For many anglophones living in Orléans the word MIFO is a mystery, but for the 43,000 francophones living in the area the Mouvement d'implication francophone d'Orléans has played a leading role in high-lighting and promoting French cultural expression for the past four decades.

The seeds of what would eventually become MIFO were planted by a group of students at Garneau High School who were assigned a project "The Survival of the French Fact in Orléans� in 1978. The project would provide the impetus for what would become a movement to create an organization to protect and promote the French culture in Orléans.

The Mouvement d'implication francophones d'Orléans, better known as MIFO, has grown from one full-time employee and a handful of volunteers in 1984 to more than 350 employees and 160 volunteers today. MIFO PHOTO

A year later, the Mouvement d'implication francophone d'Orléans was born with the mission to promote francophone culture and contribute to its development through the provision of educational, artistic and community activities and services to the population of Orléans and its surroundings.

Although it was originally founded to act as a buttress against the anglicization of the community, MIFO's raison d'�tre remains as relevant as ever today.

"Its presence is still as relevant and important because it allows the community to meet, discuss, grow and live in French every day. It contributes to the long-term survival of the franco phone community in Orléans and its surroundings,� explains MIFO chair Tr�va Cousineau.

Over the years, MIFO has been able to adapt to the growing needs of the francophone community, which has allowed it to become the largest Franco-Ontarian cultural centre in the province, growing from a single employee and dozens of volunteers in 1979 to 350 employees and 160 volunteers today.

Arguably, the organization's most im-portant milestone was the construction of the Centre culturel d'Orléans on Carriere Street in 1985. The building became the centre of French culture in the area with regular artistic performances, services for seniors, art and language courses, and space for cultural exhibitions.

The next significant milestone was the completion of the Shenkman Arts Centre in 2009 which allowed the organization to significantly expand its artistic program.

Looking towards the future, MIFO's next major project is the construction of a new home.

"The current building has been the heart of the movement for the past 40 years. Since the demand and needs of the community have never stopped growing we are now cramped in our current space,� says Cousineau.

The first step was to undertake a feasibility study. The second phase is to raise the necessary funding through government grants, corporate sponsorships and individual donors. The goal is to raise $14 million.

The former Liberal government of Ontario pledged $4.2 million towards the project with the expectation that the federal government would do the same, leaving the final third up to the organization. The current Conservative government in Ontario has yet to make a formal commitment to the $4.2 million pledged by the Liberals. The hope is that they will do so in the upcoming budget.

The federal government has also held back on making a formal commitment. The expectation is that they will do so once the Ford government has made an announcement. Everything hinges on the province.

Once it's built, the new centre will allow MIFO to expand its programming to include a component for francophone teens in the area.

"We want to give them a place so that they can animate their own community and create a sense of belonging,� explains MIFO's executive director Marie-Claude Doucet.

It's that type of commitment to the youth of the community that bodes well for the future of the organization which remains as relevant today as it did 40 years ago.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)