The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs

Rotary Club of Guelph President Andrew Johnson, Past-President Marty Fairbairn, Cyndy Dearden Executive Director of The Grove Hubs, Past-President Paul Dredge with a big cheque from the Rotary Club of Guelph Charitable Foundation.

The Rotary Club of Guelph Charitable Foundation proudly supports this outstanding initiative which is giving our youth new skills, new tools, and new ways to reach out for support. The Grove is about meeting our youth where they are, right now, with open doors, open minds and open hearts.

When youth walk in to The Grove Hubs, over 30 community agencies are ready for them. No stigma. No shame. The Grove Hubs focus on prevention and intervention, providing tools and support before mental health concerns become a crisis. We are proud to support these safe spaces in Guelph and surrounding communities - places where youth feel welcomed and where they belong.

The Grove is s a “one-stop-shop” for youth aged 12-26 designed to meet a wide range of needs including mental health, substance use, primary care, education, employment, training, housing and other community and social services. In an effort to provide youth with the most impactful tools and resources possible, The Grove Wellington Guelph team collaborates with over 30 local service providers.

The Rotary Club of Guelph Charitable Foundation proudly supported this initiative with $288,000.

“We could not be prouder to see The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario - Wellington Guelph up and running, exceeding all expectations,” said Marty Fairbairn, past president of the Rotary Club of Guelph and current Chair of the RGC Fund. “Rotary will forever link the names of its members Cyndy Dearden and Paul Dredge to this endeavour with deep gratitude for their tireless efforts and vision.”

The Grove includes six sites across Guelph and Wellington County, with a seventh site under construction on Woolwich Street. The new site, set to open in Fall 2023.

Rotary is a founding partner of The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario - Wellington Guelph and was the catalyst for the development and construction of The Grove sites across Wellington County and Guelph. The Grove utilizes a one door model which seeks to connect each site - meaning that youth who access resources at one site, can return to a different site and not have to tell their story all over again.

“The amazing support from Rotary will help The Grove build what will be the largest of our seven youth wellness sites in this region,” said Jeffrey Hoffman, Interim Executive Director of The Grove. “We are grateful for this generous gift and the ongoing support of Rotary, helping us provide essential wellness services to local youth. It was their years of focus on creating a resource for youth in our community that enabled The Grove to come to fruition. ”

The Grove began as a Rotary led project in 2018 following an inspiring presentation by Dr. Joanna Henderson who spoke about a transformational model which made youth the centre of mental health and wellness services. What began as an Integrated Youth Service Network soon became The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario - Wellington Guelph providing youth with safe spaces across the community to stop by, have a snack, charge their phones or access holistic mental health and wellness resources such as counselling, tutoring, and life skills workshops.

“It is through Rotary’s support from the beginning that The Grove came to be,” said Hoffman. “A critical success factor in bringing multiple partners together was Rotary’s initial role as a trusted, neutral, third party facilitator,” he added. “Rotary’s steady hand and commitment to the initiative ensured that it turned from a vision to reality, supporting youth in a new way.”

CMHA Waterloo Wellington is now in the process of constructing a three story 60,000 square foot building at 737 Woolwich Street North that will become the region’s Centre for Children Mental Health and Development Services. At this new location, 8,000 square feet on the main floor, will house one of The Grove sites. The Rotary logo will be on proud display at this location.