Since 1996, the Thompson Community Foundation (TCF) has been a major force in Thompson when it comes to community development. At their recent AGM on Tuesday June 18th, the Board of Directors announced close to $220,000 in grants for the 2024 year. Since 1996, a total of $ 2.32 million in grants were approved to 97 local organizations including all 8 of our schools and their related parent organizations, health facilities, social service organizations, family support programs and various committees, social and sport clubs that support low cost recreational, sport and wellness activities.
Even though these numbers alone are impressive for a local foundation that started its first year by providing 1 grant in the amount of $ 716 to now approving on average over $180,000 annually in the last 5 years, it only tells part of the story. The other part, which is even more impressive is what the TCF grants have helped to start up, and the impact of their grants have made to the overall health of our community.
I can’t tell you the story of all organizations that have applied and were approved and the impact the funds have made but I can tell you of 2 that I have been involved with for close to 20 years. The Thompson Humane Society (THS) got its first grant of $ 5,000 from the TCF to help fund the purchase of its Animal Shelter in 2006. This grant help to leverage an additional $ 125,000 in funding that allowed for the opening of the Animal Shelter that has since helped over 5,000 lost, abandoned and abused animals. In 2023, the TCF approved another grant of $10,000 to the THS to help it acquire the former Thompson Vet building, rebranded now as the THS Animal Health and Wellness Center (HWC). The grant leveraged an additional $ 270,000 in funding needed for the purchase. Since the HWC has opened it has provided health care services to close to 800 animals.
Another organization that the TCF helped to start is Men Are Part of the Solution (MAPS). Between 2004 and 2009, the TCF approved 3 grants totalling just under $16,000 for MAPS to allow the organization to create its Health Relations Program (HRP) that was later operationalized and funded by the Province of Manitoba.
MAPS, since 2010 has been delivering HRP that provides counselling services to both men and women with anger and stress issues. HRP later provided MAPS the ability to open its first transitional hous ing for men in 2013, and then transitional housing for women in 2021. These houses provides services to up to 24 individuals on an ongoing basis.
This in only 2 examples from the 97 organizations, service clubs and committees that the TCF has helped. How many have similar stories? TCF funds has not only provided needed resources but in many cases has provided these applicants the ability to leverage additional funds that have resulted in their ability to deliver on going services to our fellow Thompsonits that were not previously available. As a community we should be proud, impressed and thankful for the work of the TCF over the last 29 years.
