Trent River, south of Batawa Dam and Locks.
Lower Trent Conservation’s education programs got a big boost this spring when a donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent a cheque to the Conservation Authority for $100,000, with the promise of two more cheques, one in each of 2017 and 2018.
The donor has asked that $40,000 per year be spent on educational programming, and that the remainder be spent on fundraising to make these important programs viable into the future. Lower Trent Conservation struggles to provide educational programming to the watershed community – while the organization feels that education is key to protecting the environment, this type of programming is not supported by government funding.
Year after year, staff applies for grants and seeks donations to piece together enough funding to offer programs like Caring For Our Watersheds™, the Children’s Water Festival, and the ever popular hike series – Discover our Watershed.
“This is an incredible opportunity for us,” says Glenda Rodgers, Chief Administrative Officer. “We are humbled that someone would take such interest in our programs to want to donate that kind of money. We will take this opportunity to review our education, outreach, and stewardship programs, identify areas for improvement and expansion, and use this funding to make it happen.”
To provide support to the new fundraising program, Lower Trent Conservation has hired a Conservation Fundraising Specialist, Sandi Ramsay, known locally for her passion regarding environmental conservation and her proactive participation in fundraising initiatives. Ramsay is also a former Professor for the School of Media, Arts and Design at both Loyalist and Durham Colleges.
As a kick-off to the new fundraising efforts, Lower Trent Conservation has partnered with Canada Helps as participants in The Great Canadian Giving Challenge™. From now until June 30th, every dollar donated to Lower Trent Conservation through this challenge qualifies them for a chance to win $10,000. Anyone interested in making a contribution is asked to visit www.ltc.on.ca and click on The Great Canadian Giving Challenge™.
Canada Helps (www.canadahelps.org) is an organization providing small to medium sized charities with online fundraising solutions.
“Education is key, but it is only the first step in protecting our watersheds. We need to convince people to take what they have learned through our educational programs and put it into action,” says Rodgers.
Lower Trent Conservation is a non-profit, community-based environmental agency that protects, restores and manages the natural resources within the Trent River valley. It works with local communities to create a healthy, environmentally diverse watershed that improves the quality of life for residents, makes the area more appealing to visitors and new business, and helps to ensure a more vibrant regional economy.
