GRANTING STORIES
PETS ARE PEOPLE TOO
The Jean and Fred Biehl Fund was establish to support environmental and animal welfare protection agencies.
Here is one story of how their fund is making a big impact!
Animalert, a registered charity, has been operating in London since 1977. Thanks to their PETS ARE PEOPLE TOO program they were able to provide care to help those disadvantaged to provide special needs veterinary care to these two loveable creatures.
Bo (Beagle pictured) had torn ACL's in both rear legs. With surgery and physio he is able to join his people in play once again.
Baby(kitten pictured) suffered a broken pelvis and femur fracture in 2 places. Now she is full of beans several weeks after surgery.
Both cases costing over $10,000 in veterinary fees.
All managed by the support of donors!
Want to learn more about Animal Alert visit https://www.animalert.ca/
THE NAMELESS
Thank you from The Nameless for your recent donation! This is the first grant we have received since becoming a registered charity, and we are so grateful for the swift and generous support.
We have enclosed some photos that are representative of the work that we do.
Every night, we see an average of 45 people in need of sterile supplies, food, socks, support, or connection.
Two or three times a week, our outreach team hits the streets to meet unhoused people where they’re at, and clean up our community along the way. We’ve enclosed a pic of the standard route – we are always amazed at the distance cover!
We offer hot meals at our location at least twice a week, depending on donor availability. We distribute snack bags on the other nights, around 350/month, and keeping our snack shelves full of nutrition and variety is a key use of funds from donors like you.
Support with our operational costs allows us to offer a stable location for our participants to come to us. We can receive hot meals, offer respite from the weather, and host programs like a weekly nurse in partnership with CCHC.
In addition to cleaning up on outreach, our team holds clean-up events periodically to clear areas of sharps and garbage. We also host needle disposal at our location, and our participants proudly return over 5,000 sharps every month!
Another important part of our work is harm reduction education. We are available to offer to offer training in many topics, from safe sharp disposal and Naloxone administration, to navigating the homelessness and opioid crisis as a downtown business owner. If your organization or partners are interested, please get in touch via our main email at thenamelessst@outlook.com.
As a grassroots, fully volunteer-led and -run organization, every dollar given goes directly to our programs, and shows the people we serve that their community cares about them. That impact can’t be overstated. Again, thank you so much for your support.
Best,
Morgan Niederman
Treasurer, The Nameless
FIRST GRANT FROM EVANS TREE FUND
Supported by the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell, the Evans Tree Fund will boost tree planting projects in Elgin County and St. Thomas in perpetuity.
In June 2020, the Elgin – St. Thomas Community Foundation announced that The Estate of Donna Bushell had contributed $100,000 to establish the new ‘Evans Trees Fund’, one part of a series of donations designed to strengthen and invigorate the community.
Now, local charitable organizations (including schools) are invited to apply to the fund to support tree-planting initiatives. The Foundation is launching the Evans Tree Fund with a gift of $1,000 to the Jaffa Environmental Education Centre to enhance the on-site arboretum.
Before her death, Donna Bushell established the arboretum to help educators at Jaffa teach students about trees, and this additional funding will allow staff members to plant more specimens and install new signs. “We are excited to receive this support from the Evans Tree Fund through the Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation,” said Erin Mutch, Learning Coordinator for Environmental Education, Science and Experiential Learning at Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB). “Teaching students about trees is an important part of building interest in local environmental stewardship. We use the programming and resources at Jaffa to make this link tangible for students.”
“Donna Bushell loved trees,” notes Andrew Gunn, Consultant for the Estate. “The Evans Tree Fund will provide funds to allow organizations in Elgin County and St. Thomas to plant more and more trees for years to come. This is one of the gifts from the Estate that will provide benefits to the community for decades, and perhaps even centuries, given the long lifespan of many varieties of trees. We are thrilled to work with the Foundation and TVDSB to make this happen.”
“After the weather events we’ve seen this summer, everybody’s thinking about improving the environment,” said Terry Carroll, Executive Director of the Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation. “Trees are an important part of addressing that concern, and we’re happy to work with Andrew, the estate executors and local charities on projects like the Jaffa Environmental Education Centre plantings.”