Page 6 - CLH Foundation - Connected - Winter 2024

Midland Rotary Club

Continues to Bridge the Gap

Community service forms a big part of Rotary’s community
commitment, and countless communities around the world are
better and stronger for the support of their local Rotary Club.
Midland is one such community, and CLH Foundation is one of
many local community organizations who have benefited from
the Midland Rotary Club and the work of its members to provide
volunteer and financial support for local causes.

In the early days of the pandemic, when CLHF first initiated
Bridging the Gap to provide assistance to members of the
Supported Independent Living program, the Midland Rotary Club
was our first partner, contributing needed funds for the very first
“Care Hamper” distribution to SIL members in the fall of 2020.

In the time since, Rotary has continued to provide critical support for CLH-supported individuals through such varied
programs as Community Participation Support and Commitment to Care.

In December, following a presentation by CLHF Board member Kevin Cascagnette, club members voted to support
Bridging the Gap once again, providing a leadership gift of $10,800 to strengthen all aspects including the Grocery
Assistance Plan and the launch of Kitchen Connections, a supported program which will bring a more positive experience to
SIL members around food and cooking.

Heart of Georgian Bay Community
Forward Fund Seeds Positive Outcomes

The vision and generosity of founding funders Marc Wayne and Julie Coleman has led to a new matching gift fund
through Huronia Community Foundation which will support local charities in delivering innovative programs which will have
immediate impact on the communities they serve. For CLH Foundation, a Heart of Georgian Bay Community Forward grant
of $7,750 is seeding a brand new, CLH DSS staff-led program within the Bridging the Gap initiative: Kitchen Connections.

Kitchen Connections enables the further development of hands-on opportunities for SIL members to gain confidence,
new skills and a more positive relationship to food and cooking. It’s an extension of the work of CLH Foundation’s
ongoing Bridging the Gap initiative, which also includes grocery assistance and regular ‘re-stocks’ of household cleaning
and personal care products for SIL members. Kitchen Connections will take place at The King Street Hub, in the newly
renovated, home-style kitchen there, and will be offered to all members of the SIL program at no charge.

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