Widow’s Mite Fountain with Alloway Arch in the distance.
2015 was the year The Winnipeg Foundation officially unveiled the Alloway Arch and Widow’s Mite Fountain at The Forks.
LtoR: Susan Millican, Chair of The Winnipeg Foundation and Hon. Janice Filmon in front of the Alloway Arch.
On Sept. 29, Foundation donors and supporters took part in the special celebration that included a presentation by The Honourable Janice Filmon, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.
Located just East of the Via Rail Station, the Arch has been constructed from the façade of the original Alloway and Champion Bank, which once stood at 362 Main Street.
In its heyday, Alloway and Champion was the largest private bank in Western Canada and one of its owners, William Forbes Alloway, went on to establish The Winnipeg Foundation in 1921.
Three years later, the Foundation received its second gift, this one anonymous: three gold coins, each worth five dollars, in an envelope bearing the words “The Widow’s Mite.”
The Arch represents Mr. Alloway’s investment in our community while the adjacent fountain symbolizes the pooling of gifts made by people from all walks of life to build The Winnipeg Foundation.
“We are honoured to use this important public space,” said Richard Frost, the Foundation’s CEO, at the event.
“For centuries, the Forks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers has been a traditional meeting place. Today, it’s where Winnipeggers come for community celebration, to enjoy the beauty of our city in all seasons, and – with the addition of the Canadian Museum from Human Rights – it’s also a place for learning, reflection and hope.”
Elder Barbara Nepinak opened the event with a prayer in Ojibway. Earlier this summer, the site was blessed in a tobacco ceremony.
Current and former Chairs of the Foundation’s Board cut the ribbon to open Alloway Arch. [L to R] The Honourable Richard Scott, Helen Hayles, Susan Millican and Richard Bracken.
The Honourable Janice Filmon, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, Susan Millican, Board Chair of The Winnipeg Foundation and Richard Frost, CEO of The Winnipeg Foundation, toss coins in the Fountain to commemorate the three gold coins that made up the Widow’s Mite.
The Winnipeg Foundation staff at the Arch.
