Hobbs Manor raises $167K for upgrade

Hobbs Manor has raised more than $167,000 during the past 11 months.

The donations and support — including grants, in-kind contributions and community fundraising initiatives — helped cover the cost of improvements to the Brandon seniors’ residence and make its facilities more accessible to residents.

The fundraising push grew from a desire to ensure the facility remains sustainable for years to come, fundraising committee member Erin Foulkes said.

“The longevity of Hobbs Manor comes to a point where you really have to be planning for the future,” Foulkes told the Sun after a donor appreciation event on Friday.

Foulkes said the $167,000-plus figure represents money she could verify through her records during the past 11 months.

One of the major projects has been an audio-video upgrade, which was largely funded by a “From the Ground Up” grant through Brandon East MLA Glen Simard, minister of municipal and northern relations. Hobbs Manor received $73,793 from the program, a provincial spokesperson said.

“The system allows residents to hear presentations and events more clearly and includes hearing assistance,” Foulkes said.

“Some residents previously stayed away from activities because they could not hear what was happening. With the new hearing-assistance system, they are now able to participate.”

The same grant is also supporting new library furniture and furnishings for the games room. The changes are already having an impact on residents, Foulkes said.

Another major improvement has been the refitting of the exercise room through a federal New Horizons for Seniors Program grant, with equipment support from A&L Cycle. The program supports not-for-profit organizations with up to $50,000 for projects up to a year in duration.

Foulkes said the upgraded space supports residents’ physical and mental well-being while fitting into Hobbs Manor’s broader goal of supporting different aspects of residents’ lives.

The facility has also gained a new outdoor deck through a partnership involving Hobbs Manor, Home Hardware and the Construction Association of Rural Manitoba.

Hobbs Manor purchased the materials, Home Hardware provided them at a significantly reduced price and CARM board members, friends and tradespeople volunteered their time to build the deck over a weekend, she said.

Foulkes described the unfinished deck as “the playpen” because a ramp and steps still need to be completed.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said Hobbs Manor’s approach to fundraising demonstrates the importance of community partnerships.

“They’re out there looking for grants and looking for opportunities,” Fawcett said. “The fundraising team has developed a system aimed at making the facility more sustainable.”

The fundraising effort, Foulkes said, has also involved the Hobbs Manor Resident Council, which has organized initiatives such as raffle-ticket sales and helped establish a stronger public identity for the facility.

“Hobbs Manor had to build that identity from the ground up, including developing a logo, mission and vision statements and public-relations materials,” she said.

The facility’s supporters recognized for their contributions at the event included A&L Cycle, the Hobbs Manor Resident Council, First Baptist Church, Elevate Print Shop, the City of Brandon, Prairie Mountain Health, the Keystone Centre, Heritage Co-op, St. Augustine’s Knights of Columbus and others.

The fundraising success reflects the value the community places on Hobbs Manor, St. Matthew’s Anglican Cathedral dean Chris Evetts said.

“I think that’s incredible,” Evetts told the Sun. “I think that’s a testament to the city of Brandon, the Westman area, for seeing that there is a value here.”

Hobbs Manor was established more than 40 years ago through a partnership between St. Matthew’s Anglican Cathedral and First Baptist Church to address a need for seniors’ housing and support.

Foulkes said the residence continues to serve people beyond the two founding congregations, with its board including representatives from both churches and the wider community.

Evetts said facilities such as Hobbs Manor remain important as communities age, providing places where seniors can remain connected and continue contributing their experience and knowledge.

“We need their wisdom. We need their love. We need their understanding,” he said.

For Foulkes, the recent fundraising is ultimately about preserving a facility that has become part of the community’s history while ensuring it remains useful to the people who live there.

She said many people still have connections to Hobbs Manor through parents, grandparents, relatives and friends who have lived there over the years.

“It’s just a very unique building, and it needed some TLC,” she said.

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