Placemaking in Support of Local Charities

Thanks to Waterdown Business Improvement Area (BIA) host businesses and successful bidders in the summer 2024 Chairing is Caring (CIC) auction, 18 different local charities are getting a financial boost this year through CIC proceeds totalling more than $14,000. Recent cheque presentations brought participating businesses and aligned charities together. Additional street benches have also been painted to serve as a permanent legacy of the CIC initiative.

The CIC program, supported by the My Main Street Community Activator initiative, brightened the Waterdown streetscape from July to mid-September with 18 artist-painted Muskoka chairs displayed in outdoor gallery locations throughout the Village. The chairs helped tell stories of the many diverse communities that call Waterdown home. The impact of CIC will now extend further to support many people served by the equity-deserving non-profit organizations aligned with the artist’s original works, while the permanent painted benches will continue to promote a message of inclusivity for years to come.

Charities supported by the Chairing is Caring initiative include Animal Adoptions of Flamborough, Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton, CCHF – Child & Youth Mental Health, CNIB Hamilton, Eagle’s Nest, Flamborough Connects, Flamborough Food Bank, Flamborough Women’s Resource Centre, Flamborough YMCA, Food 4 Kids Hamilton, Food with Grace Food Bank, Friends of Alexander Place, Hamilton Regional Indian Centre, Healthy Youth Network, ROCK – Reach Out Centre for Kids, Sacajawea Non-Profit Housing, Speqtrum Hamilton and The Friendship Bench.

The impact of the Chairing is Caring project has been greatly enhanced because of the My Main Street program, delivered by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), and supported by a Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).