The Wellington County Safe Communities committee has decided it will provide $500 grants to similar organizations in the county’s seven municipalities for projects that fall within the guidelines of the county organization.
It was a concept not considered before by the fledgling organization, which was officially recognized in June by Parachute, the national organization that heads up Safe Communities groups across Canada.
But at its March 20 leadership meeting at the OPP detachment in Aboyne, members decided to grant two funding requests – one from the safe communities group in Mount Forest and another from the safe communities committee in Mapleton. The Mapleton request was from Fire Chief Rick Richardson on behalf of the Mapleton Safe Community Committee and the County Fire Chiefs Association.
The Mapleton Safe Community Committee and the fire department are hosting a SafeKids Day on May 13 at the PMD Arena, with about 325 grade one and four students being bussed to the arena to hear safety messages from the fire department, OPP, Guelph Wellington EMS, Grand River Conservation Area, Wellington County Farm and Home Safety Association, Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health, and Emergency Management Ontario.
The students will participate in a bike rodeo with food and refreshments served.
The decision came after considerable discussion. Donations were not part of the committee’s 2014 budget approved earlier at last Thursday’s meeting, but after some discussion, the committee decided to take $3,500 slated for miscellaneous and divide it between the seven municipalities as $500 grants available this year (the grants have to be applied for).
The county committee approved a 2014 budget of $58,354 and is hoping to come out with a balance of about $18,800. Of its $58,354, $20,000 will pay for coordinator Sarah Bowers Peter’s salary and expenses.
There is also a plan to spend $3,500 on new road safety signs, a program started last year to warn of potential traffic hazards in different parts of the county. The committee also plans to spend $3,000 in “#GetInTouchforHutch” signs to inform people where mental health assistance can be sought.
The committee has teamed up with the #GetInTouchForHutch committee, which was founded to combat the stigma surrounding mental health after Arthur resident Steven Hutchison took his own life at the age of 18.
His parents Stu and Myrna Hutchison organized a run-walk fundraiser last June that attracted some 600 participants and raised $65,000.
Myrna Hutchison attended the safe communities leadership meeting to show members the signs that will go up in community centres and arenas showing the telephone numbers and logos of various mental health agencies.
The committee agreed to pay $1,600 for new signs in lobbies and outside change rooms at municipal facilities.
The #GetInTouchForHutch committee has already hung signs in the Arthur and Mount Forest arenas. Myrna Hutchison said her committee has also received a commitment from the county library system to have their message posted on electronic message boards at libraries.
The county committee’s mandate is to work on programs and public education to combat self harm (suicide), on-and-off road vehicle accidents, and falls, in cooperation with local safe community groups.
