NYAC Ramps up Programs with $28,000 Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation
September 2005

In November 2004, NYAC’s Board of Directors endorsed a unique and comprehensive plan designed to invigorate our club and establish an enduring and economically viable foundation for the future. Our plan centres around two key elements; the full amalgamation with our affiliate, NYAC Waves and the expansion of the club by introducing new programs designed specifically for the needs of Triathletes. It is hoped that both of these initiatives will allow us to expand the reach of our club without compromising the success of our core competitive swim program. We hope to accomplish three main objectives:

1. Amalgamation with North York Waves will allow us to focus on further developing the grass roots elements of our program. With a more comprehensive marketing and advertising effort, we hope to enhance our profile in the community, encourage participation in the sport of swimming and increase membership in the Waves group.

2. Amalgamation with North York Waves will further allow us to monitor the progress of swimmers and use the Waves group as a more effective feeder system for the rest of the NYAC club.

3. Offering new programs focused toward the Triathlete is a logical extension of NYAC’s current expertise. Through this initiative we hope to satisfy the needs of Triathletes, very few of whom have access to professional swim coaching. More importantly we expect that, if successful, profits generated by the program will serve to enhance the economic viability of the whole club thereby ensuring we can continue to offer reasonably priced programs and reduce our reliance on government support.

Although we have been working on these initiatives since last January, we recently received a strong endorsement of our plan by the Ontario government through a $28,300 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. OTF, an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Culture, receives $100 million of government funding annually from Ontario’s charity casino initiative and distributes it to charities and non-profit organizations involved in Arts and Culture, the Environment, Sports and Recreation and Human and Social Services. While our funding is very specific in terms of its uses, it will allow the club to undertake expansion of both the Waves and the Triathlete groups over the next two years without straining the financial resources of our core competitive swim programs.

More about the Ontario Trillium Foundation