Elmira District Community Living (EDCL) will receive $25,000 from Ottawa’s Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF).
Across the region, some 22 charities in the region will split the $410,000 doled out by the Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation (KWCF) and the Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation.
This week’s announcement follows more than $1 million in ECSF funding received earlier this year.
“This round that we just announced was the second round and final round. The first round, finished off just prior to the summer starting, and the first round was a little over a million dollars to 29 charities. And then the remaining money came which was just a little more than $410,000 to 22 charities,” said Elizabeth Heald, president and CEO of KWCF.
Heald said the $25,000 grant to EDCL will go towards a lending library and virtual programming for support and access to technology for rural individuals with developmental disabilities.
“[This will] enable them to stay socially connected to their community, and activities, particularly during the pandemic. But it will be useful even post-pandemic, so a great program.”
She says what stood out about applications from both EDCL and Woolwich Counselling Centre in the first round of funding was that they were going to provide much needed services to people within the community.
“This money was very specifically intended to support vulnerable populations. So certainly, Elmira District Community Living, that’s supporting individuals that have developmental disabilities, was a great opportunity and a great need to be able to support those individuals. With regards to the Woolwich Counselling Centre, this was for accessible counselling services for vulnerable populations in rural areas. And it was also focused on providing accessible and affordable counselling services with a specific focus… in Wellesley and the needs of LGBTQ2S+ populations and senior populations,” Heald added.
Greg Bechard, executive director of EDCL, said the grant from KWCF is indicative of the quality of community awareness and support provided to organizations such as EDCL.
“After our experience through last year and through the winter months in particular with COVID, we saw the impact on the isolation, and the stress and strain of the pandemic on individuals and their families. This is a real godsend and will allow us to implement the strategies to address those issues of loneliness and isolation – loss of pure contact is a big one. So, through Zoom and stuff, they can connect with people who they would have seen every day [and] attending day programs that are now closed. It enables us to provide services that otherwise we wouldn’t be able to have provided,” said Bechard.
In an average year, KWCF provides grants to many organizations and charities within the community, usually totalling between $3.2 and $3.5 million. Heald says about 25 per cent of the grants they distribute each year are given to those who go through an application process like the one used for the ECSF funding. The rest of the funding – about 75 per cent – is directed by donors.
She says that donations are down, and she hopes the government will be able to step in a provide much-needed funding to help support charities.
“We need to continue to advocate for additional support from the government to help support charities. This was fantastic getting this, $1.5 million total between two rounds, but the needs are so great. Charities are being asked to do more and more with unfortunately less and less, just given how many donors and other people are affected by the pandemic. Unfortunately, donations are down, and so we do need the government to be able to provide additional funding to help support.”
