What does home mean to you?
Habitat for Humanity South Georgian Bay kicks off annual Meaning of Home writing contest
January 15, 2021, (Collingwood, Ontario) – Over the past year our homes have transformed into offices, schools and, for the lucky few, places of refuge. This year more than ever, Habitat for Humanity South Georgian Bay wants to know, what does home mean to you? The annual Meaning of Home writing contest that encourages students in grades 4, 5 and 6 to share what home means to them through a poem or short essay is back and open for submissions at meaningofhome.ca. The contest runs from January 4 to February 19, 2021 and three grand prize winners, one from each grade, will receive a $30,000 grant to be directed to the local Habitat home build of their choice.
Founded by SagenTM in 2007, the Meaning of Home contest has raised over $1.7 million to help build decent and affordable housing in communities across Canada. Last year, students in Grade 4, 5 and 6 students from across South Georgian Bay shared what home means to them. In 2021, Habitat for Humanity South Georgian Bay is hoping to reach a new record-breaking number of submissions. Three grand prize winners, one from each grade, will receive a $30,000 grant to direct to the local Habitat for Humanity home build. Nine runners-up, three from each grade, will also receive a $10,000 grant towards a local Habitat build. Every student entry earns a $10 donation towards their local Habitat for Humanity, ensuring that communities benefit from each student’s participation.
“The Meaning of Home contest provides youth an opportunity to learn about the importance of affordable housing by asking them to reflect on what home means to them,” says Joy Fleury, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity. “Instilling the importance of access to safe and decent housing early on will prepare them to be future advocates on this most critical issue.”
Habitat for Humanity South Georgian Bay’s model of affordable housing helps families in need of housing buy their own home. Habitat homeowners volunteer up to 500 hours and pay an affordable mortgage geared to their income, helping them build a strong foundation and the financial stability to help plan for their children’s futures.
“In 2020, Sagen was proud to celebrate 20 years of affiliation with Habitat for Humanity Canada—The Meaning of Home writing contest in particular is an initiative near and dear to us,” said Stuart Levings, President and CEO of Sagen. “We’ve watched the program grow year over year, engaging over 68,000 students in Canada, and, as a founding sponsor of this contest, we’ve raised over $1.7 million to create affordable housing in communities across Canada.”
Teachers or parents who are interested in having their Grade 4, 5 or 6 students participate can access an educational module online at meaningofhome.ca that includes writing tips and information on affordable housing issues in Canada or connect with Habitat South Georgian Bay at info@habitatgeorgianbay.ca for additional resources. Winners of the 2021 Meaning of Home contest will be announced in June, 2021.
The Meaning of Home contest would not be possible without the generous support of Founding Sponsor Sagen and Awards Sponsors Revera Living Inc. and Swiffer. Thanks to their investments, students have an opportunity to give back to their communities in an engaging and meaningful way.
About Habitat for Humanity South Georgian Bay
Established in 2002, Habitat for Humanity South Georgian Bay is a non-profit, affordable housing organization. We welcome all people without discrimination to join us as we build simple, decent, affordable homes in partnership with hard-working families living in substandard housing. Families purchase Habitat homes through a no-down payment, no-interest mortgage with payments set at 25 percent of gross income. This solution not only helps to provide housing for families in need, it enables them to build assets, reduce their dependence on other forms of social assistance and break the cycle of poverty.
Since our beginning, we have built 16 homes in South Georgian Bay. Operation of our ReStore located at 155 Sandford Fleming Drive in Collingwood covers all our overhead / administration costs and contributes to our Build fund. Habitat ReStores sell quality new and used donated building materials and other products.
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