By Tammy Schneider
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Bruce Power has continued to distribute its $1 million pledge Be a Light: Beating COVID-19 Together fund, in support of the residents and businesses in Bruce, Grey and Huron
The Bruce Power’s Be a Light: Beating COVID-19 Together campaign pledges to provide $1 million to work with public health, county and municipal governments, chambers of commerce, hospitals, local MPs and MPPs, and community organizations to redouble efforts to battle the pandemic. This will be achieved through support for public health communications, additional community protections, supporting buying local, mental and physical initiatives, and lending a helping hand by working with school breakfast programs, long-term care facilities, and community organizations.
The company announced it has provided $50,000 in funding for 28 winter events in 15 municipalities across the three counties.
The events will be planned with pandemic restrictions in place, to ensure the safety of everyone involved, and include virtual and in person cooking classes, initiatives with the museum, health and wellness, community festivals, drive by Santa Claus parades, Christmas light displays and art projects.
One such event is Home for the Holidays, a virtual holiday show that will stream on brucepower.com/holiday from Dec. 10-13. The show will feature music, a dance party, magic show and a message from Santa, as well as other entertaining acts and experiences.
“We know this will be a difficult winter for many people in our communities, so we wanted to support activities that will get people mentally and physically active during the winter months,” said John Peevers, Bruce Power’s Director of Community and Media Relations, and Economic Development. “We encourage people to safely take advantage of the many creative and fun winter activities that will be happening in our communities. Although this will be a winter unlike any other, it is encouraging that so many are going to great lengths to create new or adapt their existing family-friendly activities to our current reality.”
Bruce Power also announced on Dec. 1, Giving Tuesday, that it is providing $50,000 to the REACH Centre Grey Bruce, to help it secure a safe space for programming for youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Centre lost its donated space due to shutdowns when the pandemic was declared. It switched to remote support to continue monitoring its clients. As restrictions began to lift, it moved into two short term locations. The organization has reached out to the community for support so that it may purchase a building in Owen Sound.
Due to space restrictions to ensure physical distancing, there remains a waitlist for families to participate in the program. Government-funded agencies mostly remain closed, leaving REACH, which receives no government funding, to try to fill those gaps.