Thanks to a $136,000 Trillium grant, Big Brothers Big Sisters Chatham-Kent has officially unveiled its renovated space.
The project, completed in May, will give community members a more inviting, safer and cleaner space to access caseworker staff and get involved in mentoring services, the local agency said.
The renovations were much needed and wouldn’t have been possible without the grant, said executive director Amanda Clark.
“The space feels more like home,” she said.
The office, at 137 Queen St. in Chatham, officially unveiled June 16, will allow collaborative meetings, a safe client room, additional storage and updated utilities to ensure the space is as green as possible.
Clark and her three staffers always are looking for more volunteers, noting they help more than 300 kids each year.
“Our office is small. Our team is small. But we make a big difference,” she said.
The agency has been a “consistent and unwavering support” for young people in the community, Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones said in a release.
“This generous grant from the esteemed Ontario Trillium Foundation extends far beyond physical renovations,” he added. “It emphasizes the paramount importance of championing these young individuals, whose success and well-being are intrinsically linked to the prosperity and vitality of our entire community.”
To learn more about agency programs available, or to volunteer, visit chathamkent.bigbrothersbigsisters.caor call 519-351-1582.