The Windermere Fitness Park Project:

Receives a Canada Healthy Communities Initiative Grant

News that the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative (CHCI) grant had been approved arrived in Brad White’s email inbox in the final days of last year. Any announcement, however, had to be kept under wraps until  permission was granted by the CHCI program to publicly announce the grant. Well, word has been received and it’s official: the final phase of the Windermere Fitness Park has been funded by the government of Canada to the tune of $68,246.00!

What is the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative (CHCI) program? The Healthy Communities Initiative is a $31 million investment from the Government of Canada to transform public spaces in response to COVID-19. Brad White, researching funding options, realized early on that the Windermere Fitness Park (WFP) project would be a perfect fit for a CHCI grant and went to work to apply. Months passed until word arrived in late December that the WFP project was approved for funding from the federal government.

Through the Healthy Communities Initiative, community foundations from coast to coast to coast received over 6,000 applications. Projects funded will support communities as they continue to adapt and navigate through the pandemic. The initiative highlights the incredible work of local governments, charities, Indigenous communities, and nonprofits as they showcase resourcefulness and resilience in the face of COVID-19.

We are continuing to accept donations for the Windermere Fitness Park to support elements of the project not covered so far. These include landscaping, seating, signage, and the development of online resources.