A new local initiative is getting some financial help thanks to the Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare Board of Directors.
On Wednesday afternoon, the board presented a $100,000 grant to ProsperUs, a non-profit that was formed in 2018 with the goal of creating a system that brings support and opportunities to children and youth in Windsor-Essex.
The investment will be the largest one that the organization has gotten to date and will help support its vision of "a Windsor-Essex where every young person has the opportunity and support to succeed from cradle to career."
United Way Centraide Windsor-Essex has established itself as the backbone organization of ProsperUs.
Local United Way CEO Lorraine Goddard said the $100,000 will go towards the initiative's various programs.
"The grant received today will help support engagement in priority neighbourhoods, essential training and development workshops for our community, access to transportation, childcare and food for participants and lastly will compensate members for their contributions to ProsperUs in the form of stipends which will provide additional financial support to families experiencing poverty," Goddard explained.
Brian Payne, the vice-chair of the Board of Directors, said they chose ProsperUs to be the grant recipient because of all the work they are doing to change the lives of those living in Windsor-Essex.
"Our role in this community extends beyond our hospital walls and requires true community partnerships. We know that growing up in poverty impacts a person's physical and mental health, educational achievement, access to safe and affordable housing and proper nutrition," said Payne. "At Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, we believe we are doing our part in helping to change the lives of generations to come."
