Because it’s much more than just a building.
We've Applied for the Ontario Trillium Foundation Grow Grant
We have applied for Grow Grant funding for a period of three years, starting in April 2026. This funding would allow FOMOS to TRIPLE our offerings for programming and drop-in centres for older adults. We will continue with our collaboration with the Municipality of Central Manitoulin, and offer more -- both on our own and in collaboration with other organizations.
You can help us help seniors on Manitoulin! The Ontario Trillium Foundation looks at social media to decide whether our programs are worthy of funding. Will you give us feedback on our programs, what you liked and what else you would like, to show on our social media? If we have lots of positive comments, we'll have a better chance of being able to offer more!
Please let us know what you liked and what else you would like to see! We will share your thoughts and that will help to show community support for seniors, it will also help us create more programs that seniors really want. We believe seniors here deserve more support to live independently, and that is a gap we want to fill. Email us at: mindemoyaoldschool@gmail.com
There are many ways to
donate. Click here to find out:
Join our Seniors Programs
November and December 2025
FOMOS and the Municipality of Central Manitoulin have been collaborating on a series of workshops, exercise classes and Drop-in afternoons for seniors. Details below!
DROP-IN THURSDAYS
November and December
From 1 PM - 3 PM at the Mindemoya Council Chambers.
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November 13 - Zen doodles - a relaxing form of doodling
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November 27 - Let's play chess!
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December 11 - Join us for Euchre
Tea, coffee & snacks available. No registration required -- just show up for a chat or to play games. FREE
FUN AND FREE WORKSHOPS Wednesdays at 6 pm
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November 12 - Making fabric ornaments
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November 26 - Chili with Pam
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December 3 - Candy Cane Wreaths
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December 10 Cedar Bough Gnomes
To register for these workshops:
705-377-5726
Chair Yoga and Easy Yoga
Tuesdays
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Chair Yoga - 1 - 1:45 p.m.
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Gentle Yoga - 2 - 3 pm
At the Mindemoya Community Centre.
Register ahead at the Municipality:
705-377-5726
The Remembrance sing-along was attended by 40 people, with songs, stories and memories.
If you attended please let us know your thoughts. We need your feedback to be able to offer more in the future!
Would like a Christmas sing-along? Please let us know!
Featured
blogs
Congratulations to the Winner of the Old Walls New Dreams 50-50 Lottery
For our organization FOMOS, the Mindemoya Old School is much more than just another building to be torn down. The Mindemoya school was one of Ontario’s very first consolidated schools and played a pivotal role in developing the very fabric of what we all love about Manitoulin Island.
FOMOS is on a mission to reinvent and celebrate this historical building and it's community for its second 100 years moving forward.
This building was built in 1922 and the brick laid was meant to stand the test of time. Its life as a school may be over but there are now endless possibilities for this strongly constructed, beautiful old building. We hope you will help us in preserving this special part of Central Manitoulin’s history!
Friends of the Mindemoya Old School (FOMOS)’ mission is to renovate, retrofit and repurpose this historical building as an accessible senior centre and year-round hub for artists and artisans. On the main level, local artists and artisans will create, display and sell their work in a centrally-located hub in downtown Mindemoya. It will boost the incomes of the local artistic community, especially women and Indigenous artists; fill a void in support for older adults; boost tourism, adding to the economic activity on Manitoulin Island; help to address the climate crisis by showcasing green technologies; and provide ongoing jobs in maintenance and programming. Revenue from rents in the artists’ hub will largely sustain the operations.
FOMOS has identified the need for facilities and programs to create an Age-Friendly Community, and to that end, we are planning and will establish a Senior centre. It will be inclusive, equitable, holistic, and integrated into the bigger picture of community programs over the long term. The senior centre will support the elderly in living independently allowing them to age in place in their own community. It will provide a common area to socialize and create a sense of belonging, combating isolation; and to engage in games, fitness and wellness activities. The nearest seniors’ centre is 45 kilometres away. The project will not only provide jobs in the construction phase, but it will also benefit the community.