Ottawa Community Housing Foundation Receives a $20,000 Grant from The Home Depot Canada Foundation to Help Youth & the Lowertown Community Resource Youth Centre Gets a Facelift

OTTAWA, Sept. 5, 2013 /CNW/ - The Ottawa Community Housing Foundation for Healthy Communities, Volunteer Canada and The Home Depot Canada Foundation joined forces to help Ottawa youth. On September 5^th, Home Depot volunteers from stores across Ottawa descended - hammers in hand and skills in tow - on the Lowertown Community Resource Youth Centre in a tightly-coordinated indoor renovation project.

The Lowertown Community Resource Youth Centre offers a wide range of social and community services to youth and families residing in Lowertown. Working alongside youth from the area, Home Depot volunteers painted walls, refurbished floors, built cabinets and reorganized the space that has welcomed so many youth from the area. This community build project is a perfect fit for The Home Depot Canada Foundation whose focus is supporting affordable housing.

The Home Depot Canada Foundation also committed to a significant investment - in the amount of $20,000 - in the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation to further support programs for youth living in Ottawa Community Housing communities.

"We are thankful to The Home Depot Canada Foundation for our first grant," said Wendy Mitchell, Executive Director of the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation for Healthy Communities. "It will be put to good use and help a lot of people."

Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) is the largest social housing provider in Ottawa, and the second largest in Ontario. OCH provides 14,783 homes for about 32,000 seniors, parents, children, singles and persons with special needs. The Ottawa Community Housing Foundation for Healthy Communities goes beyond the bricks and mortar of OCH housing. Its focus is the people who live in OCH communities across Ottawa. The OCH Foundation empowers OCH tenants to take a leadership role in their financial, educational and personal situations.

The Home Depot Canada Foundation has long committed to building strong communities for families and youth-in-need. September 1 marked the 11 year anniversary of its annual Celebration of Service Campaign. The month-long campaign honours Team Depot volunteers from coast-to-coast by acknowledging their dedication to volunteerism.

"Active at all 180 stores across Canada, associates are encouraged and empowered to take a leadership role in their communities by volunteering on projects with local and national partners, just like this one in Ottawa," said Peg Hunter, Chair of the Board of Directors for The Home Depot Canada Foundation. "As a core value of our organization, giving back is crucial to enhance the communities we live and work in."

Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa, was on-site in the early morning hours to kick-off the day-long build event. The newly-refurbished Youth Centre will commemorate the work of the Home Depot Canada volunteers with a board-cutting ceremony at 3:30 (on-site at 201 Friel Street, entrance on Beausoleil Drive).

SOURCE: OCH Foundation for Healthy Communities

To coordinate a media interview or photo opportunity, please contact the OCH Foundation:
Wendy Mitchell, Executive Director of OCH Foundation: direct at 613-266-6427 or follow @OCH_Foundation
OR
Elizabeth Gray-Smith, Media Support at OCH Foundation: direct at 613-799-8552