Our October meeting marked the beginning of our ninth year of supporting charities within this community.
How incredible is that?
In 2014, when Sharon Lewis, Tannis Sprott and Diane Nelson came up with the idea of founding a chapter of 100 Women Who Care in Guelph, it seemed like a natural fit. Ours is a city which has its share of need and there is a huge constituency of generous women.
Charities bring together people who care about a cause and want to make a difference – by providing direct help, giving information, or raising awareness of an issue. 100 Women Who Care Guelph has been on a mission to give local charities a financial “hand up” as a way to help them succeed.
In spite of facing obstacles nobody could have ever anticipated, our group has managed to contribute a whopping $388,529 to the Guelph community over the past eight years. This has required the steadfast support of our membership and a willingness to connect in innovative ways.
Let’s be proud of all we have achieved…
Are you wondering what happened at the meeting?
Sharon opened the meeting with thanks to Sandra Lastovic (from SkiptheBank.ca) and the Delta Hotels Conference Centre. She acknowledged that their support is essential to 100WWCG’s efforts to meet in person again.
This is also our second of four hybrid meetings, held to accommodate the needs of members not yet ready to meet in person. We acknowledged the contribution of Audrey Lounder, whose assistance in organizing the hybrid component has helped us to move forward through a steep learning process.
Our October meeting begins our chapter’s 9th year!
Sharon noted that milestone and presented a list of our meeting dates for 2023:
- Thursday, January 19th, 2023
- Tuesday, April 4th, 2023
- Monday, June 26th, 2023
- Wednesday, October 11th, 2023 (tentative)
Following the opening comments, our chosen charities were announced and nominators had the opportunity to tell members why they were so passionate to support them.
After presentations had been made, members voted in person and remotely. As ballots were being counted, we listened to the Executive Director of Compass Community Services who thanked 100 Women Who Care Guelph for our June donation.
Our Chosen Charities
On October 2nd, Tannis selected the names of three charities which had been included in our nomination draw. This allowed our nominators an opportunity to prepare presentations in advance of our in person meeting.
Our three chosen charities were:
Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph
(Nominated by Barb McKay)
Barb McKay presented on behalf of the Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph. She emphasized the importance of music to emotional well-being and the need to mentor enthusiastic young talent and stressed that this organization provides thousands of young, aspiring musicians with annual performance opportunities second to none.
The Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph is one of the largest youth services programs in the arts in our community.
Funds from a 100WWCG donation would be directed to the scholarship and bursary program, augmentation of school programs and improvements to the festival’s website.
Guelph Youth Music Centre
(Nominated by Tannis Sprott)
Tannis Sprott presented on behalf of the Guelph Youth Music Centre (GYMC). The centre is a unique facility that educates, enriches and fosters the development of youth through music and the arts.
Until it was shuttered by Covid 2020, GYMC sponsored Do Re Mi, as part of their community outreach. This interactive program was designed to enrich the arts curriculum in elementary schools. Presented in a workshop setting, with a study guide provided to teachers and the guidance of professional musicians, students were given the opportunity to acquire fundamental music skills and explore their creativity.
Funds from a 100WWCG donation would be directed towards restarting the Do Re Mi program in the 2022/23 school year.
Goderich to Guelph Rail Trail Inc.
(Nominated by Sharon and Cyndy McLean)
The Goderich to Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail is on a mission to develop and maintain a continuous, safe, accessible and fully inclusive rail trail experience that is 132 kilometres of linear, multi-use green space from the 401 corridors in Guelph to the shores of Lake Huron at Goderich. All efforts on the trail are funded by private donations and government grants.
The trail is a natural, historical, culturally significant conservation corridor, supporting community recreation and active transportation, promoting health and well-being, and bringing awareness to rural agriculture, heritage and the environment.
Funds from a 100WWCG donation would be directed towards improvements to trail detours in Guelph and surrounding area. These upgrades would include better signage, information kiosks, map boards, kilometre markers and location identifiers which would improve safety and accessibility for all trail users.
Important Announcement!
Goderich to Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail
(Nominated by Sharon and Cyndy McLean)
Is the Recipient of our October 2022 Donation!
For more information, follow this link to our most recent press release.
Funds from a 100WWCG donation will be directed towards improvements to trail detours in Guelph and surrounding area, including better signage, information kiosks, map boards, kilometre markers and location identifiers which will improve safety and accessibility for all trail users.
We couldn’t do this without you.
100WWCG is so happy to acknowledge the members who qualified for their 3 and 5 year membership pins at our October 2022 meeting. Thank you so much for supporting the efforts of 100 Women Who Care Guelph!
We are REALLY making a difference within our community…
Compass Community Services Says “Thank You!” For Our June Donation
The Executive Director of Compass Community Services,
Joanne Young Evans delivered a wholehearted “Thank You!” to our members for our June donation.
Follow this link to read what the team had to say.
Where do we go from here?
October 2022 marks the beginning of 100 Women Who Care Guelph’s ninth year of giving.
In spite of challenges we have experienced over the past 3 years, our membership should be incredibly proud of the fact that we have managed to donate $388,529 to local charities since October 2014.
We’ve learned to be nimble, using e-blasts and Zoom to replace or augment in person meetings, as we work hard to stay connected with our membership.
It has been wonderful to see our friends again – in person or by Zoom, and to share our commitment to staying engaged with our community and local charities.
Most important, we have learned that no matter how we stay connected, members continue moving forward with their commitment to giving. We really are making a difference and you are the reason for our success…
We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, on Thursday, January 19th, 2022, at 7:00 pm, at the Delta Hotels Conference Centre.
Sharon, Tannis, Miriam, Lisa, Peggy and Dianne
The 100 Women Team