Community Resource Centre began as a result of a group of concerned community citizens and professionals meeting (over a four-year period) to discuss the gaps and overlaps of services in the Centre Wellington community.  In 1985 a group from the University of Guelph , a staff person from NWAG (North Wellington Advisory Group), and a representative from the Ministry of Community and Social Services met with this local committee to discuss the needs in the area.  This committee applied for funding from the Ministry of Community and Social Services to enable them to provide services to the families, children and seniors.  

In February 1986 a staff person was hired to start the process of getting the group incorporated and to begin listening to community people and groups to establish programs for families and children. A program for children, known as the Rural Family Resource Program was started. This is the one program that each of the WAGs (North, East and Centre Wellington Advisory Groups) has in common.  Incorporation as a nonprofit agency was received in July of 1986.  

Other programs were established based on community needs and included a Child Care Centre at St. Joseph ’s School, Before/After school care, a home Child Care providers Listing, Parent Child Enrichment programs, Time Out For Moms, Housing Registry and Information Services, Outreach and Support, Toy Lending/Resource Library, and J.D. Hogarth Child Care Centre.

Other programs include Let Kids Play, provision of income tax seminars to volunteers to enable them to complete tax returns for other members of the community, household goods donations and distribution, and drop in information services have since been added.  

In 2003 the Community Resource Centre undertook another transformation.   The official name of the agency became the Community Resource Centre of North and Centre Wellington to reflect our role and service areas of the agency.  We were also named as the lead agency for the Rural Wellington Ontario Early Years Centre.  This provincial government initiative is the transformation of Family Resource Programs that will bring uniformity to the services provided for children aged 0 to 6 years and their families across the province. 

With this expansion to our services we also experienced continued growth in other program areas and soon recognized the need for new and larger accommodations.  In July 2003 a change of location was completed and the Community Resource Centre opened its new offices and Ontario Early Years Centre in the historic Groves Mill Building in downtown Fergus.  By August, the child care centre has also relocated, moving full time child care back to the J.D. Hogarth location, with St. Joseph ’s School location offering solely before and after school programming.    Unfortunately, the St. Joseph ’s Child Care Centre was permanently closed in June 2004 as a result of space being required by the school board.  

Early Years has also brought changes to the North Wellington program.  With an Outreach and Support Program servicing all of North Wellington from Arthur to Clifford since 2001, the Early Years services were added to the roster, bringing what had been the County of Wellington ’s FUNTIME van under the agency’s umbrella.  Our North Wellington Ontario Early Years Satellite Centre was opened in Harriston in September 2003.   

The Community Resource Centre works with the community to identify needs and to develop strategies to help meet those needs. To fill this role, the Community Resource Centre works with many other agencies like Canadian Mental Health Association, Fergus/Elora Community Pantry, Big Brothers,/Big Sisters, Kidsability Centre for Child Development and Public Health as well as various ministries of the government.  

As the voice of the rural community, the Community Resource Centre continues to promote the philosophy of identifying needs, helping to find ways to meet those needs and then offering those solutions back to the community as a means promoting self sufficiency and a sense of community.