Ontario Government Provides $250,000 to YMCA in Peterborough and Quinte to Offset COVID-19 Expenses

The Ontario Government and Ontario Trillium Foundation have provided the YMCA of Central East Ontario a $250,000 Community Building Fund grant to help offset any costs incurred from the COVID-19 pandemic, announced on Friday afternoon.

(from left to right) MaryAnne Wooldridge, General Manager Balsillie Family Branch; MPP Dave Smith and David Allen, President and CEO of YMCA of Central East Ontario. Photo by Samantha Bianco.

The money was split between the Balsillie Family Branch location in Peterborough and the Belleville branch and the John Williams branch in Quinte West. The former got the lion’s share with around $200,000 of the grant according to MPP Dave Smith.

“Today’s funding announcement has been a tremendous help to the Peterborough YMCA in continuing to provide services within our community,” said Dave Smith, MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha. “This allows them to continue focusing on the important work they do best, which is helping to support the health and wellness of children, families and individuals right here in our region.”

In addition to paying off the upkeep of operation expenses, the grant helped it purchase software with web and virtual costs.

“Like so many other organizations, the past few years have been a really challenging time for our YMCA,” explained David Allen, YMCA of Central East Ontario president and CEO. “This grant allowed our YMCA to cover software and operational expenses at a time when membership revenue was limited.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.