New Hamburg Legion celebrates recent roof repairs funded by Ontario Trillium Foundation grant

Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris joined New Hamburg Legion Branch 532 members Nov. 11 to celebrate a nearly $48,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant awarded earlier this year that supported recently completed and much-needed repairs to the Legion roof. Photo courtesy of New Hamburg Legion Branch 532

Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A nearly $48,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) has helped New Hamburg Legion members make much-needed repairs to their building’s roof, helping to preserve the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 532 headquarters and make it available to members and community for decades to come.

While in New Hamburg to attend the local Remembrance Day service last month, Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris dropped in at the local Legion to celebrate the OTF capital grant and the completion of the roof repairs, which finished up in September.

“The New Hamburg Legion is a community staple, serving our veterans and their families, along with hosting and supporting important community programs and events,” Harris said in a recent press release issued by the Legion. “This OTF grant has supplied the Legion with the much-needed funds to repair a damaged roof, ensuring their venue can be used in its full capacity for years to come.”

Over the last few years, rainstorms and harsh weather made it apparent the roof on the 42-year-old building was in need of significant repairs.

“The roof was deteriorating badly,” said New Hamburg Legion executive committee member Bill Pearson. “We were having leaks depending on the weather conditions but, if it was really raining, we would get some leaks coming in. So, we had to do something with that. We were either going to patch it or we were going to replace it, and then, lo and behold, we were led to the Trillium grant and what it was for. Consequently, we formed a committee and applied, and went from there.”

Awarded in June, the grant funded the repairs, which were performed by local roofing company N W Roofing of New Hamburg. The roof was completed in time for the annual Remembrance Day ceremonies, the Veterans’ Dinner and a host of other dinners and community events at the Legion in support of local veterans and their families, and the community at large.

The Royal Canadian Legion serves veterans and their families, seniors and other community agencies such as the Wilmot Family Resource Centre. The Legion hall is a venue for the Veterans’ Dinner each year, the Coldest Night of the Year walk in February and, on Dec. 6, the Wilmot Family Resource Centre hosted its International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women Walk. The Legion is also hosting a visit with Santa on Dec. 15 and a Family Day event Feb. 16.

“We are a community organization but we also serve the veterans,” Pearson said. “We have many events down there for the community as a whole, and we have to maintain the Legion that is there. We’d be foolish to let it go down. The hall is a nice size. If you’re only having a dinner for 100, it’s perfect.”

Pearson said the Legion membership wasn’t previously aware of the opportunities for building upgrades and repairs through OTF. Now that they have gone through the grant-application process, he says members have begun discussions around applying for future funding to help with accessibility upgrades at the Legion.

“Whether it’s helping people learn new things, connect with their community, or simply have fun, organizations like the Royal Canadian Legion deliver experiences that make a difference,” said Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho in the Legion press release. “That’s why grant support through the Ontario Trillium Foundation is so important. This funding will help ensure they remain at the heart of the community for decades to come.”

The Royal Canadian Legion was founded in 1925 and is Canada’s largest veteran-support organization. The New Hamburg Legion was founded in 1953 and currently has 288 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branch and community.

The OTF is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year, OTF invested more than $110 million into 1,044 community projects and multi-sector partnerships. Projects aim to enhance economic wellbeing, foster more active lifestyles, support child and youth development, provide spaces for people to come together and connect, and create a more sustainable environment. Visit otf.ca to learn more.