Bringing History to Life at the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives

Bringing History to Life at the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives

Andrew Gunn
Aylmer, Elgin County, Ontario's Southwest

The Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell has donated $130,000 to the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives to fund a new ‘Digital Archivist’ position at the Museum, support the purchase of new technologies, boost the use of the ‘On This Spot’ app in the community, install a new large-scale mural in downtown Aylmer, and contribute toward the ‘Museum Relocation Fund’ to strengthen the long-term goal of establishing a new site for the Museum locally. This significant donation will help the Museum to connect with community members, visitors and students, and add new dimensions to the unique cultural atmosphere in Aylmer and Malahide.

New Lights & Artwork Enhance the St. Thomas Elevated Park

New Lights & Artwork Enhance the St. Thomas Elevated Park

Andrew Gunn
St Thomas, Ontario's Southwest

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.

Addressing Homelessness in London & St. Thomas

Addressing Homelessness in London & St. Thomas

Sophie Mutch
London, St Thomas, Elgin County

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.

Hanging On to the Performing Arts in a Pandemic

Hanging On to the Performing Arts in a Pandemic

Sophie Mutch
London

The performing arts are enjoyed by all, although some may not realize the full importance of television, music, film, theatre and dance. Many adolescents find their niche in the performing arts community and develop a genuine sense of belonging. This may be one of the most important reasons why the arts need to be maintained and kept accessible during the pandemic and beyond.

Political Communications During COVID-19

Political Communications During COVID-19

Sophie Mutch
London

Will people become harder to govern the longer the pandemic continues? If so, is this a reflection of the lack of in-person interaction between our elected leaders and the general public? Government by virtual meetings and social media may be convenient, but have we lost a vital part of any good political communications strategy?

Murals in Market Lane! Welcome to the Forest City Playground

Murals in Market Lane! Welcome to the Forest City Playground

Andrew Gunn
London, Ontario's Southwest

Three artists – Stephanie Boutari, Hawlii Pichette, and Meaghan Claire Kehoe – have been given the challenge of painting murals on the exterior wall of the WIL Employment Connections building in Market Lane in downtown London. The murals will emphasize the Carolinian Forest zone and ask viewers to consider the role of human beings in shaping the culture of our cities within the wider ecosystem.

Estate of Donna Bushell Supports the Rotary Music Festival with $30,000 Donation

Estate of Donna Bushell Supports the Rotary Music Festival with $30,000 Donation

Andrew Gunn
St Thomas, Elgin County

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.

Estate of Donna Bushell Contributes $50,000 to the Old St. Thomas Church

Estate of Donna Bushell Contributes $50,000 to the Old St. Thomas Church

Andrew Gunn
St Thomas, Elgin County

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.

Get Ready to ‘Engage’ with London, St. Thomas & Port Stanley!

Get Ready to ‘Engage’ with London, St. Thomas & Port Stanley!

Andrew Gunn
London, St Thomas, Elgin County, Ontario's Southwest

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!

Introducing the New ‘STEAM Community Studio’ at the STEAM Centre in St. Thomas

Introducing the New ‘STEAM Community Studio’ at the STEAM Centre in St. Thomas

Andrew Gunn
St Thomas, Elgin County

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. 

Grants Now Available for Emerging Filmmakers through the Forest City Film Festival

Grants Now Available for Emerging Filmmakers through the Forest City Film Festival

Andrew Gunn
London, St Thomas, Elgin County

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.

Five Ways to Attract Teenagers to Downtown London

Five Ways to Attract Teenagers to Downtown London

Madison Comfort
London

Downtown London has some great arts and culture venues and many captivating businesses, parks, and landmarks. There are excellent festivals, events and concerts that happen downtown, which help drive residents and visitors to support businesses in the area. Teenagers can help to influence this activity and the overall culture. With youth having such an impact on society, I wanted to share some ideas of how we can attract more teenagers to downtown London.

Emily and Ella Explore St. Thomas

Emily and Ella Explore St. Thomas

Emily Stage
St Thomas

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!

Presenting the Westlake-Evans Civic Park and ‘Track to the Future’ Mural Project

Presenting the Westlake-Evans Civic Park and ‘Track to the Future’ Mural Project

Andrew Gunn
St Thomas, Elgin County, Ontario's Southwest

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.

Supporting the St. Thomas Elevated Park and Launching the New ‘Art, Trees & Trails’ Project

Supporting the St. Thomas Elevated Park and Launching the New ‘Art, Trees & Trails’ Project

Andrew Gunn
St Thomas, Elgin County, Ontario's Southwest

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.

Announcing the New ‘Evans Tree Fund’ at the Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation

Announcing the New ‘Evans Tree Fund’ at the Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation

Andrew Gunn
St Thomas, Elgin County, Ontario's Southwest

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.

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