August 4
Our Great Canadian Road Trip is progressing very well! What a wonderful opportunity it is to be able to spend the summer visiting some of our 2020 grant recipients and learning more about their creative and compassionate initiatives. Today we arrived at The Henry Budd College for Ministry in the Pas, Manitoba and met the Rev. Dr. Kara Mandryk. She said bursaries from AFC are nurturing Indigenous leaders who will continue to be strong voices for their communities and the north.
August 11
Well, we made it back to Ontario and we finally got a chance to get up close and personal with the Wilderness Pollinator Garden and Beehives project at St. John in the Wilderness in Bright’s Grove. Wow, that place was buzzing!
August 13
It was so nice to see our friends at Wycliffe College today. In 2020, they received an AFC grant from the Garnsworthy Trust to take the 2021 Preaching Day “Engaging the Parables of Jesus” online.
August 18
Once again, we were amazed by the incredible volunteers at St. James Town Homework Club in Toronto. It’s so encouraging to see how these children have benefited from such a great ecumenical partnership.
August 20
Today was our last stop in the GTA before the long drive to the east coast. It was so nice to see Heather McDonald at LOFT Community Services and to hear how genuinely moved they continue to be by the legacy of Bishop Kenneth Maguire.
August 23
We’re still recovering from the long trip to New Brunswick. But all the complaining in the car was worth it today, to see the beautiful steeple at Trinity Anglican Church soaring above the downtown skyline in Saint John. What an incredible restoration effort!
August 25
This is it! The last official stop on our Great Canadian Road Trip… ironically enough at the Home Again Furniture Bank in St. John’s, NL. These folks are really doing some tremendous work to end furniture poverty in their community and provide people the furnishings required to turn a house into a home.
August 27
We did it! The 8,200 km Great Canadian Road Trip that we started in July has finally come to an end. Looking back on the journey, what we’ll always remember are the many “Thank You!” messages our grant recipients had for AFC supporters. There is so much gratitude across the country for all the generous Canadian Anglicans who make AFC’s granting program possible.
