The Results of Your Generosity

 

Naotkamegwanning First Nation, ChiKeyWis Arena

The ChiKeyWis Arena received a community fund grant of $5,800 as they were looking to fund their line-painter project.

This project will ensure the management/staff and ice technicians can effectively and efficiently make ice, every year. By owning the line painter, the ChiKeyWis Arena can set their own schedule and make ice for the members of the community, without having to wait in line to rent one from another Arena in the region. Many Indigenous communities cannot ‘make ice’ because their local population does not have resources, tools, or experience to do so. This one purchase could set in motion, a chain effect that is of benefit to many. Sports and recreation have many positive impacts including bringing people together and providing opportunities for social interaction, empowering, and inspiring community members and helping improve mental health.

Projects like this one, help our communities build forever together.

St. John Paul II School 

St. John Paul received a great of $11,800 which was used towards The “Student Nourishment Program” which aims to level the playing field and set all students up for success by providing students with both breakfast and lunch, when needed. Although the micro goal of this project is to provide regular nourishment to students in need, this is really in the context of a much larger goal in which SJS aims to position all students for success in school and in life. The greatest impact this program has is for families and children to know that they’re apart of a caring community and that they are never alone.

Mt. Evergreen Ski Hill 

Mt. Evergreen received a grant of $15,000 to assist the collaboration with local Indigenous, Public, and Catholic schools in introducing children to the experience of skiing. To provide safe ski equipment that is accessible to large groups of students within our school communities as well as large groups visiting our community. 

Muse – Douglas Family Arts Centre/Lake of the Woods Museum

The Muse received a grant of $14,500 to help present Ruth Cuthand’s Beads of Truth Exhibit from September to November 2021.

The Muse says “BEADS OF TRUTH brings a greater awareness to the history of diseases which devastated First Nations peoples upon contact with European settlers.  It also brings to light specific historical campaigns to subjugate Indigenous peoples, addresses current struggles of poor conditions for those living on First Nation reserves, and acknowledges the intergenerational trauma inherited by subsequent generations through today.”

Their goal was to increase public awareness of the Arts Centre and with the grant, it was used to cover costs related to the presentation of this exhibition in Kenora. The Muse also states “the exhibition became a catalyst for conversations around reconciliation.”

Lake of the Woods Arts Community 

The arts community continued to experience the impacts of COVID-19. This grant of $7,500 will assist with continuing the momentum of inviting people into artists’ studios and homes to learn, share and experience the arts such as music, pottery, writing, and more. 

Safe Grad – Class of 2020 & 2021

During the height of COVID-19, a grant of $9,000 assisted with the cost of giving students some in person graduation experience / memory which they were able to share with friends, family, anyone who wished to see them and the community as a whole. This included having a drive by grad ceremony on the Kenora waterfront. 

Sioux Narrows Arts Festival 

A grant of $3,000 helped assist in providing the town of Sioux Narrows with free concerts and musical activities for all ages as part of the Sioux Narrows Arts Festival. 

Kenora Fellowship Centre Food Programs 

In 2016, A grant of $4,065 to the Kenora Fellowship Centre helped provide nutritious means to people in need on a regular basis during a time where Agape Table was closed. The Fellowship Center was able to continue providing free breakfast to over 50 people daily and lunch from 20-60 people.

The food program benefited the community by hopefully reducing the level of shoplifting and crime related to theft as it came to feeding themselves. It also strengthened individuals who otherwise would have gone without eating.


Kenora Special Olympics

in 2016, A grant of $6,000 was able to support 35 Special Olympic Athletes in their regional competition in Thunder Bay. Athletes competed against other Northwestern Ontario clubs in bowling and swimming. The Regional Games determined which athletes might qualify for the Provincial Team and for the National Team.


Kenora Sexual Assault Centre

A grant of $2,000 to the Kenora Sexual Assault Centre helped to run the “Sassy and Classy” group, which brings young women together to talk about issues they are experiencing and how to empower themselves for the future.

The program initiated conversation about sexual assault, consent, self-esteem and other factors and worries young women may be facing and not learning about during school hours. KSAC partnered with Kenora Association for Community Living (KACL) and they brought some at risk young women that they felt would benefit from the program.


Kenora Urban Trails Committee

A grant of $1,000 to the Kenora Urban Trails Committee was used to redevelop and print the Lake of the Woods Regional Trail Guide, which is the most popular publication handed out at the regional visitor centres. The redeveloped guide include the addition of the Great Lake of the Woods Trail, the Path of the Paddle land route, and the expansion of the accessible Rabbit Lake Trail. The Guide is a key tool in helping promote Kenora to tourists as well as to Kenora residents. Approximately 40,000 copies were printed.


Mental Health and Addictions Program for Lake of the Woods District

A grant of $2,000 to the Mental Health and Addictions Programs for Lake of the Woods District helped support the “Be in the Know” campaign, led by Kenora Substance Abuse and Mental Health Task Force. The campaign brings together many different mandates (enforcement, alcohol distributor, child welfare and social services, mental health, etc.) to combine messaging into a comprehensive local resource. The campaign will continue into 2018.

As part of the campaign the grant provided:

25 posters displayed in the community;
500 pamphlets distributed at RIDE checks over the 2016;
Christmas season, displayed at the LCBO and provided to school mental health leads;
Facebook ads displayed from December 26th – Jan. 1st, 2017


Beaver Brae Secondary School Circus Camp

A grant of $6,000 to Beaver Brae Secondary School helped incorporate a circus camp into one of their academies, which offered an extracurricular activity for students who don’t usually participate in sports. The goal of the program was to increase at risk student engagement through circus skills and several entertainers were brought in to work with students and teachers. Many relationships were formed/strengthened and an increase in self esteem and engagement in class was observed in many of at risk students.


Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls

Moose n Fiddle Festival 2017

A grant of $3,885 to the Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls helped support the 2017 Moose n’ Fiddle Festival. The Festival in Northwestern Ontario puts professional artists first, enhances cultural experiences in rural and remote areas, and helps to ensure that a summer outdoor music festival is accessible and affordable.


Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls Public Libraries

A grant of $9,065 to Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls helped support operations and projects for the local public libraries. With this grant, library services in both communities, Sioux Narrows and Nestor Falls, continues to meet the needs of community members, seasonal residents and tourists alike.