The Historical Society of St. Boniface and Maryhill Community Inc. is one of eight Waterloo Region heritage organizations and museums that will receive provincial support through its Open Ontario Plan, the government announced last week.
The historical society will receive $1,545 through the Heritage Organization Development Grant, part of the governments $6.5 million investment into provincial heritage this year.
“This support will help to ensure that these local heritage organizations have the resources to continue as stewards of the province’s irreplaceable heritage collections,” said Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Leeanna Pendergast in a statement.
Diane Strickler, secretary and genealogist for the historical society, was pleasantly surprised by the news of the grant, saying that president Marjorie Zinger and treasurer Marjorie Watson were out of the country until the end of the month.
Due to a mix-up at the ministry office, the letters that were supposed to go out last week informing the recipients of their grant money were delayed.
Strickler said that the money would certainly go towards the continuation of the group’s mandate – to preserve the history and genealogy of the Maryhill, Breslau, Bloomingdale and Ariss area.
“I’ve done over 1,300 family trees from our church records,” she said. “People come in from the beginning of June until the end of September to trace their family tree, and we have different artifacts and gather information about the local area.
“Preserving our history is what we do.”
The organization also maintains Edward Halter House in Maryhill as a resource centre for the rest of the community.
As part of the McGuinty government’s Open Ontario Plan to strengthen the economy and create new job opportunities, the provincial government has invested $650,000 more into the Community Museum Operating Grant, the Heritage Organization Development Grant and the Provincial Heritage Organization Operating Grant.
Other recipients of grant money in Waterloo Region included Castle Kilbride, which received $16,608 through the Museums and Technology Fund, and the Homer Watson House and Gallery, which received $10,500 also through the Museums and Technology Fund, and the Wilmot Heritage Fire Brigades which received $1,545 through the Heritage Organization Development Grant.
