Solcz family helps fund accessibility renovation
$255,000 for ramps, installing elevator
The Solcz Family Foundation has donated $255,000 to the ongoing renovation of the Connections Early Years Family Centre in Windsor.
Connections is a non-profit agency that offers a variety of free services to help families with the healthy development of their children up to six years old, including parenting classes, short-term child care, preschool speech-language services and an infant hearing program.
While some in-person services are temporarily paused due to COVID-19, the centre's staff continues to provide infant hearing screenings, virtual care for speech and language, free curbside activity packages, parenting groups over Zoom and more.
Connections is located in the former Giles United Church building at the corner of Giles Boulevard and Marentette Avenue.
The agency's Build Up! Campaign is a $1.2-million, five-year initiative to improve capacity and make the building accessible.
“As soon as you walk in you have stairs going up and stairs going down,” said Barb Brown, Connections' executive director. “It's just not fair to our families with mobility concerns.”
Connections has been serving the Windsor-essex region since 1974 and has been at its current location since the 1980s.
“We first looked at moving but we just love the neighbourhood,” Brown said.
She said an architect who serves on the board of directors assessed the building and a three-phase campaign to renovate was born.
The Solcz Family Foundation previously committed $70,000 to the effort, which allowed for the addition of three therapy rooms, the creation of a universal, accessible washroom and widening of doorways and pathways.
The latest Solcz donation will allow the group to create a fully accessible main entrance, add interior and exterior ramps and install an elevator.
“Connections Early Years Family Centre does tremendous work supporting families in the Windsor-essex community,” wrote Kyrsten Solcz, executive director of the Solcz Family Foundation. “We are proud to continue our partnership with this organization and to assist in their work to improve the organization's capacity and accessibility.”
Brown anticipates having a shovel in the ground for this third and final renovation phase by the fall.
After the contribution from the Solcz Family Foundation, the fundraising campaign needs approximately $315,000 to complete the remaining renovations.