Category: Category 2

Celebrating Our Smart & Caring Muskoka

Chair of the District Municipality of Muskoka, John Klinck, celebrated community at the Smart & Caring Muskoka Celebration, at Grandview Golf Club on Friday

Chair of the District Municipality of Muskoka, John Klinck, celebrated community at the Smart & Caring Muskoka Celebration, at Grandview Golf Club on Friday May 2nd, 2014. Over 100 communitarians joined Klinck celebrate philanthropy and volunteerism in Muskoka and support the Muskoka Community Foundation.

The Mark O’Meara Ballroom was decorated with the banners of the 27 charities and non-profit organizations who were in attendance.

Keynote speaker Warren Jestin, Senior VP and Chief Economist at Scotiabank, spoke about the economics of hope, focusing on the global economy and its effect on nonprofits. And while he highlighted current economic trends in the world, Canada and Ontario, at the heart of his talk was the importance of philanthropy to any economy, and how by strengthening social structure we strengthen community. Dr. Jestin closed by encouraging us to open our minds and look for opportunities to build community through partnerships. He suggested now is the time for all of us to remove the silos and look for opportunities to share resources and synergies, within our sector and beyond, to collaborate and create smarter, more caring places.

Jim Karges, District Vice President at Scotiabank, presents a cheque from the bank for $1,000 for the Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund to the Foundation’s Directors. Grants from this community fund will be distributed in November. The Foundation also announced three special grants to local charities:

• YWCA Muskoka in memory of Betty Hilton,
• Hospice Huntsville on behalf of Cheryl and Randy Cooper, and
• Muskoka-Parry Sound Community Mental Health Services on behalf of District Municipality of Muskoka staff.

Three charities receive funding for programs that address poverty in Muskoka

Three Muskoka charitable organizations are the first recipients of grants from Muskoka Community Foundation’s Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund

Three Muskoka charitable organizations are the first recipients of grants from Muskoka Community Foundation’s Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund. District Chair, John Klinck presented cheques for $ 1,000.00 each to the Muskoka Student Nutrition Program, the Table Soup Kitchen Foundation and YWCA Muskoka on Friday, November 15, 2013 for their initiatives that address poverty in Muskoka.

The Muskoka Student Nutrition Program is a partnership between Muskoka, Nipissing and Parry Sound. Each community’s program is led by a volunteer committee and funds raised in that community are kept in that community. The MCF grant will be allocated to Muskoka schools who participate in the breakfast and snack programs and have been affected by increased enrollment due to the implementation of full-day kindergarten.

The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation will use the funds for their Men’s Shelter, which they will operate alongside their Soup Kitchen and Food Bank. Presently the nearest men’s shelters are in Orillia and North Bay.

YWCA Muskoka will use the funds towards their “Bridges out of Poverty” workshop, which is happening on December 2, 2013. The workshop will introduce a fresh perspective on the strengths, and challenges, faced by people living in poverty and offer a way of thinking, together, about how to build the bridges to help people make the transition out of poverty.

Photo (L-R): Gord Durnan (Muskoka Community Foundation Board Chair), John Klinck (District Chair, District of Muskoka), Fran Coleman (Councillor, District of Muskoka), Heather Berg (Table Soup Foundation, grant recipient), Lisette Nault (Community Living North Bay, Student Nutrition Program Coordinator, grant recipient), Lynda Hutt (YWCA Muskoka, Program Facilitator, grant recipient), Ellen Frood (Habitat for Humanity Executive Director), Betsy Rothwell (Treasurer, YWCA Muskoka)

Stan Darling Environmental Education Fund

This Field of Interest Fund was established in memory of Stan Darling, MP for Parry-Sound Muskoka. Stan was an active environmentalist, and was instrumental in establishing the Acid Rain Treaty with the USA in 1991.

This Field of Interest Fund was established in memory of Stan Darling, MP for Parry-Sound Muskoka. Stan was an active environmentalist, and was instrumental in establishing the Acid Rain Treaty with the USA in 1991. Grants are awarded each June to a student from each of the area’s six high schools who is pursuing a post-secondary education with a focus on environmental studies at a Canadian College or University. Recipients are selected based on their demonstrated commitment and service to community environmental issues, academic achievement and record of participation in volunteer and extracurricular activities.

Commitment to reconciliation

As a Community Foundation operating on the traditional lands of the Ojibway, the Chippewa, the Algonquin and the Odawa, and home to three sovereign nations – Wahta Mohawks First Nations, Moose Deer Point First Nation and the Moon River Métis – we cannot walk in a good way if we do not honour all our relations in our communities, and actively work to address the impacts of colonialism on Indigenous peoples on these lands, both past and present. Read More

Connect with us

Subscribe to our email newsletter for community updates,
granting opportunities, and more.