canada, and many generous philanthropic partners.”

Projects funded align with the national Fund’s goals to support projects across the country connected to Canada’s 150th that: ENCOURAGE participation in community activities and events to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation; INSPIRE a deeper understanding about the people, places and events that shape our country and our communities, and BUILD vibrant and healthy communities with the broadest possible engagement of all Canadians, including indigenous peoples; groups that reflect our cultural diversity; youth; and official language minorities.

A diverse range of projects were funded, including a number of art, history and reconciliation-related projects, many of which will culminate with special events later this year.

CFKA used this event to announce a special fundraising campaign it is undertaking to mark Canada’s 150th. They are seeking 150 donors to pledge $10,000 to grow their Smart & Caring Community Fund. “Together let’s create a $1.5 million fund – a significant, collective legacy birthday gift to our community” invited CFKA Fundraising Chair Bryce Parisotto.  The Smart & Caring Fund will fund local projects that address community priority needs for years to come.

Projects funded today include:

Cantabile Choirs of Kingston, Cantabile Celebrates Canada, $2,000

The Cantabile Choirs host Quebecois Folk group, Le Bon Debarras on Saturday, May 28, 2017.

Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour, Celebration of the Arts, $3,930

A participatory event, the Celebration of the Arts, will be the grand finale for Kingston’s ON THE WALL street art festival.

Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour, Wheelchair Rally on the new K&P Trail, $245

A wheelchair rally to celebrate the opening of the new accessible K&P Trail to Kingston’s

downtown and to provide a new fun experience for Kingston’s wheelchair community.

Kingston Artists’ Association, From Here and Beyond, $10,000

“From Here and Beyond: Stories of Katarokwi/Kingston” will further reconciliation efforts and celebrate the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe as that First Peoples of Kingston, Canada’s first Capital, through public sound and projection installations featuring Anishinaabemowin and Kanyen’kéha languages.

 Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Celebrating Canadian Film, $6,480

The Kingston Canadian Film Festival will present 5 Canadian films in celebration of National Film Day 2017.

Kingston Community Health Centres, Celebrate Canada’s 150th by Bringing the Past to Life, $4,725

Celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday by bringing the past to life at Community Harvest Market with historical costumes, music, food, and activities.

Kingston Symphony Association, Before the Downbeat, $7,000

The Kingston Symphony’s Before the Downbeat program provides opportunities for youth to discover classical music written by Canadian composers.

Kingston Writer’s Fest, Canada’s 150 Best Books, $10,680

Kingston WritersFest invites all Canadians to participate in a national online survey to nominate Canada’s Best 150 books, and then to vote on the top 10 and to celebrate them at a free Canada 150 special event in Kingston, Ontario – Canada’s most literary city – featuring a local celebrity host and readings by prominent Canadian authors.

Loving Spoonful, Cook, Camera, Action, $11,880

Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth will practice reconciliation through sharing food, learning food skills, and filmmaking to celebrate Canada’s 150th.

Military Communications and Electronics Museum, Canada Day 150 Concert, $4,800

To provide a relaxed performance in an air conditioned, safe venue for concert goers on Canada Day (who cannot participate in an outdoor venue activity), with a focus on military-related music from the last 150 years.

Museum of Healthcare at Kingston, Quarantine Tent, $3,260

We will bring the team of “The Quarantine Tent” to Kingston for Canada Day to explain the evolution of the practice of immunization since the time of Confederation and the effects and history of preventable diseases.

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Faith Communities Celebrate 150 Years, $3,000

In this collaborative effort, the Faith Communities of Kingston and Area will celebrate their impact on the social fabric of Kingston and area in the fields of education, health care, and social programming and will seek ways to respond courageously to new and recurring areas of social needs.

YMCA, Youth Expression of Canada at 150, $12,000

In an effort to build community and encourage youth participation in Canada’s Sesquicentennial we are inviting youth from all cultures to submit an expression of art (visual, dance, spoken word, multi-media, etc.) for a competition to present “Why I value and appreciate Canada” and to be part of a group dialogue about how we can make Canada even better in the future.