UPDATE: Wednesday January 13th, 2021

As per instruction from Wellington Dufferin Public Health, Onward Willow Neighbourhood Group will be closed to the public until further notice. This is to decrease our risk of spreading COVID-19 as cases continue to rise in Ontario and we are in lockdown. This is a trying time for everyone but please know we are here to help as we can. We are trying to find creative ways to distribute essential items to our community. If there is something you or anyone you know is in need of, please e-mail us (contact info below) or leave us a message at 519-824-6892.

If you require support of any kind, please reach out to the following people by text, email or phone call:

Please note: we are not able to accept any further donations at this time. If you have specific household items you would like to donate, please get in touch and we’ll do our best to arrange getting it out to someone in need – we are unable to receive donations at the centre at this time. A huge thanks to everyone who contributed to our kids’ clothing drive, donated food and other essentials in this time of need. We couldn’t do it alone and we appreciate you all for your ongoing support and dedication to community.

KIDS’ GEAR: we have piles of kid’s winter gear: lots of brand new, warm jackets up to age 14, youth gear, hats, mitts, scarves, boots, shoes. Please reach out! Our clothing program is a city-wide service so you don’t have to live in the Onward Willow Neighbourhood to access this. This also applies to all ages: we are happy to put together packages of quality, seasonal clothing in specific sizes.

***Please remember to reach out first to make arrangements in order for us to continue being safe.

As per instruction from the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition, Onward Willow Neighbourhood Group (and other neighbourhood groups) will be closed to the public until further notice. This is to decrease our risk of spreading COVID-19 as cases continue to rise in Ontario and we are in lockdown. This is a trying time for everyone but please know we are here to help as we can. We are trying to find creative ways to distribute essential items to our community. If there is something you or anyone you know is in need of, please e-mail us (contact info below) or leave us a message at 519-824-6892.

If you require support of any kind, please reach out to the following people by text, email or phone call:

Shauna Brown, Neighbourhood group Assistant, 519-824-6892 shauna.owng@gmail.com

Hi Friends,

Just a few updates around some of the things happening so far this year and some updates on programs. If you’d like more information about any updates, please feel free to e-mail onwardwillownsw@gmail.com or shauna.owng@gmail.com.

We are accepting seasonal clothing and footwear in good condition during our operating hours Mon-Wed-Fri 10am-3pm. We also appreciate household goods including small appliances, decor, newer books, sports equipment, toys (with all pieces) and much more. If you have large items to donate, please call and we can try to make a donation directly to someone in need – we cannot accept large items at the centre. We operate out of a townhouse and space is limited!

We are thrilled and excited to announce that there is a new Parent Outreach Worker, Lynne Kloostra, from the Guelph Community Health Centre who will be supporting families within the Onward Willow Neighbourhood! This is an incredibly important addition for our community and an exciting move forward.  Please get in touch for more info.

Homework Club will be starting up again this coming Monday March 2nd at Willow Road School between 5:30-7pm. There are some awesome folks who can help your child with a wide variety of subjects. A big shout-out to Rachana and her amazing team of volunteer for their care and dedication!

Enjoy community yoga with Sabrina every Thursday evening 7:00pm-8:00pm at Paisley Road School. PWYC (suggested $5-$15).

Just a reminder that we will be partnering again this year with Shelldale for the annual, free tax clinics for low income families. There will be an update on dates/times once they’re confirmed: two dates in March for neighbourhood folks and one city-wide date in April. Stay tuned!

There are free science workshops happening at Willow Rd. School once a month from January through May! This is in partnership with the amazing folks at Scientists in School. Please e-mail us to register your child up to the age of 12 yrs.

January 14th – Please Play with Your Food – 6:30-7:30pm

February 11th – Obey Newton – It’s the Law! – 6:30pm-7:30pm

March 10th – Colour Me Curious – 6:30pm-7:30pm

April 14th – Good Clean Fun – 6:30pm-7:30pm

May 12th – The Planet Digs Bugs – 6:30-7:30

We will be hosting our annual Breakfast with the Easter Bunny Saturday April 4th. This will be an event to register for. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for the link.

Hello Friends! Don’t forget to sign your child up to receive a backpack and school supplies for the next school year! The cut-off date to sign up is Friday August 2^nd.  You can pick up an application at Onward Willow Neighbourhood Group or Shelldale Family Gateway.

Backpack pick-up day is Thursday August 22nd between 2pm-5pm.

OWNG has received an amazing amount of support this year! The neighbourhood group was the recipient of the $500 Acorn Prize from the Oaktree Foundation in April and to quote them we “won by a landslide!” Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to vote for us.  A very special thanks goes out to the wonderful folks at Willow Road RBC who have helped in supporting the centre with RBC Team Grants and all their volunteer time at our community events. This year we also celebrated the very first free community fridge in Guelph, located at OWNG! This was made possible by the generous people from Road to Zero Waste, who continue to supply our neighbourhood with fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. Staff at Onward Willow have joined forces with the Shelldale Outreach team so we can better support our community members — we’re all pretty excited about this as it helps provide more collaborative support to those in need. 

One of the most exciting things that happened so far this year is that we wrote a grant and won the $5000- Seedling Prize from the Oaktree Project! The funds will be used to start programming around a clothing/textile recycling and re-purposing project where we’ll be making new items out of old fabric. This will help alleviate the landfill disposal of the 1000s of pounds of unusable fabric we receive each year. We hope to begin programming in the Fall. Anyone interested in being part of this can e-mail: onwardwillownsw@gmail.com.

Sundae Fundae was a great success this year with almost 100 people coming out to enjoy sundaes, the Inflated Ego Balloon Entertainer, caricatures from Taylor’s Tunes, a slip and slide and a fun community get-together! There were tons of happy kids! There is also an ongoing craft day every Wednesday through the summer months onsite at OWNG with Shauna, our Neighbourhood Group Assistant. There will be a fun craft happening between 11am-1pm for kids ages 6-13 yrs. Come out and get creative!

Finally, many, many thanks go out to Homelife Group for the Easter Food Drive; Wild Rose Consignment Boutique for their ongoing clothing donations; to Apple Salon for raising more than $2000- for OWNG through their annual cut-a-thon fundraiser; Kelly Caldwell for the generous sponsorship of our kid’s activities at the Marketplace & Fair and a HUGE thanks to all our dedicated volunteers! You are the heart & soul of the neighbourhood group!

PLEASE NOTE:

Onward Willow NG will be open with reduced hours over the Easter Weekend:

Friday April 19th between 11am-2pm

Monday April 22nd between 11am-2pm.

Please see dates below for no-cost tax clinics available to anyone living in the Onward Willow neighbourhood.

Hello Friends!

Onward Willow NG will be closed over the March Break with the exception of Friday March 15th: we’ll be open between 10am-3pm. On Monday March 18th, we’ll be re-opening with regular hours. Looking forward to seeing you all again!

Mondays: 10:00am-3:00pm

Wednesdays: 10:00am-3:00pm

*Thursdays: by appointment Only

Fridays: 10:00am-3:00pm

Tax clinics are being held at Shelldale Family Gateway, in partnership with Onward Willow NG & the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition, on the following dates. Appointments are required and can be made by calling Shelldale directly at 519-824-8498.

Please see tax clinic dates below and requirements for accessing this no-cost program.

Qualifications to attend a free tax clinic:

Simple tax return within the following income levels:

Family size          Total family income

1 person              $35,000

2 persons            $45,000

3 persons            $47,500

4 persons            $50,000

5 persons            $52,500

more than 5 persons      $52,500 plus $2,500 for each additional person

Homework Club at Willow Road P.S. Library

This is a FREE program with light snacks available.

Tutors available in a variety of subjects including :Reading – Writing – Math –Science – Geography – History – French homework skills

For more information, please contact Coordinator Liz Vardon at elizabethvardon@icloud.com 519-767-8642