Local non-profit organizations went home a little richer Wednesday night after the Tay Township grants committee handed out $20,700 in grant money.
"It's wonderful," said David Hobson, committee member with Crime Stoppers of Simcoe, Dufferin, Muskoka, which was given $1,000 at the council meeting. "It's another great contribution from the township to the Crime Stoppers of Simcoe, Dufferin, Muskoka. And that money all goes into the fund to pay tipsters for their great tips to help solve crimes and keep the community safe."
In all, 11 non-profits received grants of varying amounts.
"Volunteers with Crime Stoppers have the sole purpose of raising awareness in the community and fundraise," Hobson said, talking about the 16 volunteers in the area. "The dollars totally go towards paying tipsters.
"Depending on the crime they're tipping on, they can be paid between $50 and $2,000," he added. "The board of directors meets regularly and assigns a dollar value to the crimes and the tips that help solve the crime."
Where some non-profits may receive provincial or federal funding, Cathy Greer, executive director of Community Reach Simcoe North, said her non-profit relies entirely on funds raised in the community.
The organization has been operating since 2004 as a charity - thanks to donations and fundraising efforts, such as the annual dance and a program called Gift-a-Lift.
"It provides transportation to people that do not have access to transportation or the means to get it," she said. "We have a couple of programs and information database that we update for 211; It's all community information for Tay, Tiny, Midland and Penetang.
"Our Transportation Linking Community (TLC) program uses volunteers and volunteer drivers," added Greer. "The accessible vans we own are driven by our volunteers to pick up people all through Tiny and Tay and take them to doctors appointments, all medical appointments, shopping, and social events. This alleviates isolations and improves the health. It helps seniors stay in their homes."
The $4,500 they received through the township grants committee will go towards operational costs, she said.
"We pay mileage to our drivers," said Greer. "It's a door-to-door service. They can stop a couple of times if they have to go to the bank or shopping on their way to the doctor's appointment."
She said the non-profit is run by three full-time and two part-time employees, a number of volunteers, as well as 14 drivers that do about 400 rides a month. The organization is, however, limited in its capacity to serve depending on the number of available drivers.
"Most of our drivers are retired first-responders, so they know how to handle oxygen and people with mobility issues," she said.
Greer said the local service is available to residents of Tay and Tiny Townships and the towns of Midland and Penetanguishene for free. A small fee is charged for a visit to Toronto.
"It's really important for us to keep this service in Tay Township," she said. "It's a a huge area and it's very important that people have access."
Mayor Ted Walker said he was happy to be able to support these local organizations.
"It's very important to us because we have a number of those groups that provide those services that we really couldn't provide," he said. "They're all on volunteer basis, and some are housed in Midland, but they provide services to Tay Township residents. So anything we can do to assist those, we get the benefit of it for our residents."
Some other organizations that received money, included Canada Day Victoria Harbour committee ($1,300), Portarama Family Festival ($2,500), Coldwater Fall Fair ($200) and the Waubashene Santa Claus Parade ($1,300).
