Waterloo Region - Seven new community projects will soon be underway with the help of grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy announced today at the Ray of Hope Oasis Drop-in Centre. In total, local organizations based in Kitchener Centre will receive $586,700, including:

• $108,000 Greening Sacred Spaces - Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin c/o Faith & The Common Good over four years to create volunteer green teams that will provide resources, tools, and support. Faith communities and their members will then increase their environmental awareness and ability to act on community environmental issues.

• $72,000 for Kitchener Blues Community Inc. over 18 months for part-time staff and support for a new indoor main stage at this annual festival. Audience attendance, support for hundreds of volunteers, and partnerships and sponsorships for the festival will increase.

• $54,900 for the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre over one year for the part-time coordination of this demonstration project that will initiate peer-led support groups for men and women members of four cultural linguistic groups: Spanish, Punjabi, Mandarin and Somali.

• $222,700 for Opportunities Waterloo Region over three years for the staffing resources to build the capacity of this multisectoral organization to implement and evaluate a community poverty prevention and reduction initiative in Waterloo Region.

• $44,100 for Planned Parenthood Waterloo Region over one year to provide sexual health workshops in safe spaces to women newcomers from war-torn areas. The workshops will be designed to meet their particular needs and provide individual support through peers and co-facilitators.

• $35,000 for St. John Ambulance Kitchener-Waterloo Branch over one year toward the overall cost of upgrading the second floor washrooms in the organization's facility, enabling it to better serve the 5,000 people who participate in first aid and CPR courses annually.

• $50,000 for Ray of Hope Inc. to renovate and equip the Oasis downtown drop-in centre to ensure continued access to food, shelter, employment and addiction rehabilitation services for hundreds of marginalized people in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario. The Foundation has supported the growth and vitality of communities across the province and continues to strengthen the capacity of the volunteer sector through investments in community-based initiatives. For more information, please visit www.trilliumfoundation.org.

“I am extremely pleased to announce these grants for organizations in our community,” said MPP Milloy. This additional funding will allow for enhanced service and increased access to these invaluable local community programs.” “Our government is committed to fostering healthy and vibrant communities, right across Ontario,” said Minister Carroll. “Ontario Trillium Foundation grants help build a stronger province by fuelling local economies and improving the quality of life of Ontarians.”

• Each year, the OTF provides approximately 1,500 grants to not-for-profit and charitable organizations across Ontario.