Community by Design: Exploring Social Infrastructure in Waterloo Region

Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF), Kitchener Public Library, and Midtown Radio invite you to a special panel discussion to mark the official launch of the five-part podcast series, Community by Design: Exploring Social Infrastructure in Waterloo Region.

The discussion will feature several community members who are leading local social infrastructure initiatives and featured in the podcast series. This includes WRCF’s President & CEO, Eric Avner, followed by the panel discussion moderated by Danielle Deveau, Host at Midtown Radio.

Speakers include:

• Jeyas Balaskanthan, Executive Director at Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement Area
• Kim Fowler, Executive Director at Fiddlesticks Community Centre
• Nathan Stretch, Senior Manager, Community Development and Insights at Kitchener Public Library

About the Podcast

In September, WRCF released the 2025 Vital Signs® Report focused on Social Infrastructure. Over the past few months, WRCF has supported Midtown Radio, as their team has worked to explore the Vital Signs findings in greater detail by interviewing people from across the community and creating a series of podcasts about topics linked to the report.

The first podcast will air on Midtown Radio on January 17 and January 18 at 11 a.m.

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Doors will open at 6 p.m. to give attendees the chance to connect with one another, provide input on the podcast topics to inform questions that the moderator will ask the speakers, and have some light food and refreshments. The panel discussion will begin at 7 p.m.

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This event will be photographed and recorded

Please be advised that photographs and video may be taken at this event for use on WRCF's web, print, and social properties. By attending this event, you consent to being photographed and/or filmed. If you would like to attend, but don’t want to have your image captured, please ensure you contact us in advance so we can make arrangements.