We can’t believe it’s year two already!
After extending a warm welcome back to our members, a reminder of the $46,600 we contributed to Guelph last year, and a brief update on procedures, we launched right into picking our three charities up for contention.
We heard three very passionate speeches on behalf of the Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington, The Children’s Foundation of Guelph Wellington, and our eventual winner (drum roll please) Dunara Homes For Recovery Inc., who received approximately $12,400 to aid their cause.
Dunara Homes for Recovery, our 5th winner! Michele Mactaggart (left), proud presenter on behalf of Dunara Homes, and Tannis Sprott of 100 WWCG (right) celebrate our newest winner.
Many of our members were unfamiliar with Dunara Homes for Recovery. They have been quietly working away in our community since 1981, helping those suffering from mental illness as they transition from an institutional setting to a community setting, providing all the support they need on their road to recovery. They work towards autonomy, individual responsibility, engagement in the community, empowerment, hope, self determination, the elimination of stigma, and the opportunity for meaningful choice for their clients.
Our latest gift to Dunara Homes for Recovery was graciously accepted by Executive Director Yvonne Bowes (on right) and Yoland Webster, their Program Manager (on left), presented by 100 WWCG Organizing Member Tannis Sprott (centre).
We were delighted to hear back from Sly Castaldi from Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, our winner from July. She was able to draw a parallel between the beginnings of GWWIC and 100 WWCG (other than the obvious alphabet soup of Gs, Ws and Cs), saying you never know when you start something how important and far reaching it can become, and she applauded 100 Women Who Care Guelph for making an incredible difference to all the charities here in Guelph.
We hope to have her comments posted here shortly so those of you who missed her wonderful thank you will have a chance to hear it, so check back soon!
You have until January 4th to get your charity nominations in before our next meeting on Monday, January 11th, 2016, from 7 – 8 pm (registration begins at 6:30) at the Delta Guelph Hotel and Conference Centre, where we will choose our next member nominated charity! Help us to grow by inviting your friends to join you in this amazing venture. See you there!