The Mount Community Centre at 1545 Monaghan Road in Peterborough needs your vote for a grant to repair the building’s elevator so residents can move easily from floor to floor.
The non-profit organization has applied to the Aviva Community Fund and is competing with other charities for a grand prize of $100,000. Over the last five years, the Aviva Community Fund has donated more than $4.5 million to support 91 projects in communities across Canada.
With enough votes from supporters, The Mount could make it to the finals, where a judging panel will select the winners to share $1 million in funding.
In 2013, the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network purchased the 10-acre site from the Sisters of St. Joseph and turned it over to a new non-profit organization known at The Mount Community Centre, with a mission to offer affordable housing and food services to help feed hungry families. While housing is The Mount’s first priority, long-term plans include community gardens, a performing arts space, and other public uses.
Two winters ago, ice tore open some of the building’s roof vents, leading to a spring flood that damaged part of the elevator’s mechanism. As the Mount’s mission is to create a welcoming and inclusive community, a working elevator is needed to make the building accessible for tenants in the seven wheelchair-friendly units as well as seniors with health problems.
The Mount has already raised $50,000 for the initial repairs to the elevator, but needs another $100,000 to get the elevator up to current standards. The Aviva Community Fund is one way The Mount can obtain the funding needed to repair the elevator.
The first round of voting at the Aviva Community Fund has already started and continues until 4 p.m. on Friday, October 23rd. To register and vote, visit https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf32545.
If you prefer, you can register using your Facebook account. Once registered, you get a total of 18 votes and you can vote for the same idea once per day.
As an incentive for new supporters, The Mount is running a contest at www.themountpeterborough.com/contest. You could win a T-shirt from Flavour, lunch for four from the Silver Bean, dinner at St. Veronus, a prize from Tim-BR Mart, or four tickets to see the Irish Rovers at Showplace Performance Centre.
For more information about The Mount, visit www.themountpeterborough.com or like their Facebook page.
