Over the past 103 years, Willis College has been dedicated to the communities it serves by providing quality adult career training programs. Since it opened its Kanata campus in 1996, Willis has provided training to equip students with the knowledge and skills demanded by the well-established high tech industry. Now, it is proud to be a major contributor to the Kanata Seniors' Centre.

During her tenure, Mayor Merle Nicholds has actively supported and participated in the business community she loves and serves. When Willis College was invited to participate in the fundraising campaign for the Seniors' Centre all of its management embraced this opportunity not only to thank Merle Nicholds but also to give back to the community that has played host to the College for the past four years.

Proud of the achievements of its staff and students, Willis has offered to share its knowledge and provide the resources that will facilitate the implementation of the IT services for the Centre with special emphasis placed on establishing an IT Learning Centre for seniors. Courses taught at the Centre will enable Kanata seniors to get connected.

Dubbed "Merle's Connected Seniors", the project will bring together technically proficient Willis students and a wealth of experienced senior citizens to jointly build this Community Centre to become self sufficient.

As part of this initiative, we will launch the Kanata Seniors' Centre Web Site with an e-commerce solution to promote all activities and generate revenue.

It is our hope and intention that the "Merle's Connected Seniors" project will serve as a role model for other communities across Canada.