New Collaboration Promises “Roadmap” for Addressing Community Needs
Laurie Dillon-Schalk explains Vital Signs initiative to an attentive audience in Fenelon Falls.
Perhaps you’ve already read all about it in the October 2025 issue of the Lindsay Advocate: “State of Wellbeing of Kawartha Lakes.” The in depth article by Sarah Fournier describes the remarkable partnership between the Kawartha Community Foundation, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and Kawartha Works Community Co-op.
Vital Signs is part of a national initiative by Community Foundations of Canada, to assess the local needs and resources in local communities across such indicators as housing, education, health, and safety. Kawartha Works Community Co-op is very excited about this collaboration, and the quality of research that will lay the groundwork for the kind of communities we want to live in.
“Vital Signs is about using data to bring people together,” says Jim Armstrong, Chair of Kawartha Works Community Co-op (KWCC). Vital Signs will help KWCC to create new partnerships and initiatives that address un-met community needs.
Laurie Dillon Schalk, Executive Director of Kawartha Community Foundation, which is spearheading the Vital Signs initiative, notes that improving quality of life is the goal. “Our community consultation is just beginning,” she says, and she is confident that the voices of lived experience from many corners will be listened to in drafting the kind of report card the City of Kawartha Lakes needs at this time.
As Doug Hawe, Jim Armstrong’s colleague on the KWCC board, points out, “It presents an opportunity for the City, Not-For-Profits, Charitable Organizations, and the Foundation to create a set of shared priorities. Shared priorities would enable greater collaboration, concentration of resources and ultimately make a greater impact in our communities.”
According to Ron Taylor, City of Kawartha Lakes CAO, the research is expected to offer a much needed roadmap for the City, which grapples with complex human realities when shaping services. Not only that, Vital Signs highlights the need and importance of the municipality to work in partnership with community organizations, who are close to the ground in addressing local needs, and who often initiate services with the participation of volunteers and donors motivated to improve the wellbeing of their community.
For a more comprehensive overview of Vital Signs, be sure to read the Lindsay Advocate article here. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call Jim Armstrong, at 905-706-0623. He would be happy to speak with you about this important initiative.
