United Way funding for New Leaf Link

Aug 12, 2020

New Leaf Link (NeLL) is thrilled to be a recipient of funding allocated by United Way KFLA and Community Foundation, Kingston & Area serving as intermediaries for the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund to help charities and non-profit organizations adapt and increase frontline services for vulnerable populations during COVID-19. The Fund was designed to help organizations carry out their vital work to ensure no one is left behind. We appreciate that both local granting organizations were overwhelmed with applications for this emergency funding, and we are incredibly grateful to their dedicated staffs for their support in providing us funding.

We have received support for two projects aimed at providing vulnerable community members with increased access to virtual learning programs and activities. Even before COVID 19, these disabled adults faced social isolation and loneliness, made worse by the challenge of living in remote, rural communities, many without internet access. For these adults, maintaining social connections during this difficult time, with physical distancing, is crucial. Their isolation has been underscored and worsened with the coronavirus pandemic.

These two projects will help to reduce isolation of developmentally disabled adults in their rural communities by maintaining and strengthening social connections. Through our proposed updated website to make it interactive and more functional, and through regular wellness checks, virtual programming and in-person visits (done in accordance with safe social distancing guidelines), we will be able to provide needed support to all of our disabled adult participants and their families/caregivers. It has become clear from our limited contact these past few months that bonds between our incredible NeLL instructors, volunteers and our participants remain strong. We look forward to reconnecting as a group virtually until we can all be together again.