OTF grant helps Life After Fifty make its auditorium more accessible

OTF grant helps Life After Fifty make its auditorium more accessible
 
Life After Fifty works towards enriching the lives of older adults by providing opportunities to be fit, well and social. In 2019, Life After Fifty, LAF was awarded a Capital Grant of $57,900 from Ontario Trillium Foundation, OTF to support upgrades to their 635 McEwan location.
 
Recognizing the OTF grant, Lisa Gretzky, MPP for Windsor West stated, “The work Life After Fifty does in our community is well known, vital and always deeply appreciated,” said Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky. “This generous grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to improve accessibility to the west-end facility will be most appreciated as the restrictions end and it reopens as a busy centre of activity for our older residents.”
 
The work was completed in 2020 with the goal of enhancing accessibility in the auditorium. Improvements included the addition of automatic, doors to the centre’s auditorium, as well as brighter LED lighting, a new sound system to clearly amplify voices, a stage to enhance visibility of instructors, new chairs appropriate for seated exercise classes, and a fresh coat of paint using a colour scheme chosen by LAF members, themselves. 
 
“Ontario Trillium Foundation is supporting the non-profit sector to provide these much-needed enhancements. These upgrades were completed to improve the quality of programming at the centre creating a safer, more physically accessible, and comfortable space for seniors to lead fulfilling and active lifestyles.  The few members who have seen the improvements are thrilled!  Many more will be able to enjoy this amazing welcoming space when we return to in-person programming. stated Joyce Nixon, Executive Director, Life After 50.
 
Sadly because of COVID-19, the opportunity for social interaction with others face-to-face, the variety of in-person classes we offer based on people’s desired activities, and the level of mental wellness that comes with participating in social and physical activities have all been denied to members of Life After Fifty. The organization had to transition to virtual programming and provided the members with A Step-by-Step Guide to a Zoom Meeting so that they could still attend classes via Zoom. The renovations to the building will allow safe return once the pandemic restrictions are lifted. “We are eager to welcome seniors back to a refreshed, safe, and accessible auditorium thanks to Ontario Trillium Foundation,” added Joyce Nixon.
 
Life After Fifty (LAF) is a charitable, not-for-profit, organization and designated Seniors Active Living Centre providing activities for adults fifty and over.  We have been a consistent source of seniors programming in our community since 1962. Life After Fifty normally offers 120+ programs between our two centres to over 220 older adults, daily.
 
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. OTF awarded $115 million to 644 projects last year to build healthy and vibrant communities.