Fundraising ramps up for new Manitoba Possible HQ

Derek McLennan looks forward to having a bigger kitchen.

The 34-year-old, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, has volunteered for Manitoba Possible since he was 18. Before that, he used the non-profit organization’s many services.

By fall, he’ll have a new and spacious accessible community kitchen in which he can hold supper clubs, which he does twice a month.

“It’s outdated and there’s no space,” McLennan said Tuesday about the organization’s current space.

The renovated kitchen will feature accessible appliances and height-adjusted counters and tables for people who use wheelchairs. There will be plenty of room for social events hosted by the organization.

The design of the new headquarters, at 1680 Notre Dame Ave., will include amenities such as hearing loop technology and an adjustable toilet.

Hearing loop technology transmits sound wirelessly directly to hearing aids or cochlear implants equipped with a telecoil. The transmission occurs through copper wire installed into the floor of the building.

The toilet, which was ordered from Europe, has hydraulics that adjust the height.

The building will have shop space for mechanics to modify wheelchairs with the latest accessibility tech and a terrain room where that tech and new chairs can be put to the test through various scenarios and elements, as well as hundreds of other accessibility elements designed with input by people who intend to use the space. It’s currently under construction and is expected to open later this year.

Manitoba Possible kicked off its Breaking Barriers fundraising campaign Tuesday to raise $3.8 million for the two-storey, 38,000-square-foot space that will amalgamate its offices at 1857 Notre Dame Ave. and 825 Sherbrook St. Its building at 1155 Notre Dame Ave. will continue to house Specialized Services for Children and Youth.

“Several years ago, it became clear to us that our physical spaces were really holding us back,” chief executive officer Lindsey Cooke said. “We wanted to create a space where people felt really considered (and) thought of from the moment they arrived at the doors, where accessibility wasn’t just an accommodation, but a basic expectation.”

Eleven accessible parking spaces will be directly outside the entrance of 1680 Notre Dame Ave., and there will be no curb so the parking lot meets the sidewalk. The landlord extended the sidewalk to accommodate wheelchairs.

Manitoba Possible said it will be able to offer services to the 20 to 40 people who are on a waiting list once the new space opens. The non-profit serves about 75,000 people every year.

Winnipeg workwear manufacturer Tough Duck is sponsoring the terrain room. Company president Gavin Rich, who is chair of the Breaking Barriers fundraising campaign, knows first-hand the importance of Manitoba Possible’s services.

His daughter, Lily, was born with cerebral palsy who was helped by Manitoba Possible. Rich said the new building will represent a truly accessible space.

“We can show how communities are strengthened when everyone has equal access,” he said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca