FOUNDERS' CIRCLE
LEGACY
The Founders’ Circle is a special group of people who believed in our mission early on and chose to support what we are building.
The Circle is now closed, but its supporters will always hold a special place in our story.
We are so grateful for their belief in our mission and for helping us take those first steps.
This Wall of Appreciation honours the people who made up our Founders’ Circle and celebrates their role in CCIA’s first year.
WALL OF APPRECIATION
Brushstroke Circle
$250 - $999
Strengthening accessible workshops and community support.
Colleen Faustino Small
James Doucher
Susan Payne
(In honour of Alex Schmaltz)
Jessica Dutton
Splash Circle
$100 - $249
Helping bring community programming to life.
Heather White Brittain
The Q Creative Network
Kathleen Faustino
These are the people who believed in the mission, supported our beginnings, and helped make our work possible.
What Their Support Made Possible
During our first year of public programming
11 Free community program sessions hosted
234+ Participant engagements through intentionally small, accessible creative spaces
12 Community partnerships built
4 Core program streams established
Every registration-based, in-person program reached capacity, with many participants returning for multiple offerings. This reflects a growing need for accessible creative spaces where people can participate, connect, and build community.
Words from Our Community
The numbers only tell part of the story, the people tell the rest.
"It's the first time in a long time that I've felt like I belong."
"I didn't even know what I'd signed up for. I just knew that if CCIA was running it, I wanted to be there."
"Before today, I hadn't left my home in months. I'm really glad I came."
* Participant reflections have been anonymized to protect privacy while preserving the authentic voices of our community members.