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Grant Stories
Read about how we have helped you make a lasting difference in our community...
- Letting Kids be Kids - The A.R. Kaufman Family YMCA
- Connecting Two Worlds - Alzheimer Society Creative Arts Program
- Facelift For a New Beginning- Ray of Hope Morning Glory Café & Bakery
- Nurturing Our Community's Playwrights - Pat the Dog Playwright Development Centre
- Innovative Capacity Building
- Leaving Behind a Volunteer Legacy
- Active Living in Wellesley
- A Sister Circle - Welcome to Canada
- Have You Had Your 15 Minutes of Fame? - Andy Warhol's Factory 2009
- A Resource Binder that Changes Lives - Children's Mental Health Resource Guide
- A Feeling of Belonging - New Canadian Partnership Program and the African-Canadian Association of Waterloo Region and Area
- Inter-generational Learning - Project READ - Get Set Learn 2
- Faculty of Science at WLU - Movement Disorder's Research and Rehabilitation Centre
- Get Active Now - pre-school bag program
- Four Agencies Join Forces to Serve their Clients Better
- One Community in Need, Many Helping Hands
- Skills Canada Works for Youth
- School Greening Program
- Partnership Empowers New Canadians (New! View WRIEN videos)
- New Canadians make our Community Stronger
- Celebrating our Culturally Diverse Community
Letting Kids be Kids |
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Connecting Two Worlds |
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Facelift For a New Beginning |
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Nurturing Our Community's Playwrights - Pat the Dog Playwright Development CentrePat the Dog Playwright Development Centre is proud to be the only incubator for theatre in Waterloo Region and the only playwright centre in Ontario. Their work has drawn the attention of playwrights from around Ontario, also making Pat the Dog a home for innovation in the arts sector. The Centre began as a small organization, running on gift-in-kind donations. When the need to expand and grow became too great to be covered by those in-kind gifts, Lisa O'Connell, Pat the Dog's Artistic Director, sought out support from The KWCF. "We hit the wall with what we were given," she explains. "Receiving a grant from The KWCF has allowed us to realize our vision." Pat the Dog was awarded two grants from The KWCF. One grant allowed for the purchase of new equipment and support for their marketing initiatives. The other to allocate support to the Predella Project - a project that "uses models from sports, science, and art to create and develop excellent writers," describes Lisa. Support from The KWCF also helped to showcase the Predella Project to the public. Open studios for this project are currently being held where everyone is able to practice and develop their writing. The growth of Pat the Dog has been tremendous. They have grown from a small organization to a respected voice in the arts community. The KWCF believes in the work that Pat the Dog is doing and how it has already impacted arts and culture in Waterloo Region. "We share the idea of 'community' with The KWCF," finishes Lisa, "they are more than just a funder, they are partners." For more information on Pat the Dog Playwright Development Centre and the Predella Project, please visit: www.patthedog.org |
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Innovative Capacity BuildingWith their vision to create a vibrant non-profit sector, Capacity Waterloo Region is paving Being watched closely by national think-tanks, the five-year pilot project hopes to deepen our Region's capacity for social innovation. By providing mentorship, peer-to-peer learning, and governance training, Capacity Waterloo Region will augment existing programs and services, encourage collaboration, and bring the for-profit and non-profit sectors closer together. "People will get smarter when they talk to one another," shares Tim Jackson of Tech Capital Partners and Capacity Waterloo Region Steering Committee Member. The project is itself a result of collaborative action. For-profit community leaders and funding organizations including the Ontario Trillium Foundation, United Way of K-W and Area, and The KWCF came up with the idea when meeting to discuss how social innovation could be improved in our community. Most recently, The KWCF provided seed capital in the amount of $75,000 over three years for the project. This type of business model has been extremely effective in the for-profit sector and for local tech hub Communitech. Capacity Waterloo Region's three main initiatives include an Executive Director-in-Residence to provide coaching and connections, a Peer Learning Network, and Board Governance Education to improve quality and performance in non-profit boardrooms. Jackson applauds the forward-thinking of The KWCF - thanking The Foundation for taking what he identifies as a 'leap of faith' by recognizing that cross-sectoral collaboration is critical for the health and vitality of our community. While there will likely be some hiccups along the way, Jackson adds that "the only way we innovate is by learning from our mistakes." To learn more visit www.capacitywaterlooregion.ca |
Leaving Behind a Volunteer LegacyAs a premiere Canadian theatre celebration, the Magnetic North Theatre Festival The festival, featuring mostly Canadian performances, tours around the country, returning every other year to its hometown of Ottawa. "The theatrical pieces help interpret Canadian life and engage local audiences - creating an opportunity to share stories from across the nation," shares Ann Connors, Managing Director of the festival. In June 2010, Magnetic North will visit Kitchener-Waterloo for its eighth edition with 10 audience-interactive encounters along with professional shows, symposiums, guest speakers, and presentations. Also attached to the festival is a conference for university students - some of whom will get a chance to meet their favourite Canadian playwrights. Understanding that volunteer recruitment and retention is a common difficulty amongst arts organizations, Magnetic North has teamed up with the Volunteer Action Centre to create a volunteer management system. The Volunteer Gateway Legacy Program provides an opportunity for the theatre festival to recruit new volunteers into the 'art' realm. A toolkit to assist with tracking and managing volunteers will be created to ease the development of policies, procedures, and sample forms. "A volunteer coordinator will provide an evaluation after the festival and train local arts organizations with the program," adds Gina Holstead, Festival Manager."Essentially, we will be leaving behind a volunteer base for Ann and Gina appreciate the support shown by The KWCF. Adds Holstead, "Partnerships are so important - having the grant from The KWCF is a strong show of encouragement for the work that we do." Visit www.magneticnorthfestival.ca for more details. |
Active Living in WellesleyWhen a group of parents decided to make recreation a priori Canadian summers can be hot. Without a lot of trees at the park to provide shade, some parents from the town of Wellesley decided that a splash park would be a great incentive for their children to spend time outdoors, get some exercise, and stay cool, all at the same time. The group approached the Wellesley Lions Club and formed a Splash Park Committee consisting of club members and parents. Fundraising is well underway for the Wellesley Splash Park -which will break ground this fall. The splash park will include a 40 x 60 foot concrete pad, three to four above-ground features (e.g. dumping buckets), and four to five in-ground elements (e.g. water sprayers). One of the most unique characteristics of the splash park is its capacity to re-circulate water. "Not all splash parks have this ability - we wanted to make sure we were being environmentally responsible," says Jennifer Kays Sommer, Splash Park Coordinator and Lions Club member. The committee hopes the park will encourage children to become more physically active and provide a gathering space for families, neighbours, and friends. All of which will enhance a stronger sense of community and belonging in the small town. Although funds still need to be raised, the committee is planning to have the splash park fully operational in the summer of 2011. "Receiving The KWCF grant has contributed to the enthusiasm ofour campaign," adds Kays Sommer. "It has reinforced our belief in the project and we are so pleased that others like The KWCF can see the importance in what we are doing for our community." |
A Sister Circle - Welcome to CanadaBuilding a bridge between cultural communities, The Muslim Social Services of Seeing a need to engage and integrate the Muslim community, Idrisa Pandit started the volunteer-led organization close to three years ago. Welcome to Canada was one of the programs recently implemented by Idrisa. Geared to assist refugee children and their mothers from war-torn places like Myanmar, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the program provided an avenue for sharing and expression. While the children were engaged with storytelling and crafts, the women learned about Canadian culture and talked about important issues like anger management, abuse and domestic violence, parenting, self care, and finance skills. "A lot of the women suffered from post-traumatic stress. Our 'sister circle' established an atmosphere of trust and a chance to share our stories," says Indrisa. " It was very powerful to watch." Working with the program were four interpreters, a therapist, psychology students from Wilfrid Laurier University, Fran Pappert-Shannon who ran the children's sessions, and Idrisa herself. Welcome to Canada was run out of Mosaic Counselling and Family Services and participants received bus tickets to help get them to the weekly sessions. "Without The KWCF we would not have been able to provide crafts and storytelling for the children, bus passage, nor would we have been able to pay for the interpreters," adds Pandit. "I am thankful that The KWCF sees the importance in supporting refugees and newcomers in our community." |
Have You Had Your 15 Minutes of Fame? - Andy Warhol's Factory 2009Since his untimely demise in 1987, Andy Warhol - famous painter, "Art is what you can get away with." Andy Warhol Recently, the Waterloo Regional Children's Museum hosted Andy Warhol's Factory 2009. The exhibition showcased more than 60 original works by Warhol, some of his films and screen tests, works by contemporary artists, and several photographs taken at Warhol's famous Factory. "Pursuing Warhol was a risk, but its success has helped propel our Region to the next cultural level," shares David Marskell, CEO of the Waterloo Regional Children's Museum. "We couldn't have even considered Warhol without the generosity and support of partners like The KWCF." Close to 40,000 people visited the $700,000 exhibit that ran from early January to mid May. From school children learning hands-on how his works of art were created to corporate fundraisers and events, Warhol was a cross-generational hit. Due to the caliber of the exhibit, the museum was also able to bring in speakers from around the world including the director from the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Bringing in a world-class exhibition like Andy Warhol's Factory 2009 made an impact on our local economy as well. The museum consistently had 14% of their weekend visitors come from out of The Region, while downtown Kitchener businesses like the Walper Hotel cited increased bookings while Warhol was in town. "Hosting Warhol has been an incredible accomplishment and has added to our own 15 minutes of fame, just like the phrase coined by Warhol," adds David. "We are truly thankful to The KWCF for being there with us as we achieve our cultural vision for this community." |
One Community in Need, Many Helping HandsPaulander Drive : One Community in Need, Many Helping HandsThe KWCF supports groups interested in building stronger communities. Safety concerns and poor living conditions on and near Paulander Drive in Kitchener brought together a group of community partners. Neighbourhood residents, the Region of Waterloo, Community Fund grants, and an assessment by the Centre for Research & Education in Human Resources (CREHS) contributed to neighbourhood planning. Mary Janzen, Community Engagement Coordinator with the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Council of Waterloo Region didn't know what would work best and wanted residents to decide. During meetings, she discovered their goals included changing negative perceptions. "Another goal was to increase resources for the people on their street," she said. Rich Janzen, Research Director at CREHS, said it was important for "people to talk to each other about their community and dream together about a stronger neighbourhood." The neighbourhood converted a townhouse to a community centre for bi-weekly meetings, homework clubs, after-school programs, and adult workshops. In 2006, a KWCF grant also helped fund the playground equipment beside the community centre. Janzen noted, "The grants boosted the community members' self esteem, letting them know there's support and concern for the Paulander Drive community." Visit the Region of Waterloo website
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Shown in videos are: Karen Hiltz from Christie Digital, Michelle Leyte from Polymer Technologies, Kevin Moffatt from TD Canada Trust and Tami Turner from the City of Kitchener.
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