Media Release
$300,900 OTF Grant Gives the Ignatius Old-Growth Forest Project a Strong Foundation for Program Development and Teaching Pavilion
Guelph – On Thursday, the Ignatius Jesuit Centre welcomed members of the public to an Open House and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Ignatius Old-Growth Forest Project to mark the addition of a new teaching pavilion and the development of its’ ‘Care for the Common Home’ school program. OTF Grant Review Team member Wayne White was on hand to congratulate the Centre’s members and hear more about how the $300,900.00 OTF Grow grant helped community school children participate in a positive, hands-on learning experience that nurtures their journey to become future environmental stewards.
“We want to express our sincere appreciation to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their generous support for the ‘Care for the Common Home’ school program,” Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott said. “In partnership with the County of Wellington and Trout Unlimited Canada, this new teaching pavilion will help the next generation learn the importance of protecting our environment and the role of trees as part of a healthy ecosystem.”
Situated at the northern edge of the City of Guelph, this 93-acre nature sanctuary of trails, forests, meadows, wetlands and waterways is protected forever by a Conservation Easement with the Ontario Farmland Trust. It is the Project’s goal, with the help of local students and community volunteers to restore and protect these diverse ecological communities and to assist the regeneration of retired farmland, from old-field meadow to old-growth forest.
“The impact of this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant cannot be underestimated,” said Roger Yaworski, SJ, Executive Director of the Ignatius Jesuit Centre. “This grant has allowed us to truly grow the project – providing an engaging and safe place for students to discover nature and learn the skills needed to take care of the planet.
The Ignatius Jesuit Centre is a place of peace that welcomes a global community of people who seek to integrate their inner and outer life with God and with all Creation.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. OTF awarded $108 million to 629 projects last year to build healthy and vibrant communities in Ontario.
Read the news article in the Wellington Advertiser here.