Trillium Fund helps literacy council launch new program

Nipissing MPP Monique Smith
News Release

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During Sunday’s North Bay Literacy Council’s 5th Annual Family Literacy Ice Capades, Nipissing MPP and Minister of Revenue Monique Smith added to the day’s festivities by officially congratulating the group for taking part in an exciting community initiative with Laubach Literacy Ontario (LLO). Thanks to a $163,000 grant to LLO from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), a new “Social Enterprise” project will be launched in North Bay, as well as at five other adult literacy agencies across Ontario. Minister Smith and Christina Golding, Chair of OTF’s local Grant Review Team presented a plaque to the Council’s Executive Coordinator, Jane Jackson.

“This is a wonderful province-wide Ontario Trillium Foundation grant that has a direct benefit our community,” Smith said. “I want to congratulate and thank the North Bay Literacy Council for all their wonderful work.”

The grant is being used to help six agencies to implement “Social Enterprise” projects within their communities. Once operational, these projects can generate revenues by offering a variety of programs and services to people of all ages. Some examples of “Social Enterprise” projects are adult upgrading, teaching computer skills, developing food service ventures like small cafés or bakeries or storefronts, such as used book, clothing or furniture stores. To establish the model, each agency must complete various types of research, planning, organizational and fund development stages.

“This initiative is something that our organization is so proud to be instrumental to introducing to these communities,” said LLO’s Executive Director, Lana Faessler. “We see tremendous potential for these agencies and we look forward to working with our newly established “Social Enterprise” Advisory Committee, which is made up of representatives from the agencies, business and marketing professionals and other literacy groups.”

The literacy agencies affected by this 18-month OTF grant, in addition to the LLO, are: Midland Area Reading Council, Hamilton Literacy Council, North Bay Literacy -Council, Literacy Alliance of West Nipissing Adult Learning Centre and Literacy Group of Waterloo Region-Kitchener. It represents a network of 48 community-based literacy programs. Through Laubach-affiliated programs, trained volunteer tutors provide one-on-one instruction or instruction through small groups to adults looking to improve their reading, writing and mathematical skills.

“The North Bay Literacy Council is excited to participate in this project with LLO and the other pilot sites,” said Jane Jackson. “We hope to discover an entrepreneurial gap that we can fill that will provide us with much needed funds and also be beneficial to our adult learners and the community.”

For more information on the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario, please visit: www.trilliumfoundation.org.

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