Eden Mills Writers’ Festival receives $71,000 grant

EDEN MILLS – The financial resilience of the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival (EMWF) has been bolstered by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).

The EMWF is using a $71,000 OTF Resilient Communities grant to strengthen its fundraising efforts by hiring fundraising consultant Sarah Hoshooley to design a full-year fundraising plan, and hiring fundraising coordinator Kristin Morrison to put the plan into action.

The grant was announced during an EMWF volunteer recognition event at the Eden Mills Community Centre on Nov. 15.

Morrison, who lives five minutes outside of Eden Mills, called the grant “incredible” and said it will be “very impactful,” as it will increase the festivals’ fundraising capacities moving forward.

She told the Advertiser a portion of the grant will go towards funding her position for two years.

EMWF board chair Theresa Ebden said, “We are immensely grateful to the OTF for this grant, which supports us to sustain our charity’s vision to connect communities through literature, as we seek to continue our programming amid rising costs.

“This grant supports our first-ever professional charity fundraising program to support our festival, which has become a favourite among authors and readers across Ontario.”

Ticket sales cover just nine per cent of the festival's overall costs, Ebden noted.

“Our thanks go out to OTF for its generous support of the EMWF,” stated Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott in a press release.

“I also want to express my appreciation to the volunteers and staff of the EMWF, our annual celebration of the literary arts.”

Volunteer Marion Hawley was recognized during the event as the festival’s second annual volunteer of the year.

"She is cheerful, positive, and gets [stuff] done," Ebden said of Hawley.

Hawley told the Advertiser there are 100 volunteers who deserve the award, but said she felt thrilled that festival officials picked her for the recognition.

She said volunteering with the festival is a lot of fun, and asked what could be better than an opportunity to spend time with lots of famous Canadian writers.

Last year’s honouree was Les Zawadzki, who managed the renovations to the festival’s historic headquarters, which was also funded through an OTF capital grant.

To donate to the festival or enquire about using the historic Rivermead location for your meeting or special event, please visit the website at edenmillswritersfestival.ca

The three-day festival is in its 37th year and attracts about 1,200 people annually, officials state in the release.

The EMWF “celebrates the power of words – whether written, spoken or signed – to ignite our imaginations and reveal worlds and ideas beyond our own experiences.

“By presenting diverse authors who reflect a wide range of perspectives and lived experiences, the EMWF aims to enable an informed and articulate community that connects with open hearts and open minds,” the release continues.

Mayor Chris White attended the volunteer appreciation event and expressed how proud the township is of the EMWF.

He described the festival as “truly unique.

“You really truly should be proud of what you’re doing here,” he said. “I don’t know how you manage to keep it going – it’s tough.”