Libro Credit Union awarded $35,000 to St. Paul’s GreenHouse from its Prosperity Fund last Thursday, a program which recognizes initiatives that focus on regional economic development, money smarts, and youth leadership.
The funds will be used to invest in new Discovery Labs and the Big Ideas Challenge to help more students come up with impactful ideas for social good. It is the second time that GreenHouse has received this funding.
"We’re passionate about investing in our communities,” said Martin Kihle, a Libro regional manager for Kitchener-Waterloo. “It’s not just about dollars and cents for us, but about how we conduct business. We salute you for doing good in our communities.”
Tania Del Matto, Director of GreenHouse, said, "The timing couldn’t be better. We’re starting to incorporate Discovery Labs into our brand-new space, which will give support to students in identifying and understanding pressing problems to solve, as well as training and skill development on design thinking practices.”
She added,
“These labs will allow for students and community members to co-design early-stage prototypes and provide pathways for these ideas to be incubated in GreenHouse, thereby resulting in more impactful projects and ventures.”
Partners who are scheduled to be part of the Discovery Labs include Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network, KidsAbility, and the Waterloo Global Science Initiative.
This grant will also help the continued growth of the Big Ideas Challenge, a competition that creates Fellowship opportunities for student entrepreneurs to receive in-depth coaching and funding to further develop their ideas and initiatives.