TCAG receives Ontario Trillium Foundation grant to help fix roof

The Thorold Community Activities Group (TCAG) has received $52,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to help fix up their roof.

“It’s reassuring to know that we’re doing something to preserve the building for future generations,” says the TCAG's executive director Megan Gilchrist, in an interview with ThoroldToday. 

The TCAG is situated on Richmond St. and provides recreational programming and licensed childcare for the local community.

The roof of the building has been leaking for a while, and while the Trillium grant will help with repairs, the group is still hoping to raise more money to eventually install a green roof.

A ceremony was held on Monday morning to celebrate the grant.

The proceedings were led by town crier Tony Vandermaas, and included speeches from local politicians such as Mayor Terry Ugulini and Niagara MPP Jeff Burch.

“This is obviously a much needed grant,” Burch said, in his speech. “I appreciate how important the grants are but also how difficult they can be to get and how time consuming it is just to fill out all of the paperwork."

Luckily, the TCAG had help from the city when putting together their application.

“Oftentimes when we apply for grant money the city will provide a letter of support,” Gilchrist says. “Having the support of a municipality behind us helps to show that there is buy-in in the community.”

That sentiment was echoed in Mayor Ugulini’s speech. 

“We have an amazing relationship — I call it a partnership — with the TCAG,” he told the gathered crowd. “We work together with them to fill gaps in the community. We went to bat and helped support your application and it was successful. It just shows that partnership and collaboration are the way moving forward.” 

The TCAG will get to celebrate the funding at their open house later today.

“We have about 30 community organizations that are going to be sharing their information or doing demonstrations,” Gilchrist says. “We’re going to have the dental screening folks from the Niagara Region. The fire department will be there with a truck. There will be lots of snacks and goodies and things to share.”

The open house at the TCAG is completely free and will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.