GHIB names first recipients of community benefits grants

Some local projects are the first to reap the benefits of Canada's largest infrastructure enterprise.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) project has named the first recipients of its community benefits grant program. This is the first of five awards given out yearly to registered non-profit agencies and organizations that serve residents of Windsor's Sandwich Towne area, as well as southwest Detroit's Delray neighbourhood.

"The project team is working closely with our neighbouring community members, involving them in the project and delivering meaningful benefits that will positively impact their quality of life. We are listening. We are partnering. We are connecting communities," said Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) CEO Bryce Phillips.

Nine projects will share in this year's allotment of $100,000, six of them in Windsor and the rest in Detroit. The Windsor award recipients are as follows.

• Sandwich First Baptist Church, for the Sandwich Underground Railroad Freedom Museum
• The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Windsor Essex Central Council, for the Helping Hands Friendship Centre
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex, for the Big Neighbourhood Sandwich effort
• Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA), for its bi-national Detroit River cleanup
• Les Amis (Friends of) the Duff-Bâby Mansion, for its grand opening
• Friends of the Court volunteers at Mackenzie Hall, for the Spreading Our Roots campaign

The three projects in southwest Detroit are the following.

• West Vernor & Springwells Business Improvement District (BID), for its "The BID Is Open for Business" initiative
• Bridging Communities, Inc., for the Southwest Expanded Seniors Services
• Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church's food pantry, for expansion and replacement of its pantry equipment

These projects will receive their funding next month.

There were fifty applications submitted for funding during the evaluation period between November 2019 and January of this year. The process of awarding grants in 2021 will open up in November.

Complete information on the community benefits program, as well as the latest updates on the bridge's construction, can be found at the official GHIB website.