The project entitled, Acadia Place, is the transformation of the former Acadia Street School into a centre of community programming and activity. The Aviva Community Fund is a funding program initiated by the Aviva Insurance community to support Canadians and their projects and ideas to help their communities grow and change. Categories include Health, Sport & Active Living, Environment & Sustainability, Animal Welfare, Schools & Education and At Risk Youth.
Hundreds of projects from across the nation are presented and are voted on through the Aviva Community Fund Facebook page. There are three rounds of competition and 40 projects are selected from each round. Each person may vote for the project of their choice once a day. Voting for the first round concludes on October 13 and has just begun.
The Acadia Place project is in the Health, Sport and Active Living category.
“Acadia Place will become a hub of intergenerational activity,” says New Glasgow Mayor Barrie MacMillan. “New Glasgow strives to provide a strong nurturing and enriching environment for families and this will be a new opportunity for more community engagement and activity.”
A business plan is being developed to provide space for year round recreational programming for all ages and a variety of interests as well as a home for our town’s seniors club and several sporting groups. There will be opportunities for other community organizations to be housed in this facility and to create an environment by which there will be a blending of seniors and youth in a structured community setting.
“We are really hoping that the community will come out in full force and support this significant project,” says Geralyn MacDonald, New Glasgow’s Director of Community Economic Development. “Our community is known for its voting machine and this is an important project that will greatly benefit residents of all ages.”
Anyone in Canada who is registered on the Aviva Community Fund Web Site can vote for ideas during the qualifying and semi-final phases of the competition. Once registered all voters have to do is click on the Vote now button on any idea. Or if you are registered using Facebook Connect, you may vote directly through Aviva’s Facebook voting app, which can be found at facebook.com/AvivaCommunityFund – IDEA NUMBER ACF19706. Votes may be made 15 times during each of the three qualifying rounds and another 15 votes during the semi-finals. Aviva says it established the contest and investment opportunity as a way to better understand the communities the company serves.
