THE COMMONWELL ANNOUNCES MAJOR INITIATIVE TO HELP COMMUNITIES BOUNCE BACK

LINDSAY, ON – October 4th, 2021 … COVID has been hard on Ontario communities and small towns throughout ‘Commonwell Country;’ (the smaller places and wide-open spaces of Eastern, Central and Western Ontario that the  The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group serves.)

To kickstart and reenergize learning, education and engagement in these communities, the Commonwell is pledging up to $1,000,000 to fund community lead initiatives where the Commonwell operates, through their new philanthropy initiative:  L.E.A.F.  (Learning and Engagement Accelerator Fund). The fund can be used to help upgrade, update and even build new facilities or programming where communities come together to learn, share, play and gather.

“One of the many ways that COVID continues to hit our Ontario communities has been in shrinking donations and budgets for community programs, it’s been all hands-on-deck to deal with COVID, so non-essential programs have been dramatically cut,” said Tim Shauf, President and CEO of The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group. “We decided our program could address this shortfall and make sure that important community programs and places in Commonwell Country continue to thrive.   Now it’s up to the residents of these communities to tell us what needs to be funded, and we have $1 million dollars available to make it happen.”

What projects are eligible?

Qualifying local community lead initiatives in the areas that The Commonwell operates across Ontario such as a local library branch, school, community centre, arena, or any place in town where a community gathers.

Some sample project ideas: community kitchens, community gardens, upgrading or creating new computer labs in libraries or other public spaces, skills training programs (to be offered for free,) outdoor fitness equipment, etc.

What specific towns are eligible?

Alexandria, Arnprior, Barrie, Belleville, Bracebridge, Brighton, Brockville, Calabogie, Carlton Place, Coburg, Collingwood, Cornwall, Gravenhurst, Hawkesbury, Huntsville, Innisfill, Kemptville, Kingston, Kincardine, Lindsay, Midland, Minden, Nappanee, Orangeville, Orillia, Ottawa, Owen Sound, Parry Sound, Pembroke, Perth, Peterborough, Prince Edward County, Renfrew, Smiths Falls, Wasaga Beach and all of the other smaller places and wide-open spaces in between.

What’s next?

For communities to earn their share of the fund, residents can nominate an eligible project through the submission portal at thecommonwell.ca/leaf Once projects have been submitted The Commonwell will be looking to those communities to rally support for the project by commenting, sharing photos and sharing the link on social media through these platforms/handles:  https://www.facebook.com/TheCommonwellMutual
Instagram – @thecommonwellinsuranceCommunity engagement is a key factor in deciding the winning proposals.

Applications will close November 10^th and recipients will be announced in early December.