Posted by: OSCA
Dear Community,
I hope you are well and in good spirits this festive season.
We recognize that the provincewide shutdown beginning December 26th will be in place for the next several weeks. We’ve made it this far as a community, and OSCA is committed to continuing to do all we can to keep our community safe. We are paying careful attention to the new regulations and will be communicating updates on a regular basis. The centre will remain closed until the restrictions are lifted. We will continue to run programs virtually. We will be in touch with clients of After 4 with pertinent updates. Don’t forget to follow us on social media or go to oldottawasouth.ca for regular updates.
For many of us, the time between Christmas and New Year’s is a welcomed seasonal “pause.” It’s a time for reflection, a break from work and the usual routines of daily life, a time for family and friends and a moment to be “on our own time.”
OSCA is taking a pause, too. Firehall staff is on Christmas Break and will return to work Monday, January 4th, 2021. The Board of Directors and the many volunteers who keep our Firehall running are taking some much-needed time off, but you can be sure that during this winter pause, we’ll be reflecting on 2020 and planning for 2021.
Everyone at OSCA (staff and volunteers) thanks you once again for your generosity to Save Our Firehall campaign. Your pledges and contributions have surpassed $50K! And although we still have a long way to go, you have made it possible to keep our doors open for an additional 6 weeks – that’s a lot to be proud of!
Aside from your compassionate support, OSCA has also been applying for grants. This year, we managed to keep most of our full-time staff employed with the help of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and the updated Canada Summer Jobs Grant. OSCA also successfully applied to the Red Cross’s Resilient Communities Grant and continues to draw on its operations reserve fund. More recently, we applied to the Trillium Foundation but we won’t know if we’re successful until March 2021 – which is why your recent donations and donations in the coming days are extra-important until then.
For those of you who donated with cheques, thank you. We do not have an automated confirmation for receipt, but we will formally confirm receipts in January. One of our goals in early 2021 is to provide more information to you about our fundraising activities and goals.
You see, this is OSCA’s first digital fundraising campaign. We’re a small organization and are trying very hard to keep you up-to-date. Thank you for your patience. We are so grateful for your support and your trust in us.
If you have questions in the meantime, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. We will expand on these questions in the New Year to provide you with more information.
You are doing an amazing job. So, please, keep spreading the word. We’ve made incredible progress – and with your support, we will Save Our Firehall!
Please continue to follow us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Instagram: https://www.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/old-
OSCA Executive Director