The Community Development Corp. (CDC) is now accepting grant applications for the Community Capacity Building Fund. The CDC has $20,000 to invest in projects and would like to maximize impact by funding a variety of projects in both for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations/social enterprises. The intent of the funding is to strengthen our communities by…
A loan from the Orillia CDC enabled Candy Potter (registered psychotherapist) and Steve Caston (graphic designer) to create Cocoon Orillia – beautiful turnkey offices for psychotherapists, social workers and other independent health and wellness practitioners in the Orillia Area. “The CDC understood our vision, and gave us the support, guidance, and financial backing to make…
“I graduated from university in 2022, and was lucky to find a summer position at The Couchiching Conservancy that same year. As a new graduate entering the conservation field for the first time, I had lots of learning to do. By the end of my summer position, I felt like I was just getting started.…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWecBINOQo8 Community Futures Ontario recognizes the BizLink Program as the Community Economic Development (CED) Project of the year. BizLink, a regional Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) program, connects new entrepreneurs with retiring business owners and supports them through successful business transitions, simultaneously developing successful entrepreneurs who create employment, maintain valuable goods and service offerings, and…
https://youtu.be/3J7ktWmdZuk On April 5, 2023, BizLink and its four regional Community Futures offices hosted the event: Your Entrepreneurial Journey – Don’t Travel Alone. At this event, attendees learned how to build the right team of people, both within and outside their organization, to enhance their success. The event Included: Networking Adventure Sarah-Jane VandenBerg, Author, Speaker…
“The Pathways to Employment program has served as a wonderful opportunity for me. Recently graduating from the University of Guelph, I was unsure what my next steps would be – something almost every graduate struggles with. I was grateful to work alongside the CDC team to find a job that would suit my skills and…
https://youtu.be/-MXwBGst3So Some business owners can’t get enough of businesses in Orillia and area, and Timm McLean is definitely one of them. McLean has owned a number of businesses in Orillia, including Extreme Rockstar Clothing which was active from 2008-2014. He is now the CEO of WLTH on Coldwater St. East. When McLean decided he…
These two Ontario-ordained Ministers and entrepreneurs don’t shy away from conversations about death, even if most of us do. Instead, they educate Canadians on a simple, eco-friendly and innovative alternative to traditional funeral and burial options. Amanda Kelly and Lauren Andrew are the founders of AWAKE, an ashes-to-earth eco-solution company offering Canada’s only carbon-neutral cremation…
The Orillia Area Community Development Corporation (CDC) issued 75 loans in the first year of the pandemic, providing over $2.5 million in COVID-19 relief funding to 59 area businesses through a federal program. Orillia CDC general manager Wendy Timpano gave city council an overview of the organization’s economic development work at this week’s meeting. “We provide business…
Mariposa Arts Theatre (MAT) has come a long way in its 53 years of existence, from humble beginnings with shows in St. Paul’s United Church and rehearsals in cast members’ living rooms, to mounting the incredible Rocky Horror Show, with a budget of over $70,000, to capacity crowds at the Orillia Opera House last fall. This…
