Ontario Trillium Foundation Capital Stream grant funds health and fitness equipment for The Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA

12 March 2021

$121,100 grant will contribute to creating a safe, welcoming space in Toronto’s east end, where young people, seniors and families can pursue opportunities for healthy, active living.

TORONTO, March 12, 2021 – The YMCA of Greater Toronto was grateful to have received a $121,100 Capital grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 2019 so that it could buy health and fitness equipment for The Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA. Located on Kingston Road at Willow Avenue in Toronto’s east end, The Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA will help provide an outlet for unstructured and structured physical activities, with an anticipated impact on the lives of almost 10,000 people in the community.

“We are tremendously excited for the Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA to open — and grateful for the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s generous grant to help them do so,” said Rima Berns-McGown, MPP for Beaches-East York. “Especially as we emerge from the pandemic, the community’s physical and mental health will benefit tremendously from this wonderful new centre.”

In this part of Toronto’s east end, many residents lack access to affordable community-based health programs and services. When complete, The Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA will offer: A Health and Fitness Centre, including: gym, pool, fitness studios and exercise areas; Child Minding and Family Services; Day Camps and Youth Programs; and Multi-purpose Spaces, available to neighbourhood groups and programs outside the YMCA.

The Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA is currently under construction on a 63,990 square foot property and is a redevelopment of the original East City YMCA. For more information or to sign up for newsletter updates, visit: stavrofamily.ymcagta.org.

“At the YMCA of Greater Toronto, we believe that every community member should have access to programs that benefit their physical, mental and social well-being, which is why we are so thankful to receive this grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation,” said Virginia Dimoglou, General Manager, The Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA. “Research indicates that communities are healthier when they have a YMCA and this funding will help achieve just that, while providing access to good health and well being, for individuals and families in the evolving east end of Toronto.”

About the YMCA of Greater Toronto

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is a charity that ignites the potential in people, helping them grow, lead and give back to their communities. For 170 years, the YMCA of Greater Toronto has provided opportunities for people to shine through a variety of programs and services including health and fitness, licensed childcare, camps, employment and immigrant services, education and training, and services for youth, families and seniors. Serving diverse communities across the Greater Toronto Area with kindness, well-being, integrity, inclusiveness, respect and optimism, last year the YMCA made more than 700,000 connections across 450 locations. For more information visit ymcagta.org.

About Ontario Trillium Foundation

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. OTF awarded $115 million to 644 projects last year to build healthy and vibrant communities in Ontario. For more information, please visit: www.otf.ca

For further information or to arrange an interview, contact: media@ymcagta.org.