Press Release - December 18, 2007

C/O 1626 Wigamog Rd., RR 2

Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0

MEDIA RELEASE                                                    December 18, 2007

For Immediate Release

OTF Grant Breathes New Life into Highlands Squash Club

Haliburton – On Tuesday morning, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, Laurie Scott, was in Haliburton to celebrate some wonderful news for the local community.  Thanks to a recently awarded, $15,000, grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, The Highlands Squash Club will be able to complete much needed renovations to their facility.  Joining MPP Scott to congratulate the group on their achievement was OTF representative Klara Oyler.

“As the MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, I am pleased with this great opportunity to recognize and encourage the dedicated and hard working volunteers at the Highlands Squash Club,” said Scott.  “The renovations to the club, as a result of this funding, will ensure that people of all ages in our community have access to this important and fun form of recreation and physical activity.”

Although the club has been around since 1980, the club had become inactive in 1999. In its hay-day, the club was used by over 100 members of the community on an ongoing basis.  Thanks to a dedicated group of community members, the club was re-opened in 2004. The grant from the Foundation will enable the club to replace the heating and A/C systems and install observation windows. These upgrades are in addition to subsequent work to be done to restore the courts to a more useable quality as well as roof repair.  Once the upgrades are complete, programs/activities will include a membership drive, an open house, and the introduction of house leagues - as well as partnerships with schools to provide access for children and youth.

”The support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation is the key to re-launching a healthy and vibrant squash facility in Haliburton County,” said Glen Carter (President). “Without this support, the purchase of essential capital equipment would have been extremely difficult and time-consuming.”

The Club provides two squash courts in the Village of Haliburton.  There are 65 current members and there have been 60-65 pay-as-you-go members since 2004.  There are also over 100 interested individuals in the database.  The Club is currently providing first come first serve access to the courts by providing community access to the key and by providing intergenerational round robin play two nights per week.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For 25 years, the Foundation has supported the growth and vitality of communities across the province.  OTF continues to strengthen the capacity of the volunteer sector through investments in community-based initiatives.  For more information, please visit www.trilliumfoundation.org.

Please visit out website at www.highlands-squash-club.com or for more information, contact Glen Carter at 457-2862 (kashaga@sympatico.ca) or Don Gage at 457-1110 (dongage@candlelight.ca).

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Last modified: April 09, 2010