jenny’s heroes canada

I am happy to let everyone know that more grants are available starting today. I’m offering grants up to $25,000 to Ontario volunteer fire departments. This will be the fourth series of grants since I started a year ago and I can’t wait to see where I can help this time around. For details and information on how to apply please visit: https://www.oafc.on.ca/jennys-heroes-canada-2019-ontario-fire-services-equipment-grant

The official application period is now open for the 2019 Spring/Summer grants. I’ve committed $50,000 this time to help keep Ontario’s firefighters safe. Applications are handled by the OAFC. Click here for more.

Six new grants were announced today to volunteer fire departments from all over Ontario. The first grants last year were a test run and now we are on a roll and it won’t be long before the next application period will be starting. I called each department myself and loved sharing the news that new equipment would soon be on the way. Pictured above is the team of volunteers from the Township of East Zorra-Tavistock, recipients today of a $5,000 grant.

These grants covered everything from thermal imaging cameras to gas detectors to radio equipment, all things that will keep the volunteers safe and help them better serve their communities. For more on each community and to see their stories, just go to the home page or click here.

There’s lot more detail on these grants on the O.A.F.C. website. Click here.

The first of three grant opportunities this year is underway. The January applications are in and currently being reviewed and the winners will be announced on or before March 4th. I am really excited to be providing more safety equipment to the Ontario volunteers.

The next opportunities will be on May 13th and again on Sept. 9th. You can find more details about these grants on the OAFC website. Click here.

Look what Santa brought me for Christmas! I am now an O.A.F.C. Honourary Chief and what an honour it is. I suspect that Santa must have gotten a letter from one Michelle O’Hara at the O.A.F.C. so Michelle and/or Santa, thank you very much! 

I’m finally ready to offer more grants to Ontario’s volunteer firefighters. With the first ones under our belt, the O.A.F.C. and my Jenny’s Heroes Canada program have streamlined the process a little, and this time we have a better idea of what to expect. (The first time we expected 20 to 30 applications and received over 100!) Here’s the plan:

• The opportunity to apply starts January 7th.
• There is a 1-month window for submissions.
• The submission window closes on February 8th.
• For more details, please go to: www.oafc.on.ca/jennys-heroes-canada-2019-ontario-fire-services-equipment-grant

I’m really looking forward to seeing what the needs are and where I can provide the most help.

We are in the process of paying for all the new equipment requested by our six winning volunteer fire departments. The funds have been sent from the Jenny Jones Foundation to the OAFC, who in turn is paying all the invoices so that the equipment can be delivered as soon as possible. That’s the way these grants work. The winning departments do not receive any funds directly. They order the gear they need, send the invoices to the OAFC, the invoices are paid by the OAFC, and the new equipment is then delivered. We are anxious to share photos as soon as the first delivery is made. Stay tuned…

I am very excited to finally reveal the six winners of my first Jenny’s Heroes CANADA grants. It was supposed to be one grant of $25,000 but we got so many more applications than expected, that I doubled the amount to $50,000 this time. The extra $25,000 allowed us to spread the aid to several smaller fire departments as well. The applications were carefully reviewed by a qualified panel in Canada and by me as well. To see all the winners and send them your congratulations and messages of support, click here.

The winner of the first Jenny’s Heroes Canada grant will be announced on Tuesday, October 9th. It’s taking a little longer due to the overwhelming response – over 100 applications! Each application has been reviewed by a qualified panel of 4 people in Canada and I also reviewed every single one. Between all of us, we have finally agreed on where the first grant should go. I can hardly wait to share the news! ????‍???? ????

Here is the place I grew up. The beautiful province of Ontario, Canada is one of ten provinces and three territories that make up the country and of course, Ontario is the best one! ???? Of the 2 million beautiful lakes in Canada, 250,000 are in Ontario, along with moose, elk, timber wolves, bears, caribou and more, especially farther north. All of this land and wild life is vulnerable to fires and there are hundreds of teams of volunteer firefighters all over Ontario ready to jump in during an emergency. Whether it be a fire or a highway crash, water or ice rescues, or any medical emergency, volunteer firefighters are on it. I respect their commitment to their communities and the risks they are willing to take.

My offer of providing equipment to these brave firefighters is underway and applications are coming in (a lot more than I expected) and being reviewed by a team of professionals in Canada and myself here in the U.S.. Requests have come in from as far south as Windsor (close to my hometown  of London), east almost to Ottawa, our capital, west to the border of Manitoba, and as far north and remote as Red Lake, Ear Falls, and Moonbeam.

Their needs cover a broad range of equipment from rescue craft to safety boots to new flashlights — it’s clear that help is needed. That’s why I’m here and I plan to continue this grant program as long as the needs are there. More details are coming soon.