Aviva Community Fund finalists announced

Aviva Canada has announced its Aviva Community Fund finalists from among the more than two million votes cast for over 500 ideas.

The finalists, who are in the running to win a share of more than $1 million, are evaluated by an independent panel of judges who choose the grand prize winners, Aviva Canada said in a press release on Wednesday when the finalists were announced.

Grand prize winners receive up to $100,000 (if entered into the large level of funding), up to $50,000 (if entered into the small level of funding) and $150,000 (if entered into the Community Legacy category). Finalists that do not become grand prize winners will receive a $5,000 donation to a charity of their choice, the release said, adding that the “top-ranked broker supported idea” is that receiving the highest number of Aviva broker partner votes and is automatically identified as one of the finalists.

Grand prize winners will be announced on Dec. 5.

This year’s judges include Bev Gutray (CEO of the BC Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association), Debra Shime (senior vice president of community impact with the United Way of Toronto & York Region), Elissa Beckett (vice president, development & strategic initiatives, Tides Canada), Marina Glogovac (president & CEO, CanadaHelps), Phil Gibson (chief underwriting officer, Aviva Canada), Samina Talat (senior director, community health & wellness, Red Cross Canada) and Scott Shields (director of operations with Cypher Systems Group) and Stephen Savage (executive vice president of Cypher Systems Group).

The finalists’ ideas are listed below by funding category:

Community Development category

• Empowering Employment (Victoria, B.C.)
• Housing for Hope (Antigonish, N.S.)
• Recovery Begins With Shelter #SoulsHarbour (Halifax, N.S.)
• Two Rivers Revitalization (Marion Bridge, N.S.)
• Brockville Police After School Program (Brockville, Ont.)
• Grow FEAT to Support Kids of Incarcerated Parents (Hamilton, Ont.)
• Parkdale Community Food Centre: Serving Hope!* (Hamilton, Ont.)
• Riversyde 83: Kitchen Renovation (Simcoe, Ont.)
• Share the ROM with Kids and New Canadians (Toronto, Ont.)
• Teach For Canada: Making Education More Equal (Toronto, Ont.)
• Un quartier mobilisé vers une épicerie collective! (Montreal, Que.)

*Top-Ranked Broker Supported Idea – Morison Insurance Brokers/Tri-County Insurance Group

Community Health category

• Riverstone Public School (K-8) Playground (Grande Prairie, Alta.)
• Operation Outdoors: First United’s New Van Plan (Vancouver, B.C.)
• Together in Harmony: Playground Redevelopment (Victoria, B.C.)
• Seaside Park Elementary Community Playground (Saint John, N.B.)
• A Splash Pad for Placentia (Placentia, Nfld.)
• #GrieveNotAlone (Kawartha Lakes, Ont.)
• Nipissing Serenity Hospice (North Bay, Ont.)
• Paris Central School Playground Revitalization (Paris, Ont.)
• Sault Ste. Marie’s Splash Pad Play Destination (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.)
• Un jardin thérapeutique à La Maison Aube-Lumière (Sherbrooke, Que.)

Community Resilience category

• SCA Community Garden (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
• Emma’s Acres: Environmental Sustainability (Mission, B.C.)
• Green Dining at the new St. John’s Farmers’ Market (St. John’s, Nfld.)
• Lasalle’s Living Lab – Passive Solar Greenhouse (Sudbury, Ont.)
• Replanting School Grown (Toronto, Ont.)
• Soper Creek Wildlife Education Centre (Bowmanville, Ont.)
• The Farm & Market in Clarenville Phase 2 (Clarenville, Nfld.)
• Trusted EVisors™ – Improving Community Resilience (Aurora, Ont.)
• Wikwemikong Greenhouse for Change (Wikwemikong First Nation, Ont.)
• De la semence à l’assiette (Oka, Que.)

Finalists in the Community Legacy category

• Circular Center: Plastic Recycling in Remote areas (Vancouver, B.C.)
• Sprouts: Students Supporting Sustainable Food (Vancouver, B.C.)
• Jump In HFX (Halifax, N.S.)
• Indigenous-Led Climate Justice -Toolkit for Action (Ottawa, Ont.)
• Polycycle (Ottawa, Ont.)

Aviva Canada provides home, auto, leisure/lifestyle and business insurance to 2.9 million customers. A wholly-owned subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Aviva plc, the company has more than 4,000 employees.

The Aviva Community Fund has awarded $7.5 million to more than 250 charities and community groups across the country since its inception in 2009.