Four Niagara-based charities have received donations from the town’s preview funding program of the Shaw Festival.
With money raised from tickets residents buy for Shaw’s special spring performances, the festival donated a total of $4,000.
“It’s the festival’s way of giving back to the community and helping organizations that support and benefit the residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake through their good works,” Shaw spokeswoman Jenniffer said. Anand, in a statement.
Niagara-on-the-Lake Palliative Care received $1,000, the Canadian Cancer Society NOTL Branch received $1,250, the NOTL Soccer Club received $1,000 and the TD Niagara Jazz Festival received $750.
“We were so, so, so blessed. It’s been a wonderful gift to us,” said Bonnie Bagnulo, CEO of NOTL Palliative Care.
The donation will be used to purchase two specific items – sheepskin materials and baby monitors. Sheepskin items improve the comfort of people in palliative care.
“Sheepskin products are a natural product with sheep’s wool. So they actually add a lot of ventilation under a person,” Bagnulo said.
“If someone is bedridden or still sitting, those coccyx bones will rest on their skin, causing pressure sores. We want to mitigate this or even prevent them from growing, if we can. »
Baby monitors are just as important.
“Baby monitors are really imperative for people at home. You want to sit next to the bed, but when someone’s sleeping, maybe you can throw an armful of laundry in there.
“The problem is you can’t really leave them. So with baby monitors these days, they can hear each other from either side and see each other visually from either side. So rather than having to sit around 24/7, you can do a little something and possibly get a good night’s sleep.
For Juliet Dunn, Executive Director and Founder of the TD Niagara Jazz Festival, receiving a donation from the Shaw brought her life to NOTL.
“The reason I live in Niagara is because of the Shaw Festival because I came to work at the Shaw in 2002,” Dunn said in an interview Wednesday.
Dunn moved from Paris, France to NOTL after being hired to play with the Shaw.
“I kind of built my life from there. It’s always super cool to be able to walk into the festival hall and be recognized and receive funding from Shaw for the festival that we’ve created. .
She said she had never heard of NOTL or the Shaw Festival until she was hired.
“I arrived at midnight the day before (the first rehearsal) and kind of opened my eyes and discovered Niagara-on-the-Lake by going to the rehearsal,” she said with a laugh.
The jazz festival received $750 to go towards free programming in NOTL. This year, the free shows have mostly taken the form of pop-up performances, Dunn said.
There were several such shows with the Big Smoke Brass Band, who did pop-up gigs at the Irish Harp and other venues around NOTL.
“It’s always nice to be able to host free events in the community,” Dunn said.
The money will most likely go entirely to paying artists for their performances, she said.
Pop-up shows can go on at the last minute with little promotion, so she urged people to sign up for jazz festival newsletters and announcements on niagarajazzfestival.com/ to stay informed.
The festival is entering its 10th year, which Dunn says is rare for music festivals.
“Thank you to everyone who continues to support what we do – Shaw and TD, as well as all sponsors, funders, partners and volunteers. »
“We really appreciate the community that has come together to get us this far.”
The Shaw Festival collects donations through designated “city premiere” performances of select shows.
“The more tickets sold for those specific shows, the more money goes into the fund,” Anand said.
Every spring, the Shaw announces the dates for the city’s premieres. The ads also include information about how charities can apply to be considered as funding recipients, she said.
The $1,250 donation to the Cancer Society will help the Wheels of Hope program.
“The Canadian Cancer Society’s Wheels of Hope transportation program provides people living with cancer with rides to and from their cancer treatment appointments,” the society’s website states.
“Dedicated volunteer drivers volunteer their time and use their own (or company’s) vehicle to help people with cancer get to the hospital or cancer center.
The $1,000 for the soccer club will sponsor a team, Anand said.
Representatives from the soccer club and the Canadian Cancer Society were unavailable for interviews prior to publication.