Awesome Ottawa

Home
Canada
Ottawa, ON
Awesome Ottawa

$1,000. no strings attached. srsly. Awesome Ottawa awards $1,000 every month to forward the interest of awesome in the universe.

07/22/2025

June’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Colleen Gray and the Ottawa High Hookers to support the local arm wrestling community.

The Ottawa High Hookers are a wrestling club operating out of an inconspicuous suburban garage in Nepean. Club members get together twice a week not only to practice but also for pot-lucks, BBQs, and more.

“We celebrate birthdays, special occasions, and even a marriage through our club,” says Colleen. “I actually married my best friend, who is also an arm wrestler!”

The club is holding their first annual High Hookers Day celebration on July 26, with food, drinks, music, and, of course, lots of arm wrestling.

07/04/2025

Need $1,000 to make your awesome idea a reality? Get your application for July's award in by Wednesday.

06/27/2025

May’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Nieve Xiao to bring young musicians together with seniors through Sound of Life.

“Sound of Life,” explains Nieve, “is a group of youth musicians from across Ottawa bringing music and joy into retirement homes. We have over 50 volunteers and are entirely organized and run by our board of seven high school students.”

“Our organization brings about intergenerational learning and interaction,” she continues, “fuelling connection across the community. Music has also been shown to have an immense benefit to dementia and other memory related illnesses that come with old age.”

“I am in grade 11 at Lisgar Collegiate Institute and have volunteered in retirement homes for three years,” she says. “I have had many interactions with people with dementia or forms of it, and have realized the need for adaptive therapies to aid them in their wellbeing. As an avid musician and two-time provincial finalist in piano, I decided to bring two aspects of my life together to found Sound of Life.”

Nieve and the team plan to use the award to build homemade instruments to give to residents so they can play along during performances.

05/09/2025

April’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Velvet LeClair to support political art using papier mâché and cardboard.

“One of my talents is making masks or heads of politicians,” explains Velvet, “and I have been known to wear my art to make statements and raise awareness about various issues.”

“The movement has arrived in Ottawa,” she continues, “and the participants have enjoyed my most recent performance. I dressed up like Donald Trump and danced like him for the crowd. They appreciated the art, the fun, and the subversive style. I am currently finishing up an Elon Musk mask and his child, X.”

“My goal,” says Velvet, “is to make memes for social media to show an Ottawa reaction to all the craziness right now. Our country needs to be uplifted and united, and using art as a way to bridge a connection with the alt-right is needed. We also need to connect with the American people.”

“I’ve already made at least 25 papier mâché masks of politicians. This funding will help me invest in the art supplies and teach other people the skills behind making art out of garbage.”

Velvet describes herself as a middle-aged single mom who runs a home daycare. “I started making political art as a hobby when I was separating from my son’s father,” she says. “It was part of my healing journey and helped me through a difficult time. Over the years my hobby has become a coping mechanism for dealing with this world.”

05/07/2025

Need $1,000 to make your awesome idea a reality? Get your application for May's award in by Monday.

04/10/2025

Need $1,000 to make your awesome idea a reality? Get your application for April's award in by Sunday.

04/07/2025

The second of two Awesome Ottawa awards for March goes to Patricia Oliveira to support new mesh nets for basketball courts across the city.

“Mesh Up Ottawa is a community-based initiative run entirely by volunteers,” says Patricia, “dedicated to improving local courts and supporting community organizations through sports and teamwork.”

“We focus on basketball courts,” she continues, “especially in equity-deserving neighbourhoods in Ottawa. Our efforts include installing mesh nets on hoops, donating basketballs and water bottles, and cleaning the parks as a team.”

“While volunteering with Shelter Movers Ottawa,” she says, “I saw a basketball court that needed improvement. I decided to return in summer to put up new nets. Along the way, I gathered volunteers from Helping with Furniture, and we haven’t stopped since. My goal is to create positive change through meaningful actions, because even the smallest initiatives can make a big difference in the community.”

Patricia is the founder of Mesh Up Ottawa.

04/07/2025

The first of two Awesome Ottawa awards for March goes to Susan Johnston to support walking tours of Ottawa fiction and poetry.

“Ottawa has featured in fiction and poetry since long before it became the political capital and city of neighbourhoods we know today,” says Susan.

“While hundreds of works are set here,” she continues, “few of them are an active part of the iconography of our daily life. I want to change this by highlighting the inspiring range and breadth of fiction and poetry set across Ottawa.”

Susan is developing an open-source map so readers and walkers can connect works of fiction and poetry with locations across the city, and setting out self-guided walks so people can see the locations in person.

This spring, Susan will also host a live walk, featuring authors whose work references sites within central Ottawa. It will be offered through VERSe Ottawa in April, and again through Janes Walk Ottawa-Gatineau in May.

Susan hosts a morning show on CKCU FM and co-founded Ottawa (de)tours.

03/07/2025

Need $1,000 to make your awesome idea a reality? Get your application for March's award in by Wednesday.

03/02/2025

February’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Visionary Voices Ottawa, a local non-profit creating spaces where stories can challenge systemic inequities, to support video production workshops to empower racialized youth.

“Lens of Hope,” explains co-founder Alois Mulinda Nashali, “will specifically target those in low-income neighbourhoods disproportionately affected by gun violence and substance abuse. Using visual storytelling, we will equip youth with technical skills, provide creative outlets, and foster a sense of belonging within the community.”

“Activities will include bi-weekly video production workshops, monthly storytelling sessions, and awareness programs on substance abuse,” continues Alois. “Youth will engage in community screenings and gala events to showcase their work and spark conversations on critical social issues. The project will not only provide technical skills but also help youth process trauma, build confidence, and create positive pathways.”

Visionary Voices is a Black youth-led nonprofit empowering underserved youth. “Our vision,” says Alois, “is a more inclusive, connected, and equitable community where everyone’s voice has the power to inspire action.”

02/12/2025

January’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Jenn Hayward to support a week-long initiative of gratitude and artistic expression.

“Ottawa residents will be invited to share stories and shout-outs about fellow citizens who have supported them during challenging times,” explains Jenn.

“These collected messages will then be curated and transformed into a visual art piece or a series of art installations,” she continues, “which will serve as a tangible representation of the city's collective gratitude and resilience.”

“The project will showcase the city's compassionate spirit through real-life stories of support and kindness,” says Jenn, “and the resulting artwork will stand as a testament to the strong bonds within the Ottawa community.”

Jenn is a Métis comedian and storyteller. “I wrote for CBC for 8 years,” she says, “worked in the prison system for 8 years (but escaped), and ran a million-dollar business... into the ground. During COVID, I scaled a courier business so quickly it had nowhere to go but down. Now, after bankruptcy, I do consultancy work with businesses and non-profits on reconciliation planning.”

02/07/2025

Need $1,000 to make your awesome idea a reality? Get your application for February's award in by Tuesday.

Address

Ottawa, ON

Website

http://awesomeottawa.ca/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Awesome Ottawa posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.