Located just five miles west of Morden, the village of Thornhill is known for its friendly residents and country charm. When Theo Allen put in a request on behalf of the Thornhill Community Club for help with a new $20,000 community playground and park, the Foundation quickly jumped in with a $3,000 grant.
The funds were used to erect a fence, play structure, and provide picnic tables and benches. Thornhill now has a beautiful green space for community events and fellowship, as well as a place for residents to gather and visit.
In our fast paced world, we don’t always have time to sit down and read a book. Some of us struggle with reading, and others simply enjoy being read to. The MAF was pleased to assist the Morden Library in purchasing ten digital audio books. Plug in some headphones or link them to your stereo, and the book will be read to you.
The library has received over $15,000 in grants from the Foundation since 1995, and it has a dedicated fund within the foundation which anyone can donate to, providing future financial resources for the library as needs arise.
Launched in 1967 as part of Canada’s centennial celebrations, the Corn & Apple Festival brings tens of thousands of people to Morden the fourth weekend in August to enjoy Morden’s friendly hospitality, free corn and apple cider, as well as free entertainment, a midway, and countless other activities. The Corn & Apple Festival is a family event which caters to all age groups with a variety of wholesome entertainment in a relaxing atmosphere.
The influx of so many visitors every August brings opportunities and challenges, leading the MAF to grant $2,749 towards $4,749 in improvements for the portable public washrooms set up on Nelson Street. The improvements included replacing the paper towel dispensers with electric hand dryers and installing motion detector lights over the stairs in the entrances, providing a safer, more sanitary facility for guests and participants of the Festival.
From December 1st to mid-March, the outdoor rink on the grounds of the Morden Courthouse is used every day. The grant for rink enhancements was spearheaded by Fire Chief Andy Thiessen and Constable Brent Menzies. The improvements included repairs to the boards and ice-cleaning tractor, providing a bench for lacking up skates, and new net near the bench to prevent skaters from getting pucks in the head while they lace up their skates.
The rink is used by groups of all ages and fosters a strong sense of community. Even when the temperatures hit -30º with wind chill, you’ll find brave souls outside enjoying the facility. The Foundation board is proud to support projects like this, ones that make our citizens happier and healthier, and that continue to build a strong sense of community.
In 2008 the Foundation joined with local governments and other rural foundations in pledging $25,000 towards the purchase of a Magnetic Resonance Imager (MRI) for the Boundary Trails Health Centre.
This sophisticated $7,000,000 imager uses magnetic fields and radio frequencies to generate pictures of the inside of the human body. Only the second MRI to be located outside of Winnipeg, it provides thousands of rural Manitobans with more convenient access to quality diagnostic services.
