Black History Ottawa teams up with Flo’s Seniors to host Funder Recognition Event
by Olivia Barrett, Editorial Associate
Thursday 14 December 2023
On December 14, Black History Ottawa recognized the contributions and support from organizations that have helped them serve the Black community at their Funder Recognition Event at J’TM Resto and Bar. From youth programming to improving the organization itself, these sponsors and partners have helped Black History Ottawa serve the community this past year.
The event honoured the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the United Way’s Community Service Recovery Fund, the Youth Opportunities Fund and the Ottawa Community Foundation. The support of these agencies has allowed Black History Ottawa to provide the Black community with an array of programs and opportunities.
Black History Ottawa vice president Jean-Marie Guerrier, explained that the event also served to celebrate and thank community members and volunteers for their support over the years. He added that the event also gave them the opportunity to see what Black History Ottawa has done throughout the year.
Additionally, the event recognized the partners and sponsors who have allowed Black History Ottawa and Flo’s Seniors to aid the community. Some of the sponsors and partners include RBC, the Ottawa Senators, the City of Ottawa, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, The National Gallery of Canada, Canada Post and many others. Sponsors, like RBC and the National Hockey League, have aided in providing different programs and opportunities during Black History Month and allow Black History Ottawa to continue to provide these unique opportunities to different age groups within the Black community.
With the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Black History Ottawa has received funding for two separate projects. The BHO Resilient Communities Funding has allowed the organization to hire a project officer and also support Ottawa’s only Black news magazine, Black Ottawa Scene. Their funding has also aided in the Flo’s Seniors Capacity Building project. Flo’s Seniors is an organization that focuses on connecting older Canadians with different resources and supports around the city to mitigate loneliness among seniors.
Funding from the Youth Opportunities Fund has helped Black History Ottawa set up a mentorship program. This program provides over 70 youth aged 13 to 19 with access to different sessions ranging in topics from financial literacy to critical thinking and more, explained Guerrier.
This support goes beyond aiding in setting up different programs for the Black Community.
The Ottawa Community Foundation and the City of Ottawa have helped Black History Ottawa create the Black History in Ottawa Streets project. Launching in the spring of 2024, this project will take people on a bus tour of sites in Ottawa that have significant ties to Canadian Black history, such as Chloe Cooley, London Oxford, West Indian Domestics, Herbert and Estelle Brown, , Barber Street and Nelson Mandela Square.
Photo credit: Sarah Onyango
The support of the United Way Community Service Recovery Fund through strategic planning has helped Black History Ottawa to continue as an organization. With strategic planning, grant writing and communication consulting, the United Way has assisted Black History Ottawa in improving itself to continue helping the Black community in the city.
Photo credit: Sarah Onyango
Among the guests in attendance were: Yomi Pratt, President of the Global Community Alliance; Jacquie Dixon, President of the Barbados Association; Renfrew Thomas of the Jamaica Ottawa Community Association; Thomas Barber, whose family was among the earliest Black settlers in Ottawa; Princewill Ogban, Anti-Racism and Diversity Specialist with the National Gallery of Canada, and Suzette Small-Weekes, President of the St. Vincent’s and Grenadines Association of Ottawa.
Photo credit: Sarah Onyango