The Assumption Heritage Trust Foundation is a community-based organization formed to preserve and protect Assumption Church and its surrounding grounds. The Assumption Heritage Trust Foundation Board will continue after the Capital Campaign is complete to ensure the continued restoration and preservation of this site by providing the necessary resources to sustain the building and the surrounding grounds.

Currently, 37 individuals serve as volunteers on the Assumption Heritage Trust Board and 12 members on the Patron’s Circle, with an expected participation of up to 350 new volunteers to various initiatives and committees.

The identification and participation of all relevant stakeholders is a key component to the success of any successful organization. We thank our partners for their continued support of the mission and vision of the Assumption Heritage Trust Foundation. More specifically:

• The Diocese of London
• Assumption Parish
• The Government of Canada
• The Government of Ontario
• The Ontario Heritage Trust
• The City of Windsor, Windsor Heritage Committee
• The University of Windsor
• Assumption University
• The Knights of Columbus

The Assumption Heritage Trust Foundation Board meets formally twice a year and is made up of 37 outstanding national and local civic leaders.

The Patrons Circle was established to invite civic leaders to provide advice and counsel in support of the Assumption Heritage Trust’s Master Plan.

We are very pleased that to date a number of both national and local civic leaders have joined Assumption Heritage Trust. The creation of this leadership team to steward and guide this project will ensure its success.

The new pay-and-display parking units will be integrated on July 18th, 2011 with the newly developed parking facilities to be officially up and running by September 2011.

The restoration of Assumption Church is already underway. In fact, a comprehensive, ten step work plan for 2011 has been approved by the corporate board and is as follows:

• Establish staging area for equipment / material
• Continue annual maintenance of east parking lot
• Remove asbestos in crawl space
• Upgrade heating system in main church
• Complete exterior fence
• Start east wall restoration program
• Complete archaeological study
• Start Arrival / Drop Off Area
• Site preparation for engineering
• Historical landscape preservation

Parishioners and those attending funerals, weddings or special Assumption activities will continue to park free of charge

The shortage of priests continues to drive parish reorganization, which involves amalgamation of parishes that will occur in the West End of Windsor. Over the next few years, Assumption Parish will welcome parishioners from Blessed Sacrament Parish, Holy Name of Mary Parish and St. Patrick’s Parish.

Assumption Parish will become the center of parish life and pastoral outreach for this area of Windsor. Assumption Parish will continue to be a center for outreach to students at the University of Windsor.

The commitment of the Diocese is joined by the personal commitment of His Excellency Ronald P. Fabbro C.S.B. We encourage and embrace the Campus Master Plan Concept to restore Our Lady of Assumption Church and enhance its surrounding grounds so that future generations can appreciate this National Treasure.

• The Diocese has and will continue to assist Assumption Church by gifting to the Assumption restoration program all net proceeds that the Diocese of London receives from its parking lot arrangements with the University of Windsor.
• In addition, unlike other parishes, Assumption Church provides ministry to students, faculty and staff on the University campus. The Diocese supports the Campus Ministry Program for Assumption and intends to enhance that support as the parish grows.
• In a show of commitment to the project and the mission and vision of the Assumption Heritage Trust Foundation, the Diocese of London has approved of a $500,000 loan to help facilitate the restoration program at Assumption Church.

The Assumption Heritage Trust Foundation will keep $20,000 in a Reserve Account to assist the parish with parish related needs.

We strongly believe that this community project will have a positive impact on the Windsor-Essex economy by providing new jobs. The major recapitalization project planned by the Diocese of London for Assumption Church is a highly sustainable project and it will be a major generator for the local economy (e.g. labour, trades and contractors). It has been noted that on similar conservation projects approximately 90% of the project budget goes to labour and less than 10% is allocated to goods and materials.

The new Heritage Education Centre and Interactive Educational Kiosks will promote and encourage local tourism — a declining industry in the greater Windsor/Essex County area. Given the value of tourism to our region ($468.6 million in visitor spending supporting more than 5,700 jobs) cultural/heritage tourism promises the region a significant opportunity to grow its tourism industry by capitalizing on its cultural assets as economic drivers.

The introduction of a new on-site destination Heritage Education Centre will celebrate Assumption Church’s heritage and ideals as well as our areas rich human history. This interactive, community-based learning centre will anchor the Campus Master Plan by providing a gathering place for people of all ages, abilities and cultures to come together to expand their understanding of our history.

The New Heritage Education Centre will provide on-site information and guidance through technology, opportunities for demonstrations and educational forums — creating conditions for achievement, improving adult literacy and preparing children and youth for success.

Located strategically throughout the site, the Interactive Educational Kiosks will promote and encourage a highly interactive experience by delivering a wealth of complex information in a way that is very intuitive to visitors of the Heritage Education Centre.

By bringing the information to the fingertips of the visitor, the Interactive Educational Kiosks will provide advanced but highly accessible, customized programming — providing each user with a unique and memorable experience.

Heritage education and stewardship exist not only through the historical significance of Assumption Church but within the flexible use of public green areas as well. The linking of peoples, places, chronicles and stories will reveal our local, provincial, and national history for local citizens and visitors alike.

A series of new public gardens will integrate and transform the Church surround. The public gardens will provide a distinctive and significant framework for the Church, become places to recognize and honour important individuals and events with reference to the evolution of Assumption Church through dedications and story-telling within the landscape, as well as providing seasonal texture, repose and contemplation.

Examples include:

• Parish Greens and Devotion Areas
• Mother’s Garden (Dedicated to Mothers)
• Our Lady of Assumption Niche Garden
• Basilian Fathers Arbor Garden / Green
• Sisters of Holy Names of Jesus and Mary Garden Court and Pavilion
• Parish Columbarium and Border Garden
• Peace Garden (Dedicated to World Peace)
• Community Greens
• Children’s Discovery Garden (Dedicated to Children & Knowledge)
• International Gardens (Dedicated to Diversity & Understanding)
• Amphitheatre
• The Michael J. McGivney Arrival Promenade (Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus)

It’s quick and easy! Please follow the “Donate Now” tab on the homepage of the AHTF website and follow the instructions and user-friendly interface.

We welcome all levels of donations, whether it’s a pledge, one-time gift, establishment of a matching gift, or gift in kind. We have made giving easy by providing you with the following options:

• Donate On-line (Paypal)
• Donate by Mail
• Donate by Phone

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