April 21, 2022

$89,500 Trillium grant supports Grey Highlands education in nature facility

Photo left to right: Martin Oosterveld, Sonja Glass (Ontario Trillium Foundation Representative) Lisa Farano, MPP Bill Walker, Ben Lowry and Debbie Anderson.

On Wednesday April 20, MPP Bill Walker met with representatives from Elephant Thoughts Educational Outreach to see the results of an $89,500 Capital grant that was awarded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 2019. The grant was used to renovate and construct its 'education in nature' outdoor facility to support the group’s current programming, including culinary arts, food literacy and overall healthy active living. Funds from the grant were used to purchase kitchen equipment and help with costs of renovations and construction. The building will be used to host of youth serving organizations across the region, and its accessible trails are fully open to the community.

“This Ontario Trillium Foundation Capital Grant is an investment in the long term sustainability of the Kimbercote Education Centre by renovating and updating the teaching kitchen and washroom facilities. The funding will provide a more modern, efficient and safer environment for the children and youth who attend, as well as the staff and volunteers. It is my hope the funding will help the organization to recover from the impacts of Covid-19, and wish them much continued success,” said Bill Walker, MPP, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.

Kimbercote Centre is located in the heart of the Beaver Valley and within the UNESCO designated Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve. The property ties into a wilderness corridor, helping develop the ecological integrity of the area. It offers a number of rare ecological features including the Bruce Trail, which intersects the property, Mill Creek that acts as a tributary to the nearby Beaver River, and an adjacent 100-acre property administered in partnership with the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy as a managed forest. The new facility will provide accessible teaching areas and accessible washrooms enabling youth to learn while being submersed in nature.

“The impact of this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant has been extremely significant to our organization,” said Jeremy Rhodes, Executive Director. “It will enable us to increase our capacity to serve underrepresented youth and has been a huge catalyst for cultivating and attracting partnerships for shared use of the land and the facility.”

Elephant Thoughts is held in high regard for providing equitable and inclusive programming. We honour our strong community relationships and makes every effort to ensure that the principles of dignity, independence, integration, and equal opportunity are met. We welcome individuals with disabilities and meet all accessibility requirements. Visit www.elephantthoughts.com for more information.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit www.otf.ca to learn more.

 

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