Dufferin Community Foundation’s first-ever Arts & Culture Fund and Environment Fund grants have been distributed!
The grants were made possible through a $10,000 donation from Enbridge Gas, focused on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion through the arts in Dufferin County.
More than half of the applications received were for projects that benefited people with neurodiversity, showing the need in our community for support.
Active Lives Canada – Special Puppets
The grant will enable Active Lives Canada to initiate Special Puppets, a project that harnesses the art of puppetry to empower adults with special needs.
The program will also educate children about people with special needs through performances at schools and community theatres.
Alzheimer Society of Dufferin County – Singing for Health
In partnership with Julia’s Place Music Therapy, the Alzheimer Society will launch an intergenerational choir designed to reduce social isolation in older adults and those with disabilities.
At the end of the pilot program, the choir will perform the songs at a venue in Orangeville.
Community Living Dufferin – Creative Partners On Stage (CPOS)
The next venture for CPOS, a partnership with Theatre Orangeville that features actors with intellectual disabilities in original productions, is “Murder at the Talent Show”.
The grant will offset stage production costs for the murder mystery dinner fundraiser, which will be staged from May 17-19, 2024.
Trinity United Church Shelburne – Spirit Touches Art Touches Spirit (stARTs)
Trinity United Church will host “Spirit Touches Art Touches Spirit” (stARTS), a day-long celebration of the arts and diversity, including live performances and visual art galleries.
This free event picks up where the pandemic left off, gathering the artistic diversity in the Shelburne area and promoting inclusivity through the arts.
Township of Melancthon – The NDACT/STRADA Peer Review
In a unique, cooperative approach between a community group and an aggregate operator, NDACT and STRADA have forged a Community Engagement Agreement that will see NDACT act as a conduit between the company, the peer reviewer and the community.
The Environment Fund grant will support outreach to property owners with private wells who may be affected by STRADA’s plan to dig below the water table.
It is hoped that the model will have a wide-reaching impact in Dufferin County, where there are 48 active quarries.
