This year, the LoveMyHood team can't help but reflect on our dedicated and passionate community of Kitchener residents

While 2020 has been an incredibly difficult year that has required our community to practice physical distancing, Kitchener residents have found new ways to connect with their neighbours to create meaningful, lasting change in their neighbourhoods.

This passion for community and neighbourhood connection was clearly reflected in the many applications we received this year through the LoveMyHood Matching Grant.

Originally amounting to $150,000 in total available funds, the grant was also enhanced this year by a $10,000 sponsorship with the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Fund. As a result, our dedicated team of Selection Committee members, made up of resident volunteers and city staff, were able to award the total $160,000 in funding available to support 22 resident-led projects including community gardens, a diverse little library project that amplifies Black, Indigenous and racialized voices, traffic-calming interventions and a community-based quilt project to name a few. These projects will take place in 17 different neighbourhoods across all 10 of the city’s wards, making it one of the most successful intake periods in the history of LoveMyHood. 

The incredible success of the grant this year shows that even with all the challenges and uncertainty we have collectively experienced in 2020, our sense of togetherness and community is still the hallmark of who we are as a city.

As these projects take shape, the safety and health of our community members remains our top priority. Our team of Neighbourhood Liaisons will continue to work with each resident group to ensure that each project adheres to the Region of Waterloo’s Public Health guidelines.

Looking ahead towards the new year, we are confident that the projects led by creative Kitchener residents and supported through the LoveMyHood Matching Grant will continue to contribute to our city's collective sense of neighbourhood pride and community belonging for years to come.

We look forward to supporting even more resident-led projects through another year of the LoveMyHood Matching Grant in 2021!

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