The wall quilt depicts a variety of local flowers representing the 9 founding tenant agencies and took Lippert over 200 hours to  make. The quilt is now hanging in the Orillia Common Roof lobby for everyone’s enjoyment and will later be installed  in  the 1^st floor atrium to make space for the Living Wall.

The Grand Opening festivities, themed to celebrate families, will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include greetings from local dignitaries, plaque installations, plus  building tours starting at 3:00 p.m. to showcase  tenant programs, an art work display, community kitchen cooking, and native drumming.

The New Path Foundation  event is open to the public and invites community members to attend in anticipation of the Family Day Holiday later in the week.

And so the fact remains that there are numerous groups, all doing good work for our community, out there competing for support dollars so that their programs or services can survive.

A lot of energy, time and people power is expended to research possible funding sources, build a proposal, and apply to the funder with follow-up. Usually even more resources are required to run an event. The rate of success can be directly related to the ‘talent’ that your office employs for writing, publicity and engagement and the time that can be devoted to it.

Most of the human service organizations that I have been involved with would far rather focus on the work that they do rather than ‘fundraise’ to see that it happens. The Common Roof model is a vehicle to help these organizations sustain their program while assisting with their operating budget.

To become a Common Roof partner an organization provides capital funds to accomplish building retrofits. This partner designation provides opportunities that ensure high visibility and affordable space and more importantly future sustainability and potential growth for the agency. What this means is that they are able to participate in a 10-year fixed rate plan and once the mortgage is paid they receive an unrestricted grant equalling 60-65% of their rent.

Nadine Ritchie, Coordinator of the Orillia Housing Resource Centre believes this is a great opportunity. “The benefit for us and for our clients is that we can focus our energy on the work we do, front-line services assisting people to find appropriate housing and less time on fund raising.”

However, fundraising does do more than just raise funds; it provides an opportunity to advertise your group’s vision and mission for those who need the services. Fundraising helps to engage the public about your program; helping to build a volunteer base. Fundraising efforts publicize the need filled by the organization’s mandate and can strengthen the bonds of the people doing the good work.

New Path Foundation has been fortunate to be the recipient of several funding opportunities for the Orillia Common Roof facility since the project started last year. One of the most fun and effective fundraiser for getting the word out about this project was the Orillia Winter Carnival’s Polar Bear Dip that took place in February.

Records of numbers of people came out to brace the cold waters of Lake Couchiching in support of our Common Roof Community Resource Centre and Couchiching Jubilee House’s new ‘house’.

Common Roof ‘chilly dippers’ included 9 Orillia Parks & Recreation aquatics team, New Path staffers Michelle Vennard and Doug Moore with family member Nick and friend Ely who all did a chillingly fine plunge. Media both before and during the event helped to create even more excitement and special thanks goes to Rob Reid of Swisssh Radio.

Jim Storey presenting his pledge of $2500 to Neville Twine of New Path Foundation

However, New Path had a sponsor in the Common Roof corner that got the funds rolling in for this ‘fundraising’ event. Jim Storey, Bradanick Construction’s general manager and contractor for the Common Roof retrofit pledged $2500 to the dippers and challenged others to offer support as well. This challenge started an internal fundraising frenzy and along with pledges from the community dippers resulted in an overall total raised of $9695 for the Common Roof.

Thanks to all who participated, donated or produced to the dip’s efforts the Common Roof is now a house hold name in Orillia.

Other fundraiser events this month by New Path Foundation include: Expand the Reach initiative with speak by Theo Fleury ‘Don’t Quit before the Miracle’, Tuesday, June 7 at 8p.m., Georgian Theatre in Barrie.

Not Just Jazz, Music, Mirth & Magic, Friday, June 17 at 7p.m. South Shore Centre, Barrie. Both events are to support children/youth mental health. For tickets see www.newpath.ca

Common Roof construction is ongoing and should be completed in July with various groups taking residency at the 169 Front St. S property in August. There is space still available for your agency to have a home within the Orillia Common Roof. Contact Laurie at the Orillia New Path Foundation office at 705-259-7663 for information about the Orillia Common Roof Project.

Glen Newby, President and CEO, and Ken Edwards, Director of Finance and Administration, along with Laurie Herd, Orillia Common Roof Coordinator, presented at the recent NonProfit Centres Network (NCN) conference in Los Angeles, California on May 9 – 11, 2011.  The NCN is a bi-national network of non-profit organizations which have realized, understood, and taken the first steps at ensuring agency sustainability through the use of shared space and shared services.  New Path, through the Common Roof projects, has been active on this network for a number of years, attending conferences regularly throughout the United States.  This past presentation focused on New Path business tools and assessment considerations that help determine the viability of going to scale and building the Orillia Common Roof.  The New Path team joined up with the United Way of Greater Houston, which has also successfully accomplished some similar initiatives throughout Texas.  The team was very pleased that over sixty Canadians attended this conference, more than ever in the past.  There is no question that the movement towards multi-tenant facilities is well underway now in Canada.

The NonProfit Centres Network has also just released the first-ever assessment of organizations sharing facilities across the US and Canada, and have documented evidence of what we have known for sometime about the Common Roof:

 “Significant improvements in overall effectiveness and efficiency, ultimately yielding greater impacts for the communities we serve”.

New Path’s Common Roof projects were active participants in this research.  The Executive Summary will be available soon at http://www.nonprofitcenters.org.

Glen Newby has been invited to sit on the NCN Steering Committee for the next three years to help further support and help guide future directions.  Perhaps one day the NCN conference will be held here in Southern Ontario.

Young people, who participate in sports, music or the arts, have unique relationships with their coach for these activities. Our goal is to create a “tool-kit” that would provide coaches with resources to better assist the youth they work with, and therefore capitalize on the close relationship. We hope this means that young people exhibiting mental health problems will receive the support they need earlier. 

We don’t yet know what the “tool-kit” will be, or what will be in it.   It could include a book of resources/phone numbers, mental health information/facts on early identification and intervention, how to approach coaching from a youth engagement model etc. We won’t know until we hear directly from the coaches, and that’s why we’re asking them about their experiences on the front lines. 

New Path Foundation and New Path Youth and Family Services will be celebrating the launch of this initiative with an event on Tuesday, June 7th 2011, Theo Fleury – Don’t Quit Before the Miracle.  Theo Fleury is a former NHL All-Star, Stanley Cup winner and Olympic Gold Medalist. Recently, Theo fascinated readers with his #1 bestseller, “Playing With Fire”. Now he is one of the country’s most in-demand keynote speakers. He shares funny stories behind the scenes with the game’s biggest stars. Theo tells jaw-dropping anecdotes of living hard at the top of the NHL, the crash that followed, and finally his comeback and redemption. Theo knows what it takes to become a champion, build a strong team and overcome incredible odds. His presentations entertain, motivate and inspire.

Details for this exciting event are as follows:

                                  Tuesday, June 7, 2011
                      Georgian Theatre, Georgian College
                                               Barrie, ON
                       8:00 pm – doors open at 7:30 pm

                              General Admission Tickets
                 Adults $20    Youth (24 yrs and under) $5

Tickets are available at the following locations:
Common Roof Barrie 705-725-4970
Common Roof Orillia 705-259-7663
New Path Barrie Office 705-733-2654
New Path Orillia Office 705-325-6161

For further information about this project or event and tickets please contact: Lisa Cluett, 705-458-4338 ext. 248

The Common Roof is a multi-tenant, community-based social enterprise centre that provides quality, affordable, sustainable, and professional work and program space for health and human service non-profit agencies.

New Path Foundation board chair, Wendy Fairley welcomed the more than 70 community members who attended the event; where they were able to see the ‘vision’ in pictures and plans, talk to future tenants and supporters while learning more about the project and the values and mission behind it.

New Path Foundation President and CEO Glen Newby introduced the speakers including Anderson Charters Leadership Team rep, MP Bruce Stanton and MPP Garfield Dunlop, representing the Federal and Provincial Governments and the project’s infrastructure stimulus funding, City of Orillia Mayor Ron Stevens, Designer Douglas Hamilton and tenant/partner rep Bill Hutton Manager of Facilities for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.

The positive comments expressed by these folks is further magnified by the work and dedication to the project by Brian Emms Environmental Technologist and GH Stewart Construction for the site analysis and preparation, Steenhof Building Services Group for engineering and project management as well as Chorny Associates Architect Inc, Mechanical & Electrical Design by JD Hubbert & Associates and Surveyor Jeff Marshall of Dearden & Stanton.

New Path VP, Neville Twine and Project Coordinator, Laurie Herd have been working directly with various local agencies and organizations some who sit as representatives on the Project Leadership Team and act as a liaison with the New Path Foundation Board of Directors, all of whom are driving the project forward.

Many agencies in our region are in desperate need to find a ‘home’ and are gratefully looking to New Path as it facilitates the development of the Common Roof in Orillia. This is a unique and welcome opportunity to provide agency clients and families’ access to ‘one-stop shopping’ for services in fully accessible facilities, conveniently located where resources are used more efficiently and increasingly diverted to direct services. Partner agencies will have increased occasion and incentives to work collaboratively through shared infrastructure, office space and services providing opportunities for increased tenant numbers while expanding employment prospects.

The Orillia Common Roof ground breaking event was intended to celebrate this shared prospect with our community members, agencies, businesses and local leaders. Thank you to all of those who took time out of their day to attend as well as those were there in spirit. It was enhanced by the contributions and support by many including Orillia Bakery & Deli, Country Style Atherley Road location, Home Hardware Building Centre, Full of Blooms, Complete Rent-Alls Orillia, GH Stewart Construction, the Orillia Housing Resource Centre, and our Media Partners.

Special mention goes to Special Olympics, Orillia whose representatives helped with set-up, pop-corn distribution and cleanup on Sept 17th. This group also attended a site cleanup to help prepare the property prior to the event. Twenty-six family, friends and special Olympian athletes worked as a team to cleanup and remove waste from the Front Street site.  This group also looks forward to the day that they will have facilities to call ‘home’ and are presently working with New Path to develop a plan to see that this happens.

New Path Foundation gratefully acknowledges support of the Ground Breaking Event and sincere thanks goes out to everyone involved.

Strengthening the social programs within our community helps to empower its members. The Orillia Common Roof project offers numerous and varied opportunities providing all community members access to; services, diverse activities, work, and play within safe, accessible, professional, visible and affordable facilities.

The Orillia Common Roof™ is being developed through leadership and community collaboration with individuals representing various local non-profit agencies and New Path Foundation plus the support and forward thinking of local governments, business representatives, City of Orillia Mayor and Council and staff members and the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada.

To learn more about this social enterprise please visit, www.thecommonroof.ca

Contact Information:

Laurie Herd, Coordinator
Orillia Common Roof
Tel: 705.259.7663 (ROOF)
lherd@thecommonroof.ca
Fax: 705.325.1612 (Attn. Laurie, Orillia Common Roof)

Neville Twine, VP New Path Foundation
Orillia Common Roof Project Leader
705-733-2654 x 229
ntwine@newpath.ca

The cleanup team getting the information on the site and future dreams for dedicated use in recreation.

The Special Olympics Orillia crew worked hard on the site cleanup at 169 Front St South, the future home of the Orillia Common Roof, recently. Twenty-six members participated including family, friends and special Olympian athletes in preparation for the ground breaking event hosted by New Path Foundation on September 17^th.

The cleanup crew did a great job with true team effort. New Path is working with several local groups, including the Special Olympics Orillia to help them establish a ‘home’ within this new community based centre.

Thank you team for your great work and initiative!

Lots of smiling faces from the Special Olympics Orillia cleanup crew after a great team effort.

Special Olympics Orillia will be hosting and information and open house at the Common Roof site,169 Front Street, South on Friday October 1st  from 5pm to 6:30 pm. Anyone interested in being involved with this group or for more information is asked to attend.