Recently, the 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn Guelph joined forces to make a big difference in the local community.
Both groups are founded on a simple and effective structure: four meetings per year, one hour, three presentations from local charitable organizations, members vote on a winner, and each member contributes at least $100 directly to the local charitable organization selected by the vote.
In summary, 100 people x $100 = $10,000 of direct, local community impact in an hour or less. It’s that easy!
For this landmark joint event, the 100 Women Who Care Guelph (founded in 2014) and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn Guelph (founded in 2017) gathered at Cutten Fields with an attendance of approximately 170 people.
We are pleased to announce that the Community of Hearts Lifelong Learning Centre was chosen by voting members to be the recipient of the groups combined support.
Community of Hearts, located downtown in the Quebec Street Mall, serves folks aged 16 and older who are living with developmental disabilities. Through their Learning Day Programs, their goal is to support youth, adults, and seniors with developmental exceptionalities to achieve the level of independence they desire.
Kyle Hare, Development Outreach Coordinator who presented on behalf of the Community of Hearts Lifelong Learning Centre, explained that these programs cover a wide range of subjects, including nutritious and safe meal preparation, household chores, arts and creative expression, and health and fitness. These unique and innovative programs help to reduce social isolation, while giving the participants the necessary skills to become empowered, contributing members of society.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of an accessible washroom, these opportunities are not as available to all Guelph residents who would benefit from these programs.
With the aid of a local contractor who has agreed to build the washroom at cost – yet another local hero in our caring and generous city – the donation from the members of 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give A Damn Guelph will go a long way to seeing that project become a reality. To date, over $25,000 has been donated to Community of Hearts from this event.
Together, in total, these two grassroots fundraising organizations and their members have raised over $675,000, benefiting 55 Guelph and Wellington organizations over the past nine years.
As stated by Mike Brookbank, 100+ Men Founding Member, “The breadth and scope of our local charities here in Guelph and Wellington County reach into many corners of our wonderful community, helping and providing a bedrock of support to our friends, colleagues and neighbours. We are grateful for their dedication and happy to be part of the cycle of care. We hope our collective $100 cheques help move the needle for those that need it.”
This event was made possible by support from community-minded corporate sponsors who are also members of their respective groups:
- skipthebank.ca (Sandra Lastovic)
- Bidmii (Jon Christensen)
- Property Link (Mark Roberts)
- Cooperators Insurance/Brad Barbour Insurance Group (Brad Barbour)
- And Wayne Pitman Ford Lincoln (Wayne, Maria, and Doug Bricknell) was a special Host Sponsor.
The event organizers wish to thank Craig Moore, Mary Watson, and their team at Cutten Fields for their kind support and great service!
Do you care? Or (dare we say it), do you give a damn? Do these groups sound like something you want to get involved in?
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com and www.100menguelph.com for more information, to become a member, and help support those in need in our community.
All are welcome! It is a great chance to connect with local, like-minded individuals with minimal obligation and maximal impact.
Wayne Pitman Ford Lincoln believes that Guelph wins when people who care get together. That is why we wish to promote stories like this through our partnership with Guelph Today. We encourage everyone to think about the bigger picture when you are shopping.
We all win when we support local businesses!