MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: World’s Largest Independent LGBTQ+ Archives Gets $150,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant Toronto –Two years after it observed 40 years of commitment to preserving and sharing Canada’s LGBTQ+ history, The ArQuives (The ArQuives) is growing rapidly in terms of its collections, public service and exhibitions.With the support of a three-year, $150,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), The ArQuives has hired a full-time Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator. This is part of the organization’s longer-term strategy to become a more active resource for the diverse Canadian LGBTQ+ communities and to increase access to LGBTQ+ heritage. “Today’s announcement is important not only for the LGBTQ+ community, but for all Ontarians and Canadians. Researchers, students, writers, filmmakers and others will benefit greatly from the enhanced access to The ArQuives’s materials, digital resources, and events that this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant supports,” said Hon. Glen Murray, MPP for Toronto Centre. The Coordinator role is important, as most of the organization’s work is carried out by dedicated volunteers with many different interests and skill sets. It also enables the Archives to increase its community engagement, partnerships and programming. The ArQuives members are invited to meet Jade Pichette, the new Coordinator at The ArQuives’s Annual General Meeting on June 16th at 6:00 p.m. and, following the meeting, the public is welcome to join The ArQuives in our Celebration of Success at 7:00 p.m. at 34 Isabella Street. “The ArQuives is excited to hire a Volunteer and Community Outreach person who will help us increase the diversity of our archival collection, to better engage with under-represented LGBTQ+ groups – women, ethno-diverse, aboriginal, transand youth. The OTF funding will help this to happen both in our volunteer base, and also in the materials that will be available for future generations to research, as they look at Canada’s LGBTQ+ history,”said The ArQuives President Dennis Findlay. “I feel so grateful to get to work in a place dedicated to commemorating and preserving the histories of LGBTQ+ communities. Every day I come into work I learn something new, and I hope that this can be shared more with the community,” said Jade Pichette, Coordinator of Volunteer and Community Outreach. About The ArQuives:The ArQuives (The ArQuives) is the largest independent LGBTQ+ archives in the world. With a focus on Canadian content, The ArQuives acquires, preserves and provides public access to information and materials in any medium. By collecting and securing important historical records, publications, magazines, newspapers, photos, films and other paraphernalia, The ArQuives cares for LGBTQ+ histories now and for generations to come. About the Ontario Trillium Foundation: The leading grantmaker in Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation strengthens the capacity of the voluntary sector through investments in community-based initiatives. An agency of the Government of Ontario, OTF helps build healthy and vibrant communities. For more information, please visit: www.otf.ca -30- For media accreditation, photos or interview requests, please contact: Dennis Findlay, President of The ArQuives Board of Directors, dfindlay@arquives.ca 647-403-8046 Twitter: https://twitter.com/The ArQuivesrchives Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The ArQuivesrchives Tumblr: http://canadianlesbianandgayarchives.tumblr.com YouTube: http://bit.ly/1eAg4mB
