Harmony Centre

Harmony Centre, a registered charity formed in 2012, purchased the former Knox United Church in downtown Owen Sound with a plan. The initial vision was to create a community space for a needed soup kitchen in the existing dining hall, and to use the rest of the building for music, arts, and social services. Seven years later, the soup kitchen incubating the Owen Sound Hunger and Relief Effort (OShare) has moved out on its own, and ongoing renovations to the dining hall and kitchen continue thanks to volunteer labour.

The Harmony Centre is home to the Georgian Bay Concert Choir and Georgian Bay Children’s Choir, and many other community groups use Harmony Centre’s spaces and amenities for their weekly or monthly activities. The Centre regularly hosts a variety of performances, activities and events, with tenants including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grey Bruce, Grey Bruce Sustainability Network and Wonderland Music Studio.

As a place that sees an average of 50,000 visitors per year, the Harmony Centre has been particularly devastated by COVID-19. Visitation dropped to zero and fundraising activities stalled. Paying monthly costs without event and room rental revenue has been a challenge, especially because as a volunteer-run non-profit charity, Harmony Centre has not had access to any government funding to date. Coordinator Leigh Greaves says they have reached out to foundations across Canada for support, and to organizations and governments across the region to consider Harmony Centre for meetings. New safety guidelines for cleaning and personal protective equipment, re-opening to host groups and meetings, and getting back on track with renovations are some of their immediate goals.

Despite these many challenges, Leigh is encouraged to see people starting to come back. As always, the board of directors is focused on maintaining and improving the Harmony Centre as a social enterprise serving the Grey Bruce region. “We are always ready to change, to hear what is needed. This space was built by the community, for the community almost 150 years ago, and we want to make sure we are here for the next 150 years.”

Learn more about the Harmony Centre at harmonycentreos.ca.