Chatham Granite Club Compressor

History of the Chatham Granite Club

The Chatham Granite Club was first established in 1862 and remains as one of the few curling facilities in Chatham-Kent. The club continues to provide facilities to non-members and members of the community at all levels of curling (community, provincial and national).
Currently the facility is used seven days a week from the months of November through April by the Chatham Granite Club’s 270 Active members as well as various members of the community for curling as well as business meetings and other social functions. Membership includes school aged-children, teenagers, adults and seniors.

Community Involvement

The Chatham Granite Club has five sheets of curling ice, change rooms with lockers all located on the main level of the facility. The facility is well utilized by the local elementary and secondary schools that bring their students into curl as part of their physical education programs. Our team of volunteers is onsite to demonstrate how to curl, and explain the sport of curling to the youth in our community. Each year we have eight to ten local elementary schools bring out their grade six to eight students. These programs have taught over 800 school aged children the sport of curling each year. We also donate the ice time at the end of the season for these kids to have a year-end school bonspiel which takes place in March. There are also many high school teams that compete in a league the runs Friday afternoons at the club, our local High Schools also use
our facilities each week for their phys ed classes.
There is a licensed lounge facility, including a fully equipped kitchen upstairs. The lounge is air conditioned and available for summer rentals for functions such as business meetings, showers, weddings and parties.
Chatham Granite Club also has a very strong junior and Youth Program that introduces and teaches youth ages 8-17 years of age the sport of curling, sportsmanship, teamwork and etiquette. Over 50 youth participate in this program weekly. The program is taught by volunteers and Provincially Certified coaches who donate their time. These young curlers are continuously working toward their Ontario Curling Association Skills Awards which are presented at the end of the season. Curlers are also encouraged to curl with family members in the Family Bonspiel held annually to conclude the Junior season. Bantam youth (up to 17 years of age) have an additional opportunity to expand their curling experience to a competitive level.
The club has welcomed a group from Ontario Special Olympics to learn to curl since 2011. They learn the game of curling with help of some of our members on Sunday afternoons.

The Chatham Granite Club is also active with the community by hosting charity bonspiels and contributing to local physician recruitment and retention campaigns. The Chatham Granite Club has partnered with the Canadian Cancer Society - Chatham- Kent to host an annual Curl for Cancer event that has been running annually for over 15 years.

New this year we are opening our club to the blind/ visually impaired, they will be given training on how they can still enjoy the great sport of curling.

Why We Need Your Help

In 2012 we replaced our condenser at a cost of $55,000 all funded by our members. Then in the Spring of 2014 our roof started to leak again, a small leak quickly became many leaks. Upon investigation we learned our flat roof could no longer be patched and repaired and was in dire need of replacement. The new roof meant that our existing furnace and duct work needed to be replaced and re-routed to be more efficient, this job came with a price tag over $40,000. Our members have worked very hard applying for grants and fundraising to help pay for the new roof. We held a raise the roof campaign where members could have a personal message engraved on one of our rocks for a donation. We have successfully raised over $25,000 to cover the cost and have withdrawn from and depleted our savings.

Last week our club had a major setback and our Ice Compressor died, we could no longer repair the unit and it too needed to be replaced. We are still waiting on the final invoice but anticipate a price tag over $30,000. We have asked so much of our membership over that last few years to help our Club operate day to day. Soaring hydro costs are amounting to over $5,000 per month and it’s getting harder and harder to keep a place we love and that is enjoyed by our community open. Please consider making a donation to help us pay for our new compressor and keep our club thriving for years to come. If you can’t afford to make a donation, please consider joining us and trying the sport we love, if you are already a member please consider inviting a friend or family member to join you. Every little bit helps!

If you have any questions about Curling, The Chatham Granite Club or our Fundraising Campaign please give us a call or an email.

[email redacted]