Shelldale Family Gateway is the Recipient of our Meeting Sixteen Donation!

Our sixteenth meeting of 100 Women Who Care Guelph demonstrated that even during the hazy hot days of Summer, our members are committed to supporting local community organizations!  In spite of a torrential rainstorm which deluged Guelph an hour before our quarterly meeting, members braved the elements and joined us for a chance to listen to eloquent speakers making inspiring presentations for their chosen charities.

We started off the evening with refreshments and a networking event sponsored by Irene Szabo of Home Group Realty and Sandra Lastovic of The Mortgage Centre, valued members of 100WWCG.

Sharon Lewis delivered introductory remarks to the group, noting that at this last meeting of year four, 100 Women Who Care Guelph has 150 committed donations (individual donors and teams) and that the thermometer total at this time stands at $182,450.  She also noted that at the conclusion of the meeting, we would have the opportunity to award 3 year pins to another 23 members.

Sharon informed members that we have encountered a challenge related to the venue we use at our quarterly meetings.  Due to a corporate ownership change, the Guelph Delta Hotel has re-evaluated our arrangement with them and will no longer be able to provide free accommodations for those meetings.Sharon outlined three options which face the group moving forward:

  1. 100WWCG could continue to hold meetings at the the Delta and every member would pay a nominal fee (approximately $10 per year) to cover the cost of room rental.
  2. We could continue to hold meetings at the the Delta, but seek sponsorship from area businesses to cover the cost.
  3. We could search for another location which would be available to 100WWCG, at no cost.

Members present were given an index card and asked to vote on these three options.

We are asking any member who was unable to attend last evening’s meeting to take a moment, follow this link and fill out a brief survey which will let us know your opinion on this critical issue.  Deadline for completion of the online poll is
July 31st, 2018. 
Once all votes have been tallied, we will notify all members by email.

After  a thorough discussion of this issue, members listened to presentations from three very inspiring nominators:

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  1. Amber Wood presented on behalf of Habitat for Humanity, an organization which mobilizes volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting home ownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty. Habitat for Humanity offers a zero down payment, interest-free mortgage, with payments which are geared to income.

 

2.   Suzanne Longpre presented on behalf of  Shelldale Family Gateway, a community hub located in the Shelldale Centre.  Their multicultural approach strives to meet the needs of the Onward Willow community, offering programs and client support in more than 29 languages.  With a focus on children, they offer residents of this underprivileged neighbourhood a variety of programs including preschool and early literacy programs, a breakfast club, an after school program for teens, adult ESL, a women’s circle and a summer camp program.

3.   Karen McElroy presented on behalf of Pet Protect Guelph, a pet fostering program to help people who are precariously housed, women fleeing domestic violence, individuals recovering from a medical procedure and those who are seeking addictions treatment. Through their affilliation with  Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition, it is the organization’s mission to provide a temporary, safe home for pets with selected foster families, while using science-based practices to optimize animal welfare.

 

Following each presentation, members asked a variety of questions about each organization, the clients they serve and their funding models.  This is a very important aspect of our meetings, because the more we know about the charities who present, the better we will understand their mission and value to the community.  Your engagement with our presenters is essential to our mission.  Most important, our members’ continued generosity is key to 100WWCG’s success and the success of the charities we sponsor.

Teresa Waldner, Manager, Community Support Services for the VON, says “Thank you!” for our April Donation.

While member votes were being counted,  Teresa Waldner, the manager of Community Services for the VON Waterloo Wellington Dufferin (Victorian Order of Nurses), delivered an enthusiastic “Thank you!” to the group, She told members that VON rarely sees single donations of this size and that the funds donated will be used to provide increased service levels in our area, particularly related to program accessibility and mobility.  To read the full transcript of her comments, follow this link.

 

 

Sharon and Diane present the “Big Cheque” in recognition of our April donation to VON Waterloo Wellington Dufferin

A ffew days after the meeting, children at Shelldale Family Gateway express their thanks for being chosen to receive 100WWCG’s Meeting 16 Donation.

Following this heartfelt presentation, we learned that our July selected charity is Shelldale Family Gateway. When pledges come in from all members, our contributions will be directed towards providing  support to valuable ongoing services for families in the Onward Willow Community.   You can read more about these exciting plans in Tannis’s press release online.   We look forward to hearing about the impact of that donation at our next meeting, in the Fall of 2018.

Congratulations on receiving your three year pin!

As the last order of business for the evening, Sharon handed out 3 year pins to qualified members and photos were taken of pin recipients in attendance at the meeting.
If you missed the meeting, you’ll find instructions about how to send in your cheque below.  We are also offering the option of making your payment online! 

 

Please arrange to make your donation as soon as possible.