Will people become harder to govern the longer the pandemic continues? If so, is this a reflection of the lack of in-person interaction between our elected leaders and the general public? Government by virtual meetings and social media may be convenient, but have we lost a vital part of any good political communications strategy?
Three artists – Stephanie Boutari, Hawlii Pichette, and Meaghan Claire Kehoe – have been given the challenge of painting murals on the exterior wall of the WIL Employment Connections building in Market Lane in downtown London. The murals will emphasize the Carolinian Forest zone and ask viewers to consider the role of human beings in shaping the culture of our cities within the wider ecosystem.
The Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell has donated $30,000 to The Rotary Club of St. Thomas Foundation, which includes $20,000 to establish new awards for the Rotary Music Festival. Additionally, $10,000 has been provided to establish a ‘Music Student Fund’ to allow the Rotary Music Festival to support participating students who may require assistance to compete at the Festival or in higher competitions.
Our team at young & free press is very pleased to announce that the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell has donated $50,000 to the Old St. Thomas Church Restoration & Maintenance Trust to assist with the ongoing preservation of the building and grounds at 55 Walnut Street. Part of the contribution focusses on planting trees now and in the future to ensure the stability of the slope behind the Church along the Kettle Creek valley.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed in a heightened way the essential role of government. Who do we turn to for leadership when there is a crisis? For teenagers, this may have been the first time that we had to think of this through a real-life lens.
Our team at young & free press is happy to announce a donation of $425,000 to the Elgin County Museum from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell. This contribution will transform both how the Museum connects with the community and presents local history and culture.
Our team at young & free press is very excited to help introduce a new augmented reality app designed specifically to engage residents and visitors in London, St. Thomas and Port Stanley. Developed by EXAR Studios in London, the app – called ‘Engage’ – will guide users on unique adventures through each community with stops along the way to experience attractions just by looking through the camera of a smart phone. Murals will come to life, billboards and other cultural objects will move, and local history will become a stimulating visual reality!
Our team at young & free press is excited to announce that the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell is contributing $225,000 to the STEAM Centre in St. Thomas to introduce the new ‘STEAM Community Studio’ … this is a ground-breaking new program that focusses on experiential learning and civic engagement to foster collaboration between students and key community stakeholders including academics, teachers, and political, community and business leaders.
Our team at young & free press is thrilled to announce that funding has been provided to the Forest City Film Festival to offer three grants of $8,000 each to emerging filmmakers in southwestern Ontario! Filmmakers have the chance to make short documentaries about three projects supported by the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell in Elgin County & St. Thomas, including the construction of the new “Evans Sisters’ Stage” at Springwater Forest, the launch of the “Art, Trees & Trails” project by the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre, and the development of the “Track to the Future” mural project through Railway City Tourism.
Downtown London has some great arts and culture venues and many captivating businesses, parks, and landmarks. There are excellent festivals, events and concerts that happen downtown, which help drive residents and visitors to support businesses in the area. Teenagers can help to influence this activity and the overall culture. With youth having such an impact on society, I wanted to share some ideas of how we can attract more teenagers to downtown London.
Throughout this pandemic we have come to know the feeling of nearly losing our minds because we are unable to be around others. This has given us time to dream about creating places where we can gather. Quarantine is so boring, but gradually we will be able to return to public spaces. Looking at St. Thomas specifically, how can we really make our city a wonderful, welcoming place once we are finally set free? There are so many exciting possibilities!
On Thursday, June 11th, our team at young & free press announced an extraordinary donation of $750,000 from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell to the City of St. Thomas. This contribution includes $500,000 to support the establishment of the new Westlake-Evans Civic Park downtown, as well as $250,000 to boost the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project that will be coordinated through Railway City Tourism. We are very excited to help St. Thomas take another step toward becoming a major street art destination in Ontario.
Andrew Gunn and Maddie King of young & free press are acting as consultants on the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell. On Wednesday, June 10, we announced a donation of $100,000 to enhance the St. Thomas Elevated Park, as well as $115,000 to support the launch of the new ‘Art, Trees & Trails’ project in collaboration with the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre. Another $100,000 has been given to the Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation to establish the ‘Evans Tree Fund’, which will support tree-planting in the community for decades to come.
On Saturday, June 6, 2020, approximately 10,000 people attended the Black Lives Matter protest in downtown London. The event, which was organized by a group of young Black women from London, started in Victoria Park and included a march around the downtown area.
Our team at young & free press is very excited to announce that the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell is contributing $1.25M to the Elgin – St. Thomas Community Foundation to support a series of projects in the Elgin County and St. Thomas area. With $100,000, the Foundation will establish the ‘Evans Tree Fund’, which will be a permanent fund that supports tree-planting in the community. The rest of the funds will be allocated to launch a series of remarkable projects across Elgin County and St. Thomas. More announcements will follow soon.
Through a donation of $155,000 from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell, the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority will be creating the first ‘water trail’ in Elgin County by allowing enhanced public access to the Dalewood Reservoir and Kettle Creek and purchasing canoes and kayaks for community members and visitors to use.
On Tuesday, May 26th, Maddie and Andrew joined representatives of the Catfish Creek Conservation Authority and Steelway Building Systems to highlight a donation of $335,000 from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell to build the new “Evans Sisters’ Stage” at Springwater Forest in Elgin County.
Spending time in nature has been proven to have many positive impacts on your mental and physical health. Exercising and getting outside is especially important right now because most of us are inside a lot more than usual, and might not have realized how much of a positive impact getting physical activity and being outside made on our lives until the pandemic. With that in mind, you might be looking for some fresh ideas to get outdoor exercise.
On May 14, 2020, the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation announced a new artist development program in conjunction with GROW, the Elgin/St. Thomas Small Business Enterprise Centre, and Railway City Tourism. GROW began in 2019 as a short-term pop-up retail space available to small businesses looking to test a brick and mortar model. Through feedback from users, the partnership is being redeveloped into a longer-term accelerator space that will open in the Caboose at the Jumbo Memorial as soon as it is feasible to do so in accordance with COVID-19 reopening phases. The GROW program is possible through a partnership with Fanshawe College. Financial support for the project has been generously provided by a private donor in collaboration with Andrew Gunn Consulting & our team at young & free press.
During the pandemic, I have definitely noticed through speaking with my extended family and on social media that many people are stretching out their food supply as much as possible. This leads me to this question: when things return to normal, will the same standard apply?
