Community Connect - September 2023 WRCF e-newsletter

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September 2023                                                                View this email in your browser
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WRCF’s monthly e-newsletter to keep you connected to granting information, investing, what’s new, and ways we are convening and collaborating to make an impact in our community.

Image of wooden coloured houses in a row with sponsor logos on the right side for: Equitable Life of Canada, Maxwell Building Consultants, Waterloo Region Association of Realtors, Kindred Credit Union, and Libro Credit Union

Join us for the launch of Waterloo Region’s 2023 Vital Signs Report

WRCF has worked with local experts and consultants to research and create the Waterloo Region's 2023 Vital Signs® Report focused on Affordable Housing.

Please join us on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 1:00 pm for a webinar where we will present the report, key findings and discuss opportunities for its use in our community. All attendees will receive a link to the full report after the session.

Speakers include:

  • Steven Ayer, Founder and CEO, Common Good Strategies
  • Lee Ann Hundt, Executive Director, KW Urban Native Wigwam Project
  • Babur Mawladin, CEO, Reception House Waterloo Region
  • Philip Mills, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region
Click here to register via Zoom

Listening, Learning, and Looking Forward: One Year in Review

Headshot of WRCF President & CEO, Eric Avner
This month, our President & CEO, Eric Avner, celebrated his first anniversary at WRCF. Read his reflections on the first 365 days at your local community foundation.
Read more

Join us for a Do More Good Dialogue!

Our region is changing dramatically. We're welcoming new residents from around the world. We're building new housing and workplaces and public infrastructure at a rapid pace. We're developing the next generation of technology companies determined to transform our world. We're also witnessing the ramifications of rapid growth, with its scarcity of affordable housing, increases in social isolation, and declines in personal connection to this place we call home. 

How can we build more community as we build more housing? Can we reimagine our public parks, libraries, recreation centers, and trails to connect people of all backgrounds, to cultivate trust and to create more resilient communities? Can we transform shared civic assets to foster engagement, equity, sustainability and joy? 

Join WRCF for our next Do More Good Dialogue to delve into these issues.

We'll start with a keynote address from Bridget Marquis, Director of the Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative, who will share thoughts on the power of the commons. We will then move into a response from a panel of local provocative thinkers:

  • Paul Kalbfleisch, Principal Consultant, PAUL Consulting Inc., and Co-author of The JOY Experiments
  • Dr. Laura Mae Lindo, Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo, and former Member of Provincial Parliament for Kitchener Centre
  • Aleksandra Petrovic, Executive Director, Social Development Centre Waterloo Region
Click here to register via Eventbrite

Recent press

Image of diverse confident businesswomen standing together
August 22, 2023
Over $3 Million provided to 64 Waterloo Region organizations through the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund
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Scholarship fund and estate planning leaves lasting impact in honour of beloved Executive Director Keith Taylor

Image of Keith Taylor
Keith Taylor worked tirelessly with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Cambridge for many years, helping to give kids a brighter future. Though the organization’s former Executive Director passed away in October 2004, following a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Taylor’s legacy lives on in that same spirit.
Read more

Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region’s Aspen Place a step toward independence: Transitional housing program made possible through WRCF Community Grant

Image of ribbon cutting
Opened in August 2022 with funding support from WRCF, Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region’s new transitional housing program (Aspen Place) has given women and children fleeing domestic violence a new place to call home.
Read more

Some of many local events for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 23, 2023 - 20th Annual Powwow, Gidinawendamin Ska’Nikú-Lát (University of Waterloo Office of Indigenous Relations)

September 28, 2023 - National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Event (NPAAMB Indigenous Youth Employment And Training)

September 30, 2023Honouring the Children Sacred Fire (In-person and virtual) (Crow Shield Lodge)

September 30, 2023 - Every Child Matters Walk (The Healing of The Seven Generations)

September 30, 2023O:se Kenhionhata:tie – Land Back Camp Panel (Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery)

September 30, 2023 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Anishnabeg Outreach)

September 30, 20233rd Annual Cambridge Orange Shirt Day (Crow Shield Lodge, Southern Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre, KW Urban Native Wigwam Project, Qualia Counselling Services)

Back-to-School Resource Guide 

Child Holding backpack

Anishnabeg Outreach has designed a Back-to-School Resource Guide for families, guardians, and caregivers. Explore a sneak peek of their essential life skills courses on AONest, crafted to ensure a smooth return to school for your students. Equipping both students and caregivers with valuable life skills beyond the classroom, this collection aims to empower.

Learn more
WIGG pop-up events September 22 - September 24, 2023.
Walk A Mile In Their Shoes 2023 October 14, 2020
WRCF Footer Banner With Vision Statement: Sustainable. Equitable. Thriving Communities.
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Questions?
Contact us at info@wrcf.ca or 519-725-1806

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Building Community: It's more than housing

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Listening, Learning, and Looking Forward: One Year in Review