The Oakville Community Foundation continues to provide a free platform for post-secondary bound
students to access local educational awards. Originally announced in January, ahead of the State of
Emergency, The Foundation and its community partners combined their efforts to create a new tool for
local graduates and mature students to access education awards funding –the Community Education
Awards Hub (AwardsHub.ca)

“The Foundation views technology as a Community Asset. As such, we have invested in technology that
helps build and connect our community,” said Wendy Rinella. “With the school closures, the timing of
this online platform for students and service organizations was serendipity.”

The Awards Hub enables local organizations to virtually conduct and distribute their awards, while
ensuring students have a one-window, online access to over $325,000 in funding. Today, there are more
than 350 users on the portal, with over 230 completed applications and a further 200 more in progress.
The earliest applications are due in mid-May, so students still have time to apply.

The Awards Hub includes the following organizations: Halton Learning Foundation, The Lions Club of
Oakville, The May Court Club of Oakville, Rotary Clubs of Oakville, University Women’s Club of Oakville,
IODE (International Order of the Daughters of the Empire), The Oakville Chamber of Commerce, and The
Halton Region Chinese Canadian Associati3on. A total of $4,500 is available from The Foundation for the
Alexander and Bernice DeMaio Education Fund.

Sunday, May 3 marks the beginning of Emergency Preparedness Week, an annual information campaign which asks residents to review and improve on their ability to prepare for an emergency.

The campaign will include a number of social media posts highlighting different ways which residents can improve their preparedness. The Town will also be publishing emergency preparedness-themed activities for families and individuals of all ages as part of the Essex Plays at Home initiative.

“The current situation with the pandemic has underscored the need for residents to be prepared for an emergency,” said Essex Fire and Rescue Services Chief Rick Arnel. “While we continue to work together as a community to combat the virus, this week serves as a reminder of what we can do, as individuals, to prepare for the worst case scenario.”

If an emergency happens in the community, it may take emergency workers some time to reach residents, so they should be prepared to take care of themselves and their family for at least 72 hours. Essex Fire & Rescue Services recommends that residents keep a disaster preparedness kit in their home with enough supplies to meet their needs.

Residents should keep hazards, such as flooding and tornadoes, in mind as they prepare their Emergency Plan, which outlines what actions they will take in the event of an emergency.

Residents are also encouraged to sign up for the Essex Alerts Resident Alert System at www.essex.ca/alerts. The Town will be conducting a test of the system in the afternoon of Thursday, May 7.

For more on emergency preparedness please visit getprepared.gc.ca

The Foundation is excited to announce the launch of “Community Classroom Online (Virtual
programs),” which is now available free of charge on our website, www.theocf.org! Through the
generous support of our connecting sponsor Toronto Pearson, Genworth Canada, and
the Ontario Trillium Foundation, students, teachers and families can enjoy
curriculum-based local arts, culture, environmental, and heritage programming
online. Currently the site hosts sessions with many of our Community Classroom
partners: ArtHouse, Art from the Heart, the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton
Steel Pan Drummers, Crash Rhythm bucket drumming, Halton Environmental
Network, the Oakville Galleries, the Oakville Symphony Orchestra and more to come.
Over $30,000 in funding is being allocated to these community organizations.

On Monday, May 11th the Leeds & Grenville Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will host its first-ever Online Branch Presentation, beginning at 7:00 pm.  Our presenter, Tom Graham, will give us “Tales from the General Store – the Untold History of Bishop’s Mills”.  His presentation will share some of the stories captured in his book of the same name, of the development of the community, the families who settled there, and major events which took place in the village. Tom is a 5th generation descendant of United Empire Loyalists who arrived in Canada in 1818. He describes himself as a community builder, storyteller, and artist. Tom has lived in Bishop’s Mills since 1975, when he and his sister Jane bought the General Store from Norman and Mildred Adams.  He and his wife Jeanne have five children all raised in Leeds & Grenville. You are invited to attend our Zoom meeting on Monday, May 11, 2020 at 7:00 pm EDT.  You need to register in advance for this meeting, using the registration link located on our website: leedsandgrenville.ogs.on.ca .  If you’ve never used Zoom before, you will be prompted to download the software.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  You are encouraged to sign in early to ensure that your speakers are working.  Because of limited internet bandwidth in our area we are asking attendees to turn off their video cameras for the meeting. As always, our meetings are open to everyone, so please encourage friends who may be interested to register too! We look forward to welcoming many of our members and their friends to this Branch 'first' on May 11th.

On Monday, May 11th the Leeds & Grenville Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will host its first-ever Online Branch Presentation, beginning at 7:00 pm. 

Our presenter, Tom Graham, will give us “Tales from the General Store – the Untold History of Bishop’s Mills”.  His presentation will share some of the stories captured in his book of the same name, of the development of the community, the families who settled there, and major events which took place in the village.

Tom is a 5th generation descendant of United Empire Loyalists who arrived in Canada in 1818. He describes himself as a community builder, storyteller, and artist. Tom has lived in Bishop’s Mills since 1975, when he and his sister Jane bought the General Store from Norman and Mildred Adams.  He and his wife Jeanne have five children all raised in Leeds & Grenville.

You are invited to attend our Zoom meeting on Monday, May 11, 2020 at 7:00 pm EDT.  You need to register in advance for this meeting, using the registration link located on our website:

leedsandgrenville.ogs.on.ca .  If you’ve never used Zoom before, you will be prompted to download the software. 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  You are encouraged to sign in early to ensure that your speakers are working.  Because of limited internet bandwidth in our area we are asking attendees to turn off their video cameras for the meeting.

As always, our meetings are open to everyone, so please encourage friends who may be interested to register too!

We look forward to welcoming many of our members and their friends to this Branch 'first' on May 11th.