Bringing Neighbourhood Ideas to Life

When Zak was walking to school with his dad, a speeding car passed dangerously close to them as they were crossing the street. While Zak was relieved they were not harmed, he realized others may not be as lucky and wanted to do something about it. Zak dreamed up an idea to post signs featuring neighbourhood kids encouraging drivers to slow down. Zak applied to LoveMyHood and became LoveMyHood's youngest successful applicant at the age of 12. Today, Zak's signs are installed on the roads surrounding Grand River Secondary School and Crestview Elementary School.

LoveMyHood was created to help residents turn ideas into action. When you connect with us, you'll be paired with a Project Coordinator who can help develop your idea, prepare your application, and navigate the steps needed to bring your project to life.  Our Project Coordinators have experience supporting a wide range of neighbourhood projects and love helping residents explore new ideas. Project Coordinators can help connect you with resources, navigate City processes, and overcome challenges along the way.

Zak's experience highlights the support available through LoveMyHood:

“The city supported me by giving me a grant to help pay for the signs and giving me mentors to help me throughout my journey. Yes, there's many challenges, but together we made it work and I'm happy. To see all the signs here is awesome. Some advice I would give to someone who wants to try to start a project would be, just do it. Don't be scared. Do it. LoveMyHood will help you throughout the whole process.”

We want to make applying for a LoveMyHood grant as easy as possible. That's why LoveMyHood offers grant writing workshops.

Our next LoveMyHood Grant Writing Workshop will take place on Zoom on Wednesday, September 23 from 7-8:30pm. For more information and to register, click here or email lovemyhood@kitchener.ca.

Even if you do not have an idea yet, but are interested in learning more, we would love for you to attend. In these friendly and relaxed workshops, attendees learn from Project Coordinators about the application process, grant criteria, and how applications are evaluated. We know that figuring out matching, budgets, and vision boards can be daunting, but we are here to ease your concerns and help you understand exactly what to do. You'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, explore potential project ideas, and learn more about the support available through LoveMyHood.

With the right support, a simple idea can grow into a project that makes a real difference in your neighbourhood. If you are looking to create opportunities for neighbours to connect, LoveMyHood is here to help. Take the first step and connect with us. Together, we can turn your vision into a project that strengthens your neighbourhood and helps Kitchener continue to thrive.