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Photo Credit: Stefania Galluccio @mystoo
359 - 9/19/2018 1:54:15 PM  

20th Birthday Celebration & Annual Village Fall Fair
On Saturday, September 22nd from 11:00am-3:00pm the West Willow Village Neighbourhood Group will be celebrating its 20th anniversary and Village Fall Fair. The event will take place at Margaret Greene Park, 80 Westwood Road in Guelph.

Since 1998 the West Willow Village Neighbourhood Group has been engaged in grassroots community building. The group offers recreation programs for children, youth and adults, March Break, PA Day and summer camps, Neighbourhood Events, learning opportunities and Supports such as year-round Tax Clinics and the Neighbourhood Food Pantry.

Accomplishments

5th year anniversary of partnerships with the Salvation Army and Swan Moving to bring Holiday Food Hampers & toys to the west-end;

2014 launch of Co-operative Youth Farm in Castleburry Park providing summer experiential learning, high school credit and essential job skill opportunities for youth, summer of 2018 saw 23 youth registered;

2018 creation of 18 summer job opportunities for youth, and year-round job entry opportunities for Youth Leaders and new entrants in to the labour force;

the Village Fall Fair has become a major annual neighbourhood event, attracting and engaging hundreds of neighbours to the ‘piazza’ in Margaret Greene Park;

the 2018 Fall Fair welcomes the City of Guelph who will be on hand to engage families in Guelph Community Plan Conversations.

Quick Facts

• The Neighbourhood Group has been offering programs and supports in the neighbourhood for the past 20 years, or so! [our records were lost in a fire in 2005];

• The group incorporated in 2015 as the West Village Community Development Co- operative to intentionally increase neighbourhood leadership, and the engagement of residents and accountability to neighbourhood priorities;

• In 2016-2017 the group engaged 8,183 program participants, provided supports to 1,075 individuals, organized events with 1,352 attendees, and worked with 309 volunteers who donated 16,172 hours

• The City of Guelph 2018 Wellbeing Grant provides $5,000 funding for the Group’s activities, additional funding is provided by other small grants and in-kind donations;

• The annual Neighbourhood budget is approximately $150,000.


Quotes

“The Neighbourhood Group has been great for my family, I tell everybody that they need to connect with them. They’re there for the good stuff and always there for the bad, like my tax mess. No judgment, just lots of love and acceptance.” -- M.M. parent

“I’m a single dad, getting my grade 12, hoping to get back to work. They [Neighbourhood Group] got me in to school and have free things that I can do with my son. They also have a place for me, I help with the Ice Rinks, Fall Fair and was encouraged to get on to school council. They’re good people, doing good things!” -- J.G. parent

“My daughter volunteered with the Neighbourhood Group for years, this summer she was part of the Cooperative Youth Farm, and now she has a part time job! All of the staff trained and worked with her, not just learning tasks, mainly the soft stuff like talking to people, and building her confidence. I can’t say thank you enough!” -- D.E. parent

“I am constantly amazed at how big our impact is in the Neighbourhood! There is a strong sense of family and community and I am thankful that I have been a part of many of these developments and that my family lives in this neighbourhood!” -- Indu Arora, Board President, West Village Community Development Co-operative Contact: 519 221 9424

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