Sudbury community projects for seniors receive federal funding

Ottawa is spending more than $150,000 on community-based projects in the Subdury area that offer creative and active opportunities for seniors. The funding is being provided through the New Horizons for Seniors Program.

“Every year, the New Horizons for Seniors Program makes a meaningful difference in the lives of seniors across Canada,” said Kamal Khera, Minister of Seniors.

“These (community-based) projects will help seniors fight social isolation, will combat seniors fraud cut, and will support healthy aging in an inclusive and accessible environment.”

Nine projects in the area were awarded funding through the most recent call for proposals.

Sudbury Performance Group and Walden Seniors and Pensioners will receive $25,000 each.

Sudbury Performance Group’s grant will be used to further their Seniors Music Mentorship program.

“The goal of our project is to create a committee of older adults who will become active within the community on a year-round basis that will work with younger generations and teach them the music and singing,” said Mark Mannisto, founder and president of Sudbury Performance Group, in a press release.

“We are grateful for the funding through the New Horizons for Seniors program to be able to put together this committee.”

Walden Seniors and Pensioners is receiving $25,000 to purchase new tools for its 400 members, said those involved.

“This funding is specifically going to the woodworking program that the Walden seniors operate. It is for an upgrade and replacement of very, very old equipment. The seniors were working with a lathe that was 108 years old. So, certainly safety, efficiency of the equipment... all of those things were a consideration so we put an application together and we’re very thankful,” Karen Makela, a representative with Walden Seniors and Pensioners, told CTV.

Finlandia Village and Volunteer Sudbury will each receive more than $24,000 to use towards their Kotopiha Garden Initiative and Seniors Give Back programs repectively.

Independent Living Sudbury Manitoulin received more than $22,000, which is going towards a program that prevents elder and financial abuse.

“Frauds and scams are a huge problem for seniors getting scammed. So, we decided for a small project to educate our community on the different trickeries that scams have these days,” said Robert Dimeglio, executive director of Independent Living Sudbury Manitoulin.

The remaining four funding recipients are Dnipro/Veselka Cultural & Educational Society, Pioneer Manor, Sudbury Women’s Centre and the Ukrainian Centre.

Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe said the money will help support seniors in a variety of ways.

“These organizations run the spectrum on what they do. This fund will go towards either some gardens or some performance arts ... so there’s some social and some health assistance and they really do provide that kind of connection for seniors to their community,” said Lapointe.