Ed Mathany, president of the Baysville Curling and Bocce Club, hopes a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation will allow them to open their club to more people.
“Our goal is to be more accessible for the community,” he said during an announcement over the weekend at 10 Carol St. in Baysville.
Mathany explained the $23,100 grant through the Foundation’s Resilient Communities Fund will help the club do an accessibility study for the club’s four-decade-old building. He added it will also allow them to bolster their programs, including one designed for people just getting started in curling.
Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith was one of a few dignitaries on hand. He pointed out how he was active with multiple service clubs before getting into politics.
“It led me to municipal politics and eventually provincial but all through that I had the opportunity to work with other volunteers, talk to people in different clubs and, of course, growing up in the area know how much organizations like this really matter to communities,” he said.
Mathany said the community is what has allowed the club to continue running.
“All of the club’s financial resources were exhausted during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
However, despite the club having a small membership base, Mathany said they have raised thousands of dollars over the year to replace various pieces of equipment that have broken down.
“This volunteer-run not-for-profit club is really a big part of the social fabric of the Township of Lake of Bays and we’re so pleased with our continued growth,” finished Mathany.