The Thrill of Being on the Cusp of a Life-Changing Project

By Lois Tuffin

Just take a moment to imagine this challenge. You and five other people have signed on to create a new non-profit and buy a multi-million-dollar property.

You have no idea what exactly you will do with its 132,000-square-feet of building and 10 acres of grounds. You know that part of it will be used for affordable housing, but you’re keeping your mind open to what other uses will pay the bills while you renovate.

Now, explain that to potential investors and, oh, the neighbours who want to know what the heck is going on next door. Yep, you need a communications plan.

That is exactly what happened in 2013 when Stephen Kylie led the team that bought a former convent in the heart of Peterborough. The building had sat empty for four years while the interim owner formulated then abandoned his plans for the property. Yes, it was full of stale air and dead bats, but it could become so much more.

How do you brand this with the right words?

That’s where the aspirational messaging came into play. As the leader of the communications team, I pulled together a crew that encouraged people to dream a little and to share their ideas of what could be. We began with nothing and built every channel from scratch on a budget that was practically nonexistent: website, logo, press releases, social media channels...you name it.

For starters, we explained the desperate need for affordable housing and how this development alone would fulfill 10 percent of the City’s identified need. That created an urgency and relevance that was tantalizingly tangible.

Next, we developed a logo for The Mount Community Centre that reflected the capacity for growth, not just for the property but the people living there and using its additional services. The Visioning Committee fed us the information we needed to highlight how plans were shaping up.

Then we went into full fundraising mode to raise the first $4 million needed for renovations. Since storytelling was so key to that campaign, I ended up chairing that portfolio too. Over the next two years, we accepted donations and set up various loans to keep ahead of the ongoing bills for drywall, tile, mechanical systems, and every other aspect of the building’s changes. While that may not sound sexy, donors loved coming for tours to see the supplies that their dollars had purchased.

Our perseverance paid off

We kept going and going, raising at least $100,000 per month until the first 43 residents moved into their apartments in September 2016. That was quite a monumental day!

I am extraordinarily proud of what our group accomplished. If I can work within that kind of uncertainty, pressure, and flux, just imagine what I can do for another organization at its headwaters or at a crossroads. It is exhilarating to change the world by engaging people with the right words at the right time.

Since 2016, dozens of additional apartments have opened up and The Mount Community Centre continues to grow and evolve. It has fabulous community gardens for residents and other people who want to stretch their food budgets with fresh food. The kitchen pumps out Meals on Wheels for Community Care, food for City daycares and fodder for special events, and the low-cost café.

Office workers have fabulous views of the trees on the grounds and a private school has students playing on the lawn. You can get married there for new beginnings of your own.

If you are broaching something new and don’t know how to ‘sell’ it, I’ve been there. It takes a team of people to get all the elements right and I know exactly who to turn to. Dream a little.

What came next!

Since then, we have published a book about the whole rollout from 2013 to 2018. Entitled Miracle on Monaghan Road, it was published in June 2023 and has sold hundreds of copies. Even better, it serves as a guide for other groups to learn from the missteps and many lessons on the journey.

Next, the story comes to life anew as a play that may one day appear on the stage at 4th Line Theatre. Stay tuned for more developments about that! The first draft is done and ready for its first reading in the summer of 2024.

When you share this level of ingenuity and excitement, you can have as much success as The Mount has experienced.