Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre, where the new education space will be built. Photo credit: Town of Lincoln
On Wednesday, it was announced that the St. Catharines-based Wise Guys Charity Fund committed $75,000 to creating a children’s education space at the newly opened Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre: Home of the Jordan Historical Museum of the Twenty.
Chair of the Wise Guys Charity Grants Committee J.D. Pachereva presented Mayor Sandra Easton, councillors Mike Mikolic and Paul MacPherson, and vice-chair of the Museum Advisory Committee Pauline Creighton with the first $25,000 of the commitment last Friday.
“The Wise Guys Charity Fund is thrilled to have the opportunity to support The Town of Lincoln and the Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre,” said Pachereva.
“We believe in the importance of children having a solid foundation at a young age, and knowing this is no-cost access to play-based learning for Niagara families is outstanding and, we can’t wait to watch it grow.”
As Pachereva indicated, the education space will provide no-cost access to play-based learning for children to help them develop a strong foundation in the areas of physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive development.
Construction of the space will also enable the museum to provide children with relevant educational content about local history and culture.
“Our recreation and cultural programming play a significant role in meeting children’s fitness and leisure needs and aid in healthy childhood development,” said Mayor of Lincoln Sandra Easton. “We are so grateful for the Wise Guys Charity for choosing to invest in this education space for children. Making these connections is important in sustaining a happy, healthy and prosperous community.”
The town will begin community consultation on the design of the space early in 2022. Anticipated completion for the project is late spring 2024.
Initially unveiled and made accessible to the public at the end of July, the brand-new Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre had its formal grand opening in October earlier this fall.
Located at 3800 Main St. in the village of Jordan, ground was broken on the facility in May 2019, after over a decade of planning and preparation.
Nearly $5 million in funding was sourced from both public funds and private contributions from local businesses and individuals to complete the project, including sizable donations from Bench Brewing, Vintage Hotels, Cave Springs Cellars, the Phelps Homes Group, and attorney Jerry Farrell.
“This project is an example of collaboration in action,” said Lincoln’s Chief Administrative Officer, Michael Kirkopoulos.
“The financial commitment the Town has received from the Wise Guys Charity furthers the importance of community partnerships and the dedication to the quality of life of our residents. This investment not only creates the children’s education space, but it’s also investing in the well-being of our future, our children.”
The Wise Guys Charity Fund is committed to raising awareness and financial support for local organizations in the Niagara Region. Wise Guys is composed of engaged, dedicated, active, and responsible community leaders and volunteers with a passion for improving the quality of life in the Niagara Region. Over 30 years, the organization has raised 4.4 million dollars, all of which has been rolled back directly into the community.
To learn more about the Wise Guys Charity, visit the group’s website here.
