A historic milestone for the Chatham-Kent Community Foundation.

Officials say after 30 years of supporting local agencies, the Foundation marked its 30th year in 2023 by distributing over one-million dollars to community-based groups.

The majority of the funding came from the Foundation’s Community Fund, and the South Kent Wind Community Fund, a donor-advised fund within the CKCF. Additional money was made available through the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund. Grants from Donor-Designated Funds, multi-year grants, and scholarships accounted for an additional $125,000 in grants to the community.

Among the most recent recipients include a three-year pledge of $7300 annually to the Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent to purchase Mobi Mats and amphibious wheelchairs so local residents with limited mobility can enjoy the water; a $10,000 grant to help ROCK Missions purchase food, hygiene, and first aid supplies for its drop in centre, and over $98,000 granted to Opportunity Villages Community Land Trust’s 30-unit small home development and community centre in Chatham.

A full list of all grants disbursed in 2023 can be found at https://chathamkentcommunityfoundation.ca/for-donors/grants/.

The Chatham Kent Community Foundation handed out its first grants in May, 1993, supporting Public General and St. Joseph’s Hospitals in Chatham and Sydenham District Hospital in Wallaceburg, as well as to CK Transition House, the Chatham Public Library, Tilbury Information Centre, Ridgetown Arena and the Blenheim Leisure Centre.