A rainy-day fund is bringing unexpected sunshine to several local organizations.
On Tuesday, Mariposa Gymnastics Club officials donated $20,000 to each of six local charities that "impact youth" in Orillia.
On Aug. 1, the club was purchased by Karen Koprla, turning it from a not-for-profit organization to a profit-making business.
Koprla, who was hired as gym manager in 2007, has worked to grow the club’s membership. As of today, it has about 600 recreational members and about 60 competitive athletes.
"She's made it very successful," said club president Cathy O'Connor. "Karen approached the board after years of thinking about it and purchased the club to turn it into a private entity."
The bylaws of the club, which have been followed for more than 25 years, indicated if the club was dissolved, money raised for the organization through fundraisers would be dispersed by the board of directors.
"We had all of this money stored away for a rainy day," Koprla explained. "The rainy day never came."
As a result, six local organizations — Mariposa House Hospice, Special Olympics Orillia, Couchiching Jubilee House, The Sharing Place Food Centre, Green Haven Shelter for Women, and the Orillia Youth Centre — each received $20,000 from the board of directors on Tuesday.
"We just felt the charities chosen were most needed," O'Connor said. "We thought these charities would best benefit children in one way or another."
Kelly Allen, development manager with The Sharing Place, says the donation is coming at an important time.
"The quiet from the holidays has set in," she said. "There is a lot of giving that happens in December, but now we are at the start of a fresh year."
Allen says the funds will be used for The Sharing Place's School Fuel, food recovery, Meals for Change, and food bank programs.
"We see a lot of kids who come to the food bank with their families or parents who come in on their behalf. There are a lot of kids who will be impacted through this," she said.
Annalise Stenekes, executive director of Mariposa House Hospice, says the donation is "significant" for the organization.
"The residents that we provide end-of-life care for are always 18 and up, but many of them have young children in their lives," she said. "Coming through the doors of the hospice every day, we have grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and sometimes great-grandchildren."
She says it's important for Mariposa House Hospice to have activities to engage children who visit.
"We don't want it to be a scary place when they are visiting their grandparent or family member," she said. "We have teddy bears for each child so they can remember their visit, and we have lots of indoor and outdoor activities to keep them busy."
The other half of the fund — $120,000 — will be used by the club to upgrade equipment and expand its footprint.
"We wanted to ensure the continued success of the club," O'Connor said. "That requires funds for equipment because Karen is going to expand and offer more programming for kids."
Koprla says she has a vision for the club and wants to see it through, which is what made her want to purchase it.
"We want to add a ninja and bouldering centre," she said. "I'm in the process right now of buying some obstacle courses for ninja."
She is also hoping to find additional space for the club, which is located on Harvie Settlement Road.
"What we have here is almost not quite enough. We are almost to an expansion point again," she said.