Trillium Gives Alzheimer Society Boost Towards Building Expansion

Monday, 10 December 2012 10:06

It's a day the Alzheimer Society of Oxford has been waiting for for a long time. They've finally been able to finalize expansion plans, thanks to a $112,900 Trillium Grant. (In Photo: Alzheimer Society of Oxford Executive Director Shelley Green stands between Ontario Trillium reps Brian George (left) and Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman (right)) Over the last several years, the local agency has been exploring options to give themselves, and clients more space, and at one point were forced to turn down $1-million for a new building. But Executive Director Shelley Green says expanding their current facility is the right solution. "Our building over the last several years has been very squeezed for space and as a result of that, we have part of our staff team off-site. One of the things the additional will allow us to do is have all of our staff and volunteers under one roof." The expansion will also give the building much needed accessibility, including a ramp and washrooms. And Green says they'll have three separate meeting spaces to have confidential meetings with clients and their families. "We were actually having to turn some of our clients away, because we didn't have enough space to meet with them in a confidential room. We would have to book another time for them to come back...which is unacceptable to us. We want to be able to respond to the clients needs when the come to us." Construction is expected to begin in the spring, with the building addition finished and ready for occupancy around this time next year. Thanks to today's Trillium announcement, the $350,000 capital campaign is already 65% complete. That campaign, called "Memory Builders" has also been boosted by a $50,000 donation from Dennis and Joan Vollmershausen, and contributions from the Southwest LHIN and Westminster College Foundation. And engineering and design work has been donated by SPH Engineering and djDesign. Chairing the campaign is recently retired Oxford County CAO Mike Bragg. "It's been a long time since I've been out asking people for money, and it's not something I'm normally comfortable with. But I have some strong personal commitments to the Alzheimer Society and dementia in general in terms of what society needs to do to work towards helping all of those who are going to be affected." Over the next 25-years, as baby-boomers reach their senior years, the number of Canadian's with Alzheimer's or dementia, is expected to double, between 1-1.3-million people.