GUELPH – Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner met virtually with the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington (CMHA WW) and The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs on Dec. 20 to celebrate a $145,000 capital grant they received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).
The funding was used to provide furnishings and equipment for a new children and youth services building in the north end of Guelph.
Located on Woolwich Street, the new building “will knock your socks off,” said director of strategy at CMHA WW Alison De Muy.
“This equipment and furnishings will enhance the program and service delivery for 9000 local children, youth and their family in the Guelph Wellington area needing mental health and developmental services support, treatment and cheer,” she added.
Schreiner congratulated CMHA WW and The Grove for their work in the community.
“We really are facing a mental health crisis, especially coming out of the emergency years of the pandemic, and our youth need a space and a place to connect with each other [and] to connect with service providers,” he said.
OTF funding
The OTF capital grant is funding that helps not-for-profit organizations address a community need by improving the infrastructure Ontarians need to thrive, according to De Muy.
“Whether it’s purchasing equipment, building new space or completing renovations, retrofits and repairs, capital grants support projects that will have a positive impact in our community,” she said.
Helen Fishburn, CEO at CMHA WW, said she “felt bad” for OTF having to decide where the capital funding goes because, “everywhere you look in our post-pandemic world there is need.”
She added the funding for the new building is the right call because the community “needs” it so children and youth know that CMHA WW and The Grove are there for support.
“This building is a beautiful symbol … for the CMHA children and youth services, but also for The Grove. It’s a building that, honestly, we couldn’t afford,” said Fishburn.
“We had to lean in to the risk in providing this support to our community and we continue to be incredibly grateful for the support, like from OTF, to help us cover the cost of the building.
“Very soon, our doors will be open in January.”
With the $145,000 from OTF, CMHA WW purchased a portable stage, study pods, a pool table and furnishings to create an inviting space for youths.
More information about CMHA and The Grove can be found at cmhaww.ca or thegrovehubs.ca.
