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Niagara Falls
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Editorial: A circle of community care

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town brimming with talented and successful individuals.

Many of them retired to NOTL, for a variety of reasons, including its beauty, charm and history.

Of course, not everyone in town is a retiree nor did they move here. A great many are longtime and lifetime residents. Together with the newcomers, and those in between, they all help to make this little town the special place we know and love.

Despite what some might think, not everyone in NOTL is well-off financially (our friends at Newark Neighbours can attest to that). However, a great number of those among us have done well (or well enough) in life to be able to share their abundance with the community. And they do.

We see it regularly in the proliferation of volunteers, service clubs, community organizations and the like doing everything from planting trees and flowers to raising money for worthy causes, big and small.

Last week we told you about a new initiative undertaken by the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library.

This vital, innovative and much-loved community hub launched its Planned Giving Program.

It's an inventive way to entice residents who recognize the importance of the library now to ensure that it continues to flourish long after they're gone.

Planned giving is not a new concept. Foundations and charities have used the format for decades, but it is a forward-thinking and inspiring option that has been embraced by the NOTL library's board and management. Kudos to them and all those who opt to bequeath a gift to support the library.

Given the innovation we see year-round at our library (note this week's story about its high-tech Makery space), we are not at all surprised to see it throw out the challenge to its patrons to remember the facility in their wills.

We urge anyone who can to do just that – and consider supporting the library now, or in the future.

And looking to the future, just around the corner from the library, is the newly expanded Niagara Nursery School.

This modern facility is another important part of life in NOTL – despite the influx of retirees here, the town also is home to many young families desperately in need of child care.

This $2 million facility, built with plenty of government help, but also, of course, many thousands of dollars in donations from the community, is a key component of NOTL's future.

Parents need to work and need professional, dependable, trustworthy child care. And in the Niagara Nursery School, they have just that.

As well, the children and families who depend on the nursery school will someday rely upon the library and its many programs. It's all part of a circle of community care and it is so very heart-warming to see it finally come to fruition.

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