A town councillor held her second in what she hopes will be a series of roundtables, with stakeholders starting to come up with initiatives they can work towards.
Councillor Patricia Simone met with a series of non-profit groups and organizations last Monday night and a number of topics were discussed with two of the main results to come from the most recent roundtable being a desire to compile a database of non-profit and community agencies so a network can be created and to look into relief over the cost of police clearances.
The database could be both in online and print formats and Simone said “it’s a way of knowing what services are available.” Community groups expressed a desire to be able to refer people to one another should the service they need not be available at their location.
Amherstburg Food and Fellowship Mission vice president Zainia Brockett suggested a booklet could be offered to people, noting she knows many who do not have Internet access. ACS executive director Kathy DiBartolomeo said they can’t just focus on their own clients and “we have to work with everyone” in the community.
Non-profit agencies and churches were invited to submit a one-page summary on what they offer and the services they provide.
The affordability of police clearances locally was also another topic raised during the roundtable discussion, with representatives of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul noting that members have not only had to pay for a police clearance, but some also have also had to be fingerprinted by the RCMP.
“It’s a huge expense if volunteers are on a fixed income,” noted Simone.
Rotary Club of Amherstburg member Susanne Bergeron agreed, noting even small amounts of money to some “can make a big difference” to others.
Simone said she will follow the issue up with the Windsor Police Service – Amherstburg Detachment to see if a compromise or any relief can be found.
Representatives of the Amherstburg Community Foundation (ACF) – including president Richard Peddie, vice president Chris Gibb and director Linden Crain – were also on hand with Peddie pointing out their next “Thought Leaders” series is coming up March 5 at the Libro Centre and opened the door for non-profit organizations to step forward and put in applications for projects they are working on.
“You are helping to make Amherstburg a better place to live,” he stated. “We want to hear from volunteer, grassroots organizations. We’ll see if we can help you.”
The March 5 event features Hamilton’s general manager of planning and economic development Jason Thorne as the guest speaker. Applications for groups seeking funding will also be distributed at that meeting. More information on the event can be found at www.amherstburgfoundation.org.