Answer: the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area Spring Grants Celebration!

If you missed attending our Spring 2017 Grants Celebration on May 15th, then you missed out on seeing someone dressed as a turtle, a gardener with her tools, and the best sing-a-long ever with the Skeleton Park Arts Festival crew!  Watch the video here.

What an amazing experience this grants celebration was. Over 2/3rds of the audience were first time attenders and it had to be the best celebration to date.

The costumes and sing-along were representative of some of the great projects being funded this granting round.  You can learn about them – and all the projects funded – below.

The Foundation is proud and honoured to have been able to grant over $150,000 to 20 different projects in our granting area – all thanks to our generous donors.

Our audience was entertained with music from the Canta Arya School for Strings, a local charity, who recently started their own Agency Fund at the Foundation.

For video links, please visit our YouTube channel here.

Projects funded include:

1st Kingston West Scouts, Kingston Scouts to Canadian Jamboree: $4,619

The 1st Kingston West Scouts are sending 14 youth to the Canadian Jamboree at Camp Nedooae, Nova Scotia.  Our adventure will inspire youth to set goals and work towards them, and instill valuable lessons of teamwork, communication, and responsibility.  These youth will have the opportunity to travel out of province (some for the first time) and meet people from across Canada and the world at a camp with over 10,000 in attendance.

Boys and Girls Club of Kingston & Area, The Grandparents Program: $25,250

The Grandparents Program will match children from our after-school program with local seniors who volunteer in order to increase intergenerational programming opportunities.  This will provide children in need of a positive adult role model with a mentor, while also increasing volunteer opportunities and breaking the cycle of isolation for local seniors.  Additionally, it is our hope that the program will encourage both age groups to feel more connected and engaged with our community.

 Camp Outlook, Camp Outlook Internship Trips: $4,623

Camp Outlook helps young people develop their inner strength, self-worth, and capacity to succeed.  Since 1970, Camp Outlook has provided backcountry canoe trips at no cost to youth from the Kingston area.  Our committed volunteer staff help youth build physical and social skills and succeed in a wilderness environment.  Your contribution helps us better serve our community and provide unique and inspiring experiences for young people.

 Canadian Families and Corrections Network, Forgotten Families: $3,000

Canadian Families and Corrections Network is having its 25th Anniversary!  And we want to celebrate it with Kingston- where we first started serving families affected by incarceration.  With generous funding from the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area we are hosting a week-end of events- organizational training, family food and fun, and our friend Elmo from Sesame Street of course!  This event will be open to ALL families and organizations!  Come and help us celebrate!

Clarendon & Miller Community Archives, Historic Tours of North Frontenac Township: $10,672

The Guidebook produced by Clarendon & Miller Community Archives, Historic Tours of North Frontenac introduces travelers to the rich heritage of the historic and present hamlets of North Frontenac.  Whether you are driving/cycling/walking OR making a virtual tour on the Archives website (www.clarmillararchives.ca), come visit Fernleigh, Ardoch, Plevna, Ompah, Snow Road, Mississippi Station, Coxvale and communities of the past such as Wensley, Playfair, Beech Corners and Donaldson.

Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour, Turtle Awareness Project: $2,493

The Turtle Awareness Project is an invitation to everyone to visit Douglas R. Fluhrer Park to learn more about endangered turtles living in the area and perhaps to see turtles actually laying eggs. Indigenous Knowledge Keepers will be present to education about the importance of turtles in their cultures.  Craft opportunities will be provided for children.  June 3/4/10/11 from 10 AM to 3 PM.  Hosted by the Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour – www.friendsofinnerharbour.com

Frontenac Heritage Foundation, 2017 Village of Barriefield Dry Stone Festival: $4,000

The village of Barriefield’s historic St. Mark’s Anglican Church, built in 1844, is a well-known, visible landmark used for public gatherings, events and architectural tours.  The site’s dry stone walls need restoration.  Wallers from Canada, U.S. and U.K. will attend the 2017 Village of Barriefield Dry Stone Festival from September 30 to October 1 and restore the walls.  Free dry stone activities, displays and events, including a Children’s Workshop, will be held.

 Habitat for Humanity Greater Kingston & Frontenac, Habitat for Humanity Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project: $9,827

As part of the Canada 150th celebration Habitat for Humanity Kingston is excited to be part of the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.  This pan-Canadian event will see more than 150 homes built across Canada in partnership with hardworking local families to build better futures for them through our unique homeownership program.

 H’art Centre, Young at H’art – Long Term Care Outreach: $10,250

H’art Centre will deliver 14 weeks of high-quality arts programming to seniors with disabilities at three publicly-funded, long-term care homes across Kingston while working to develop a simple “one-stop arts programming” resource to ease demands on long-term care staff in Kingston.

 Kingston Community Health Centres, The Chill Zone: $8,140

The Chill Zone Youth Space is an integrated youth-led project that provides a range of services and support for youth 14-19 years of age as part of our Napanee & Area Community Health Centre.  Through our youth program we are focused on helping the most marginalized youth in Napanee become a contributing member of our society.

KCHC Pathways to Education, Go FAR Together: $16,442

The Go Far Together project, in partnership with SLC and Queen’s University, helps youth navigate the social, financial and academic challenges of post-secondary life. Having a coach, advocate, and peer mentor to help resolve issues and identify opportunities can make all the difference in helping today’s youth succeed.  Peer to peer support adds another important layer of resiliency and provides an incredible opportunity for youth to grow, develop, and Go Far Together.

Kingston Municipal Non-Profit Housing Corporation, Inner Harbour Community Garden Collaborative: $8,000

The Inner Harbour Garden Collaborative is a community partnership on behalf of Kingston Municipal Non-Profit Housing Corporation, The John Howard Society, Salvation Army and Loving Spoonful.  This project, funded by the Community Foundation, provides community engagement, pride, and collaboration, while promoting access to healthy food for the Inner Harbour residents. Accessible garden beds can be found at KMNPHC (610 Montreal Street), John Howard (771 Montreal Street) and Salvation Army (342 Patrick Street).

New Leak Link (NeLL), Seasonal Cookery from NeLL to Home: $6,500

Together NeLL, CLKD and EAF aim to facilitate disabled participants’ self-advocacy and cooking skills.  This project uses adapted technologies in conjunction with coaching at NeLL and at home to promote healthy food choices, tap local food sources like the Diversity Garden, and generate a repertoire of recipes and cooking strategies. A Midsummer Picnic event will bring interested agencies together to share fresh local food and knowledge about healthy living.

Sistema Kingston, Sistema Kingston Year Three: 2017-18: $6,000

Sistema Kingston is an intensive after-school program that focuses on positive social change through the pursuit of musical excellence.  Through free, group centred music instruction, SK emphasizes teamwork, and personal persistence, and fosters creativity and personal responsibility in all of its activities.  Using the Venezuelan El Sistema as its model, SK aspires to bring social change to inspire children to reach their full potential as individuals, musicians and citizens.

Skeleton Park Arts Festival, Community Sing-a-Long: $5,716

A collaborative sing-a-long project organized by professional musicians, the festival neighbourhood, and service providers in order to help facilitate community integration for newcomers to Kingston.

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Basement Floor Covering: $5,325

The CFKA has extended its support for community development by ensuring that space available for community space is safe and healthy.  This is seen through its contribution to the replacement of a dirty and frayed rug in the meeting space of the building of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church with tile.  The many community groups that utilize the building will have the use of a healthy, cleanable space.

Theatre with a Meal, Theatre with a Meal: $6,500

Theatre with a Meal offers the opportunity for people to bring personal stories and experiences to the stage.  Our creative community produces and performs a weekly public show, served with a meal.  Everyone is welcome, and

diversity is celebrated!  Whether as actors, writers, audience members, or stage crew, there is opportunity for everyone to participate.   By providing a platform to shine and share from, we’re building relationships and a stronger community.

Wolfe Island Community Medical Clinic, Community Garden: $6,362

The Wolfe Island Community Garden Expansion project will create a large garden space located between the Medical Clinic and the proposed Seniors’ Housing Project and support hands-on learning opportunities for local students.  It will engage local students, seniors, and community groups to promote healthy eating and food literacy in the village of Marysville on Wolfe Island.

Wolfe Island Friends of Ferals, Continuation of Trap, Neuter, Release Programme: $4,000

Wolfe Island Friends of Ferals began in March of 2015.  Our immediate focus is on humane management of the large feral cat population on the Island through a programme of live trapping, spaying, neutering, rabies vaccinating and releasing ferals back to their colonies to live out their lives.  The general welfare of ferals on the Island is the broader goal and, if human and financial resources permit, we hope that can also provide shelter, etc.

YMCA of Kingston, Y’s Healthy Lungs Pilot Program: $4,800

The YMCA of Kingston’s Healthy Lungs Pilot Project provides post-hospital care through a newly developed wellness training program, designed by YMCA staff.  The program caters to community members identified by Providence Care’s Respiratory Rehabilitation Clinic.  Studies have indicated that a specialized exercise program contributes to greater quality of life for those suffering from Cardio Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD).  The YMCA of Kingston has developed a wellness and exercise program to specifically address COPD.