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Recipients of the 4th Annual Rotary Community Choice Grants program announced

April 11, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

The community has voted and the results are in.

The Rotary Club of Orangeville Highlands announced on April 1 the five local not-for-profit organizations that are each receiving a $3,000 grant through the 4th Annual Rotary Community Choice Grants program.

Hundreds of votes were cast by residents for their favourite charity, and the top three were Community Living Dufferin, the Orangeville Food Bank, and Big Brothers Big Sister of Dufferin. The vote was held online through the Rotary Club’s website from March 15 to 31. 

The two other grant recipients – Dufferin Film Festival and Edify Centre – were selected by the Rotary Grants Committee. They were selected with the view of supporting non-profits serving Orangeville that have a meaningful impact but do not have the following of larger charities.

“I think it’s fair to say that we’re all very excited to support these five worthy organizations,” said Len Meyer, chair of the Rotary Grants Committee. “We’re so grateful to all the charities that participated in another successful year of community choice grants and to the people of Orangeville, who helped us select the recipients.” 

Community Living Dufferin will be using its grant to assist in purchasing and upgrading existing equipment used in the day-to-day operation of food prep in its cafes/snack bars. Providing people with a safe space to acquire transferrable skills is a priority for the organization.    

The Orangeville Food Bank’s grant will be used to help people facing food insecurity in Dufferin County by purchasing their most needed perishable and non-perishable items.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dufferin will use their grant to support children with autism to receive behavioural support, participate in social groups such as Lego clubs, and engage in specialized therapies such as music and art therapy.                    

Dufferin Film Festival’s grant will help to continue to provide workshops and learning opportunities that aren’t normally available in the community. More often, people would have to travel to the Toronto area to participate in such activities. The Town of Orangeville’s Economic Development and Tourism Strategies featured both developing new events and attracting additional filmmaking’ as part of their strategies, and the Dufferin Film Festival’s event looks to do both.                            

Lastly, the Edify Centre’s grant will go towards suicide intervention and mental health workshop materials, that could, in turn, educate community members and empower them to help others in need. In addition, the Centre looks to support those struggling who may face financial barriers.

Results of the vote for the 4th Annual Rotary Community Choice Grants program can be viewed at: https://rcoh.ca/vote.

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