All in St Thomas
Look closely at St. Thomas and the signals are clear … the community is in the process of a great reinvention. Known as ‘The Railway City’, the nickname holds, if only as a historical point of reference and an indication of how assets from that early industry are being repurposed now.
City-building requires vision, funding and resiliency. All three elements need to come together continuously, especially in communities where one, two or all three have been lacking for years and the cultural atmosphere has dissipated. How do we know if a city is building toward something positive or negative? The story is there in every block, neighbourhood, and commercial district.
Building on the tremendous success of the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project, Railway City Tourism is requesting expressions of interest from artists who would like to design and paint an original mural of an elephant in St. Thomas! This is a rare opportunity to connect one of the key stories in the history and mythology of the community – specifically, the death of Jumbo the Elephant in 1885 – with the future of the city in augmented reality.
Recently the City of London decided to establish a ‘film office’ with the goal of attracting film and television productions to the community. The commitment is significant — $300,000 a year for three years.
How can youth be involved in rebuilding our communities during and after the pandemic? The younger generation will feel the impact of any changes made for the longest amount of time, and should be included in current decision-making. Many Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliament offer opportunities for youth to participate in Youth Councils, but many are currently paused due to the pandemic. In what may be one of the most important times for youth to be heard, there are few, if any, opportunities that give a platform for adolescents to voice their ideas and opinions on rebuilding Ontario post-pandemic.
Our team at young & free press is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with the Thames Valley District School Board. From January to June 2021, we will be designing unique, challenging, and memorable learning experiences that will engage elementary and secondary school students directly in real-life projects. The pandemic is limiting how much students can connect right now with local businesses and organizations. We view this as an opportunity to try a new approach that puts students front and centre!
The Estate of Donna Bushell has provided $50,000 toward the purchase of a new ‘Mobile Canteen’ for the Salvation Army. Serving St. Thomas and Elgin County, the specially-equipped vehicle will provide support to first responders during emergencies and disasters, as well as outreach for homeless and marginalized individuals. The expectation is that the vehicle will arrive and be in-use by spring 2021.
The St. Thomas Elevated Park has become one of the top tourism destinations in southwestern Ontario, and the experience of visiting this walkway in the sky is about to become even more memorable!
Earlier this year, our team at young & free press announced a major donation from the Estate of Donna Bushell to support enhancements to the Elevated Park, including grass, electricity and path lighting. Now, we are excited to announce that the Bushell Estate will also fund a massive new mural at the base of the bridge on one of the concrete piers located between Sunset Road and Fingal Line.
To be designed and executed by renowned mural artist Daniel Bombardier, who goes by the name Denial, the mural will measure some 85 feet high by 40 feet wide at the base. This work of art is part of the ongoing ‘Track to the Future’ project coordinated by the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation and Railway City Tourism, and will add to the growing collection of stunning murals around St. Thomas.
Walking around London and St. Thomas, homelessness is obvious. In London, there are many people living and sleeping rough along Dundas Street downtown and in Old East Village, or in tents by railway tracks and elsewhere. Business owners and residents in St. Thomas have noticed more people congregating and sleeping downtown, particularly around the post office, next door to where the City set up a drop-in centre for the homeless or near-homeless. The issue has been made worse by the pandemic, and this winter is going to prove challenging.
The Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell has donated $30,000 to The Rotary Club of St. Thomas Foundation, which includes $20,000 to establish new awards for the Rotary Music Festival. Additionally, $10,000 has been provided to establish a ‘Music Student Fund’ to allow the Rotary Music Festival to support participating students who may require assistance to compete at the Festival or in higher competitions.
Our team at young & free press is very pleased to announce that the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell has donated $50,000 to the Old St. Thomas Church Restoration & Maintenance Trust to assist with the ongoing preservation of the building and grounds at 55 Walnut Street. Part of the contribution focusses on planting trees now and in the future to ensure the stability of the slope behind the Church along the Kettle Creek valley.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed in a heightened way the essential role of government. Who do we turn to for leadership when there is a crisis? For teenagers, this may have been the first time that we had to think of this through a real-life lens.
Our team at young & free press is happy to announce a donation of $425,000 to the Elgin County Museum from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell. This contribution will transform both how the Museum connects with the community and presents local history and culture.
Our team at young & free press is very excited to help introduce a new augmented reality app designed specifically to engage residents and visitors in London, St. Thomas and Port Stanley. Developed by EXAR Studios in London, the app – called ‘Engage’ – will guide users on unique adventures through each community with stops along the way to experience attractions just by looking through the camera of a smart phone. Murals will come to life, billboards and other cultural objects will move, and local history will become a stimulating visual reality!
Our team at young & free press is excited to announce that the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell is contributing $225,000 to the STEAM Centre in St. Thomas to introduce the new ‘STEAM Community Studio’ … this is a ground-breaking new program that focusses on experiential learning and civic engagement to foster collaboration between students and key community stakeholders including academics, teachers, and political, community and business leaders.
Our team at young & free press is thrilled to announce that funding has been provided to the Forest City Film Festival to offer three grants of $8,000 each to emerging filmmakers in southwestern Ontario! Filmmakers have the chance to make short documentaries about three projects supported by the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell in Elgin County & St. Thomas, including the construction of the new “Evans Sisters’ Stage” at Springwater Forest, the launch of the “Art, Trees & Trails” project by the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre, and the development of the “Track to the Future” mural project through Railway City Tourism.
Throughout this pandemic we have come to know the feeling of nearly losing our minds because we are unable to be around others. This has given us time to dream about creating places where we can gather. Quarantine is so boring, but gradually we will be able to return to public spaces. Looking at St. Thomas specifically, how can we really make our city a wonderful, welcoming place once we are finally set free? There are so many exciting possibilities!
On Thursday, June 11th, our team at young & free press announced an extraordinary donation of $750,000 from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell to the City of St. Thomas. This contribution includes $500,000 to support the establishment of the new Westlake-Evans Civic Park downtown, as well as $250,000 to boost the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project that will be coordinated through Railway City Tourism. We are very excited to help St. Thomas take another step toward becoming a major street art destination in Ontario.
Andrew Gunn and Maddie King of young & free press are acting as consultants on the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell. On Wednesday, June 10, we announced a donation of $100,000 to enhance the St. Thomas Elevated Park, as well as $115,000 to support the launch of the new ‘Art, Trees & Trails’ project in collaboration with the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre. Another $100,000 has been given to the Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation to establish the ‘Evans Tree Fund’, which will support tree-planting in the community for decades to come.
Our team at young & free press is very excited to announce that the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell is contributing $1.25M to the Elgin – St. Thomas Community Foundation to support a series of projects in the Elgin County and St. Thomas area. With $100,000, the Foundation will establish the ‘Evans Tree Fund’, which will be a permanent fund that supports tree-planting in the community. The rest of the funds will be allocated to launch a series of remarkable projects across Elgin County and St. Thomas. More announcements will follow soon.
