Congratulations to our most recent Launch Pad coaching grant recipients!
The following community groups will participate in a group coaching grant to help boost their fundraising efforts and work toward a sustainable future.
Qualicum Beach, B.C.
Edward Goodall, watercolour 1971
The St. Andrews Lodge Historical and Cultural Society was formed in late 2020 following a concerted effort on the part of hundreds of local residents to save the historic St. Andrews Lodge in Qualicum Beach, B.C. from demolition. The Lodge welcomed travelers and vacationers beginning on August 1, 1938 and was operated for more than 80 years by the Little family.
The Society will be developing skills to support the renovation, restoration and regeneration of this special historic place. They wish to create a welcoming community gathering place for all peoples that reflects the history and character of Qualicum Beach, while serving cultural, educational, environmental and social purposes. They envision a space that is accessible for use by cultural groups and one which creates awareness about the regional history and culture.
St Andrews Lodge Historical & Cultural SocietyKaslo, B.C.
St. Andrew's United Church, originally named Robertson Presbyterian Church, constructed in 1893, is believed to be one of the oldest continuously operating churches in British Columbia. This BC Heritage Building is a testament to the spiritual beliefs and commitment of the early settlers in Kaslo who donated materials and volunteered their labour to build it. The adjoining hall, built in 1963 by members of the Japanese community who had been welcomed and supported by St Andrews during their internment in Kaslo, is also listed as a Heritage Building.
The Launch Pad Coaching Grant will help them form a viable and lasting legal structure with community partners, with the goal of maintaining St. Andrews as an affordable space for community social services and as a meeting place for community groups, while maintaining St. Andrews' heritage character and status.
St. Andrew's United Church and Heritage HallToronto, ON
ACOTO’s goal is to set the stage for conservation advocacy through public education. Our public information efforts have evolved from events and publishing books to the development of our most significant research project to date: TOBuilt, a publicly accessible online database. We believe that our resources and efforts will help to preserve Toronto’s heritage and therefore, facilitate protection for future generations.
Architectural Conservancy Ontario – Toronto Branch (ACOTO)Smiths Falls, ON
The Heritage House is the Smiths Falls community museum, offering changing local themed exhibitions, art shows and events in a one of a kind 1860’s home. This open concept museum welcomes visitors to step beyond the velvet ropes to immerse themselves in history. Main level Victorian rooms feature artifacts that were made in the area or brought to Smiths Falls by local families. Test out the uncomfortable furniture or play the piano before heading upstairs to enjoy other periods of local art and history in the gallery spaces.
Smiths Falls Heritage House MuseumTrinity, NL
Trinity Historical Society Inc. (THS) was founded in 1964, incorporated in 1971, and operates the Trinity Museum (1967), Trinity Historical Society Archives (1966), Green Family Forge (1991), the Court House, Gaol and General Building (1996), the Lester-Garland House (1997), Cooperage (2008), Fort Point Lighthouse (2012) and Methodist School House (2013).
Since its founding in 1964, the THS has been in the forefront of the promotion and preservation of the historic resources, heritage and history of Trinity and the surrounding communities and of the economic development of the area, including assisting with the formation of the Community Council in 1969. It has achieved a number of accomplishments over the years, on its own and with partners. It remains a leading organization in the heritage community in the province with a dedicated group of volunteers and staff.
The Society has an active and engaged board of directors with a core group of volunteers in the Trinity area that can be faithfully called upon when time warrants. The Society also has an approximate membership of 150 people who are residents (full-time and seasonally) and people with a general interest in the history of the Town.
Trinity Historical Society Inc.Wells, BC
The Wells Historical Society is located in the small village of Wells, British Columbia in the Cariboo Mountains. Wells was originally a gold-mining town but is now a centre for the arts, heritage and outdoor adventure. The Society was originally formed in the 1950s and helped promote the preservation of nearby Barkerville Historic Town, now a National Historic Site of Canada as well as a Provincial Heritage property.
Since the 1970s the Wells Historical Society has promoted heritage conservation in Wells and has been pivotal in the restoration of several heritage buildings, including the original Island Mountain Mine Office which now houses a community museum run by the Society. The museum tells the story of the company town of Wells formed by the Cariboo Gold Quartz mine in 1933, the history of the two large mines that operated in the community creating employment and economic opportunity through the Great Depression, and of the town’s development to the present day.
The Society is currently in the process of restoring the original ‘dry’ building connected to the Island Mountain Mine for a climate-controlled artifact storage area. They hope to launch a major fundraising project this year to support this project.
Wells Historical SocietyFish Point Historical Site
Yarmouth, NS
Fish Point Historical Site (Park) is a lot of land owned by the Yarmouth County Historical Society who are dedicated to the preservation and History of Yarmouth County History. Yarmouth and County has been a sea faring community since the Mi’kmaq visited these areas and into the future with the first New England settlers to the present day families. Many generations of people over these years have helped shape the history of this area. A commemorate Monument was erected in 1961 to the first fishing vessel built and launched from this site in 1764 and also in Memory of all the sea faring sons of Yarmouth County. This site helped develop the fishing industry of Yarmouth and County. The historical panels on site preserve and promote this history of the community, families, fishing industry, Lighthouses, Bunkers Island, and the vessels that use this Yarmouth Harbour. Now a Park Environment being saved from Climate changes it hosts picnic tables, benches, walking perimeter and is a great place for people to rest, relax, enjoy a picnic, watch fishing and ferry vessel traffic, and is a place to gather with friends or meet new people.
This place holds a special place in the hearts of many and is located at 1027 Highway 304 at Yarmouth Bar N.S.
Yarmouth County Historical Society