Spring

President's Message

This month Heritage Winnipeg is launching its first annual Window of Opportunity Fundraising Campaign and thus making a special appeal to the generosity of its members.

The financial health of our organization is one of the primary concerns of the Executive and the Board. Our main sources of revenue are government funding, membership fees, contributions from the corporate sector and special fund raising events.

Government support is a precarious source of funds. Support is received for projects and programs only, not operational costs. Heritage Winnipeg, like other non-profit organizations, has to zealously pursue its own financial well-being.

We rely on the generosity of our members and many of you support us through donations as well as your membership fees. Launching the Window of Opportunity is a special appeal to those of you who perhaps have not thought of adding Heritage Winnipeg to your list of charities and who might now think of doing so.

The corporate sector is another source of funding. We have pursued this route in the past and continue to do so. As you can appreciate, there are many demands on Winnipeg’s business community. Some organizations pursue their fund raising efforts with the help of a professional fund raiser; an organization like ours with one paid staff member and a great reliance on an ever-shrinking pool of volunteers cannot afford to do this.

We have had special fund raising events and there is another in the planning stages. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will read about our theatre performance at the Millennium Centre on May 9. We look forward to seeing you there!

We are looking forward to your favorable response to this special appeal. We are involved in many ongoing projects which you have read about in the newsletter and we need your financial support. Donations may be made by cheque, Visa or cash. We will be publishing a list of our donors in our annual report in June. Thank You.

Celine Kear, President

Heritage Winnipeg Preservation Awards

This was the 18th Heritage Winnipeg Preservation Awards but the thrill and excitement have not diminished. On Heritage Day, Monday February 17th, we found ourselves in the elegant surroundings of the Rotunda of the newly restored Legislative building to present the awards. The ceremony was graced by dignitaries like The Honourable Scott Smith, MLA, Minister of Transportation & Government Services, Acting Deputy Mayor Gord Steeves, our honoured recipients of the Awards and their guests., our honourable members and members of the public. Three year old Lorilei Carolyn Lage nominated Bernie Wolfe for his life time commitment to heritage and with her twin sister Allison Lorraine presented the award. Thank you to their father Charles Lage for a wonderful performance of O Canada.

After the awards the Vincent Massey Collegiate Choir with the help of their Choir Director, Ms Willa Wade, delighted us with some wonderful entertainment. Special thanks to the Province of Manitoba, including Michael Hawrylak, P. Eng., District Property Manager, Mr. Todd Miclash, Facility Manager, and Manitoba News Media Services.

18th Annual Award Recipients:

Conservation Awards—Institutional Province of Manitoba—for the sympathetic restoration of the provincially designated Legislative Building, and the refurbishment of the Golden Boy symbolizing Manitoba’s rich and vibrant history.

La Masion Gabrielle-Roy House—375 rue Deschambault Street, built in 1905, childhood home of the internationally recognized French-Canadian author, for the extensive restoration to its 1918 appearance.