Author Archives: Miriam Vince

January 2024 Meeting

100WWCG Members joined together to begin an exciting New Year and support a local charity!

On Thursday, January 18th, 2024, 100 Women Who Care Guelph celebrated the New Year with a meeting which was focussed on exciting changes!

Now in our 10th year, in spite of the challenges of a pandemic and an economic downturn, our group has contributed $462,070 to local charities – an amazing success story!

But we couldn’t have done it without the wholehearted commitment of our membership. Working together, we have remained steadfast in our mission to support local charities and make a difference within our community. Our members are awesome.

_{Photo by Austrian National Library on Unsplash}

Our Chosen Charities

On January 9th, 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 meeting.

Wondering what happened at the meeting?

Sharon opened the meeting by expressing our sincere thanks to Sandra Lastovic (from SkiptheBank.ca) and the Delta Hotels Conference Centre. The support they provide is critical to the ongoing success of 100WWCG.This quarter, 20 members qualified to receive their 3 year membership pins and 25 received 5 year pins. Sharon expressed thanks to those dedicated members and recognized the new members and guests who were in the audience. To date, our donation total adds up to $462,070 and our current membership stands at 173 members, which when donation teams are factored in, yield 166 committed donations.

Sharon introduced our new Director of Communications, Denise Kusinski. Denise will be taking over that role effective immediately, as Miriam Vince retires to pursue new directions in her life. She also noted that two of Tannis’ responsibilities will be taken over by new members of the Steering Committee – Melodie Wynne will be responsible for the writing of press releases and Liz Brant will be taking over 100WWCG’s cheque collector and tracker portfolio, with Peggy Brightwell continuing to provide follow-up of late charity payments. Crista Renner is moving forward in her role as the 100WWCG photographer and Lisa Woodcock continues to oversee vetting of nominated charities.

Members of the executive were thanked for their willingness to “pitch in” and help 100WWCG to keep moving forward and stay engaged with our membership.Sharon shared the results of our October questionnaire regarding charity nominations, and informed members that, in response, the executive committee will be instituting the following:

Charity List

A partial list of Guelph charities has been created and has been posted to the website, under the Membership tab. For more information, follow this link! Members are encouraged to nominate charities they may know of, which are not found on this list.

Presenters

We are opening up our presentation process to allow a representative of the nominated charity to make the 5 minute presentation at the quarterly meeting. However, the nominating member is welcome to make the presentation, if they choose to. ALL nominated charities are now automatically going in the hat for each draw, so either the nominating member or the charity representative must be ready to present at each meeting. As usual, each member may have only one nomination in the hat at any given time.These new changes will be in place for our next meeting on April 9th, 2024.

Following opening remarks, chosen charities were announced. Members listened to enthusiastic presentations from our nominators and followed up by voting.

While ballots were counted, we listened to Helen Fishburn, Executive Director of Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington who thanked 100 Women Who Care Guelph for our October donation.

Our three chosen charities were:

Master Gardeners of Ontario (Guelph Wellington)
(Nominated by Rosemary Fernandes-Walker)

Rosemary Fernandes-Walker presented on behalf of Master Gardeners of Ontario (Guelph Wellington). Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc. is an organization dedicated to providing horticultural information to the public. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) began the Master Gardener Program in 1985, but it is now an independent nonprofit organization.

Funds from a 100WWCG donation would be directed toward creation of a program for Grade 3 students, which will educate them about the opportunities of growing food gardens with their families. Specifically, our donation would be used to build kits for approximately 20 to 25 classrooms, including educational information for starting and maintaining vegetable gardens – along with a raised planter, full spectrum grow lights, soil, trays, seeds, and necessary tools. The aim of the program would be to encourage kids to learn life skills which would be beneficial in the long term.

Guelph Chamber Choir
(Nominated by Megan Hodge)

Megan Hodge presented on behalf of Guelph Chamber Choir (GCC).

The Guelph Chamber Choir’s mission is “To foster community enjoyment and appreciation of choral music by a highly skilled choir, through performances, outreach, artistic collaboration, and community partnerships”.

Funds from a 100WWCG donation would be directed toward subsidizing a youth workshop which would combine youth singers from local high school choral programs and members of GCC. This workshop, planned for late February 2024 is modelled on a very successful event which was held in 2023.

Guelph Wellington Seniors Association
(Nominated by Cyndy and Sharon McLean )

Cyndy and Sharon McLean presented on behalf of Guelph Wellington Seniors Association. The Guelph Wellington Seniors Association is one of the largest seniors organizations of its kind in Canada, providing diverse programs, activities, and services to Guelph and Wellington County. Their mandate is to enable older adults to be active and involved, make friends and age with dignity.

Funds from 100WWCG would be directed toward creating a brand new adaptive paddle boarding program which would be developed and supervised by an occupational therapist. It would serve the needs of older individuals who face the challenges of impaired balance and mobility due to surgery or physical disability and would provide the physical, emotional and mental benefits that are associated with outdoor water activity. A 100WWCG donation would support the purchase of 2 adaptive paddle boards and a variety of additional pieces of equipment necessary to develop this pilot program.

Great News!

_{Photo by good good good on Unsplash}

100 Women Who Care Guelph is pleased to announce that:

Master Gardeners of Ontario (Guelph Wellington)
(Nominated by Rosemary Fernandes-Walker)

Is the Recipient of our January 2024 Donation!

Our donation will be used to create a program for Grade 3 students which will educate them about the opportunities of growing food gardens with their families.

The program will encourage kids to learn life skills which will be beneficial in the long term and funds will be used to build kits for approximately 20 to 25 classrooms, including educational information for starting and maintaining vegetable gardens – along with a raised planter, full spectrum grow lights, soil, trays, seeds, and necessary tools. For more information, follow this link to see Melodie’s most recent press release.

How can you make your donation?

On Wednesday, February 1st, we will be taking the gathered cheques to the charity, so please make every effort to have your cheques and donations arrive before this day.

Need a reminder about using Canada Helps? check out our
Canada Helps Cheatsheet!
and
Follow this link to make your donation.

If you choose this option, please make a payment of $104.00 to our chosen charity, to cover your donation plus processing fees. Choose the selected charity from those listed on the webpage.A charitable receipt will be issued for online donations, as soon as your payment has been made.

_{Sharon Lewis, Lisa Woodcock and Tannis Sprott make a 100WWCG cheque presentation to Helen Fishburn,} _{Executive Director of CMHA WW.}_{(Photo Credit: Crista Renner)}

Where do we go from here?

We are very excited to to begin a new year and 100WWCG is pleased to have the opportunity to continue its efforts to provide funding to local charities. Key outcomes?

We are welcoming new people to our executive committee to spread the current work load and allow for succession planning.

Changes have been made to our presentation process, which should encourage more members to nominate their favourite charity, without fear of having to make a presentation.
Most important, we are providing a resource on our website, which will help members to learn more about the charities within our area which qualify for a 100WWCG nomination.

What has been a constant for 100WWCG is the fact that there is no shortage of enthusiasm in our membership, to support charities in need. Let’s make 2024 our most successful year of giving yet!

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, on Tuesday, April 9th, 2024, at 7:00 pm, at the Delta Hotels Conference Centre.

Sharon, Tannis, Lisa, Peggy, Dianne, Liz, Crista, Melodie and Denise
The 100 Women Team

Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington Says “Thank You!”

Thank You So Much to the 100 Women Who Care Guelph from CMHA Waterloo Wellington!

Hello everyone, it is wonderful to be with you all tonight and to have an opportunity to say thank you to you in person for choosing to support CMHA’s Brief Service model of care at your October meeting.

Helen Fishburn, CEO of CMHA Waterloo Wellington. (**Photo Credit:** Crista Renner)

My name is Helen Fishburn, and I am the CEO of CMHA Waterloo Wellington. CMHA Waterloo Wellington is the second largest CMHA in Canada serving more than 22,000 individuals each year and offering more than 100 unique programs and services to all ages: children, youth, adults, older adults caring for some of the most vulnerable in our community.

At your October meeting Lisa Hood shared some information with you about CMHA’s Brief Service model of care for children, youth, and their families in Guelph. This model of care was created as a direct response to the incredible increase in need for service we were experiencing during the pandemic. Our waitlists for service were growing exponentially reaching more than a year, which was simply unacceptable to us. In response our children’s service team developed a new model of care called Brief Service to move children, youth, and caregivers off the wait list and into care faster.

The Brief Service model of care supports children and youth with mental health difficulties, by building skills and addressing immediate needs. The needs of the children and youth we are seeing are different depending on age. For children 6-8 years of age, we are seeing a lot of emotional dysregulation and challenging behaviours, due to lack of socialization during the pandemic. For children 12-14 we are seeing children experiencing anxiety and loss of control resulting in self-harm and suicidality.

The Brief Service model of care is a very innovative way to serve our local children and families. Through this model children and youth up to age 18, receive up to 10, 1-hour, weekly sessions of therapeuticsupport. Parents and caregivers are always involved and are an important part of this treatment modeland are supported to better understand how to help their child.

CMHA’s Family Support Coordination team comes alongside the family at the same time the child is receiving treatment through Brief Service so that the support of the child and the family go hand-in-hand. Families receive support on key issues like Food Security, Financial Security, Housing, as well asgroup and individual support for parents – providing the wrap around care many of our families need.

The impact of this model is significant – 70% of children and youth who have accessed Brief Service do not require additional service or ongoing care. It has reduced the waitlist for ongoing care for children and youth with more complex mental health needs, from one year to four months.

Funds from 100 Women Who Care Guelph provided the funding needed for One Clinician to support 20 children, youth, and their families through 10 weeks of Brief Service Treatment. Your generous supportprovided children, youth, and their families, with the care and treatment they deserve, when they needed it most.

These are exciting days for CMHA Waterloo Wellington as we watch the final pieces of construction happening on our new Children and Youth Services Building located at 737 Woolwich St N in Guelph. This NEW, 48,000 sq ft, three-floor building will create a “one-stop-shop” for over 30 service providers, making it easy and seamless for 9,000 local children, youth up to age 26, and their families to get what they need to reach their full potential.

As part of the building design, we have included a Gratitude Wall which will be located on the first floor across from the main welcoming space where we will be celebrating gifts made to support our programs and services, 100 Women Who Care Guelph will be added to this wall as a way of expressing our gratitude for your incredible support.

Sharon Lewis, Lisa Woodcock and Tannis Sprott make a 100WWCG cheque presentation to Helen Fishburn, Executive Director of CMHA WW
(**Photo Credit:** Crista Renner)

That was one BIG cheque! (**Photo Credit**: Crista Renner)

October Meeting: 100WWCG’s First Meeting In Our Tenth year!

_Photo:_{Carolyn Christine on Unsplash}

We seek to recommit to our intention to support
Guelph charities.
Together we can turn dreams into achievements!

On Wednesday, October 11th, 2023, 100 Women Who Care Guelph celebrated the beginning of its 10th year of providing support to Guelph charities.

Great news! Since our inaugural meeting in 2014, 100WWCG has donated $446,258 to achieve that goal and we currently have 173 donors (165 confirmed donations) who are excited to share our vision. We are starting Year 10 with a re-commitment to attending meetings, supporting local charities and honouring donation fulfillment.

The enthusiasm and dedication of our membership is what makes 100 Women Who Care Guelph successful.

Together, we can turn dreams into achievements.

_{Five women at a meeting of the National Association of Women Lawyers}
_{Photo credit: Los Angeles Times on Wikimedia Commons}

What happened at the meeting?

Sharon began with thanks to Sandra Lastovic (from SkiptheBank.ca) and the Delta Hotels Conference Centre. Their continuing support has been essential to the success of 100WWCG!

She reminded members that this meeting is the first in our tenth year of supporting Guelph charities.

To date, our donation total adds up to $446,258 and our current membership stands at 173 members, which yield 165 committed donations. Sharon noted that our current donation fulfillment rate is 85 percent and expressed the hope that over the next year, we will commit to improving that rate to our pre-Covid numbers.

Sharon encouraged members to support 100WWCG by volunteering some time to support our organization. Currently we are looking for:

An assistant to write quarterly press releases
A social media co-ordinator
A cheque collector and tracker
A communications assistant to help with communication via email and the website

Members can contact 100WWCG at [email protected] to volunteer a few hours of their time every quarter.

Sharon also asked members to respond to a request for suggestions which was distributed at the beginning of the meeting. 100WWCG is working hard to find new ways to increase the number of charities nominated on a quarterly basis. We would like to know what can be done to improve the nomination, selection and presentation process and our greatest strength is the candid input of our membership.

Great to know – this quarter, 18 members qualify for their 3-year membership pins, and 24 qualify for their 5-year pins.

Following opening remarks, chosen charities were announced. Members listened to enthusiastic presentations from our nominators and followed up by voting for their choice to receive our October donation.

While ballots were counted, we listened to Kyle Hare, Development & Outreach Coordinator of Community of Hearts who thanked 100 Women Who Care Guelph for our June donation.

Our Chosen Charities were:

Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington
(Nominated by Lisa Hood)

Lisa Hood presented on behalf of Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington, advocating for the CMHA WW program known as Brief Service for Children, Youth, and their Families.

Brief Service supports children and youth with mental health difficulties. Those difficulties could be with emotions, socializing, behaviour, or self-regulation. Brief Service also supports parents/caregivers.

Lisa provided a wealth of information to support her request that members address the post-pandemic emotional needs of young people in the area. Funds donated would make it possible to support the work of one clinician who could provide service to between 12 and 14 children for 10 weeks.

Ignatius Jesuit Centre
(Nominated by Maya Wariyar)

Maya Wariyar presented on behalf of Ignatius Jesuit Centre, to request support of St. Ignatius Farm.

In the last 20 years, Ignatius Farm has evolved to become a model for organic agriculture and a mentor to organic growers. The Farm invites the surrounding community to enjoy and participate in their agricultural initiative and emphasizes the value of sustainable farming through community shared agriculture, farm training and acreage rentals. Their aim is building connection, stress reduction and education, through the farming experience.

Funds from a 100WWCG donation would be directed towards assisting the farm to continue providing its free New Farmer Training program, in the face of rising costs and uncertain revenues from government grants.

Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre
(Nominated by Ann Caine)

Ann Caine, President of the Board, presented on behalf of Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre.

As an accredited member of the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA) and The Ontario Camps Association (OCA), Sunrise has a mission to develop the full potential of children and adults with special needs through therapy, education, horse riding, recreation, and life skills programs, farm-related and social activities.

Funds from a 100WWCG donation would subsidize Sunrise’s Hilary Hearts and Hooves therapeutic riding program. These resources could provide a supplement to assist children who have financial need but can’t qualify for the the program. The objective would be to make the program accessible to all…

_{Photo credit: Zack Xavier on Unsplash}

Important Announcement!

Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington
(Nominated by Lisa Hood )

Is the Recipient of our October 2023 Donation!

For more information, follow this link to our most recent press release.

Our donation will be directed towards their
Brief Service for Children, Youth, and their Families.

Brief Service supports children and youth with mental health difficulties, as well as parents and caregivers.

_{Tannis Sprott and Sharon Lewis present a 100WWCG cheque to Kyle Hare of Community of Hearts
Photo Credit: Crista Renner}

Community of Hearts Expressed Gratitude for June’s Joint Donation from 100WWCG and 100+MWGAD Kyle Hare, Development & Outreach Coordinator for Community of Hearts thanked our membership for our June donation, in conjunction with 100+ Men Who Give a Damn Guelph.

Follow this link to read what the Community of Hearts team had to say.

What’s next?

Well, who would have thought we would be “The Little Engine that Could?”As we head into our tenth year, 100WWCG can look back on a great legacy. We have donated almost 1/2 million dollars to local charities by engaging 100+ women four times a year.

We are working hard to improve all of our processes and to encourage greater engagement from our members.

It is great to see that there is no shortage of enthusiasm!

Moving forward into our 2023/2024 year, we have renewed excitement that can only mean positive outcomes for Guelph charities in need, as we turn our dreams into achievements….

Sharon, Tannis, Miriam, Lisa, Peggy and Dianne

The 100 Women Team

Community of Hearts says “Thank You!” for our June Donation…

_{Tannis Sprott and Sharon Lewis make a “Big Cheque” donation to Kyle Hare of Community of Hearts}

Thank You So Much to the 100 Women Who Care Guelph from Community of Hearts!

Hello and Good Evening Everyone,

My name is Kyle Hare and I am the Development and Outreach Coordinator at Community of Hearts Lifelong Learning Centre. Community of Hearts is a not-for-profit organization located in downtown Guelph in the Old Quebec Street Mall which supports youth, adults and seniors (16 years of age and older) with developmental disabilities to achieve the level of independence they desire.

_{Kyle Hare says a wholehearted “Thank you!” on behalf of Community of Hearts}

Community of Hearts began in 2012 in the basements of caregivers seeking to provide quality life and skill-based learning opportunities for their loved ones with developmental disabilities. Noticing a dearth in learning opportunities offered to persons with developmental disabilities (especially after high school), these caregivers worked tirelessly to provide their loved ones with quality learning opportunities, constituting a niche otherwise unavailable in our community.

Since 2016, Community of Hearts has been fortunate to have our Centre in the Old Quebec Street Mall in downtown Guelph. As a charitable organization, the majority of Community of Hearts’ funding comes through us from grants and donations.

Through a variety of Life Skills based programs, such as our Day Program, our Social Enterprise / Job Skills Program, our Evening Programs and our Sunday Social Club, just to name a few, Community of Hearts provides the opportunity for persons with developmental disabilities to continue learning beyond secondary education and work towards their goal of independence and becoming more active and engaged members of our community.

At the 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn Guelph’s combined quarterly meeting in June, Community of Hearts was extremely fortunate to be chosen as the recipient for the quarter’s combined funding. The funding Community of Hearts received from the 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn Guelph will be used to construct an accessible washroom in our Lifelong Learning Centre. To date, the funding received from the 100 WWCG and 100+ MWGDG has reached just over $25,000. Currently, we are in the process of having the drawings created and soon will be acquiring the permits necessary to begin construction for this amazing project. Chris from FS Build Co., a contractor who has performed renovations in our Centre in the past and also a member of the 100+ Men Who Give a Damn Guelph will be doing the construction. It was funny, because the day after the past meeting, Chris had messaged me saying “Congratulations on your win!” and I thought to myself “Wow, good news travels fast!” and he told me about how he was actually “A member of the 100+ Men Who Give a Damn Guelph.” This was a nice reminder of how wonderful and well-knit our incredible community truly is.

As for most if not all charities and not-for-profit organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on Community of Hearts. Not only did we suffer from a decline in participant numbers, but also, many of our participants suffered from isolation, affecting both their personal growth and development of social skills during this time. For that reason, we are very happy to be back in-person in the Lifelong Learning Centre, and are all very excited to be getting this incredible project underway. An accessible washroom in our space means that we will be better able to serve a larger demographic of people in our community who would wish to access our programs and services, better supporting them on their journey towards personal independence.

It is a pleasure to be here alongside all of these other phenomenal organizations and to know we have such wonderful resources and support in our community. Best of luck to this evening’s presenters. No matter what the outcome is, we are all winners for simply being here tonight and for the changes that we play a role in making each and every day. Together, we can and are making our community a better place.

I would like to express a giant thank you once again to the 100 Women Who Care Guelph for all of the incredible work you do and have done for our wonderful community and for allowing me the opportunity to speak here on behalf of Community of Hearts. As someone who is fortunate to see great changes occur each day with the People We Support at Community of Hearts, I have come to understand that the biggest, most positive changes happen by having someone first believe in you, empowering you to believe more in yourself. Thank you for believing in us. We are so very grateful at the Lifelong Learning Centre.

Thank you and have a great evening,

Kyle Hare

Our June 2023 Joint Meeting Was a Blast!

Photo Arthur Chauvineau on Unsplash

Oh What a Night!

100 Women Who Care and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn
Made a Connection To Take Giving to the Max

Great company and worthy causes made for a memorable event at our first ever joint meeting…

On June 6th, 2023, 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn joined forces to make a big difference within the Guelph charity community, with a combined meeting. The outcome of this meeting will direct a donation from members of both groups to a single charity.

This event also served as an opportunity for both groups to celebrate their achievements, to encourage new membership and to connect with like-minded people who believe that giving back to your community is the most important thing.

What a wonderful night it was.

So, what happened at the meeting?

Sharon Lewis and Mike Brookbank provided opening remarks. Mike delivered a land acknowledgement and recognized the valuable contributions of sponsors, particularly Cutten Fields, for their generous donation of the meeting space at no cost.

Sharon gave a whole-hearted shoutout to Sandra Lastovic, of Skip the Bank, who has been a longstanding sponsor of 100 Women Who Care Guelph. She also thanked members for their continued support over the years (70 members have been with our group for at least 5+ years and 37 have been with us for 3+ years). Exciting news – 100WWCG recruited 4 new members at this very meeting!

Mike delivered regrets from Mayor Cam Guthrie, who had hoped to be our keynote speaker. He relayed Mayor Guthrie’s sincere appreciation of the incredible contribution that both 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn have made to the Guelph charity community. He stressed that we are always stronger when we all work together and that our joint meeting is a perfect example of that cooperation for the better good.

We listened to Michelle Peek, Co-founder and Executive Director of Art Not Shame, who thanked 100 Women Who Care Guelph for our April donation. (To see the heartfelt thank you from Art Not Shame, follow this link.)

Tracey Schlosser, Market & Fund Development Lead and Joan Knox, Kitchen Co-ordinator of Hospice Wellington also thanked 100+ Men Who Give a Damn for their most recent donation.

Following opening remarks, chosen charities were announced. Members listened to enthusiastic presentations from the representatives and Executive Directors of our chosen charities, and cast their votes…

Chosen Charities

At the beginning of May 2023, members of the executives of 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn selected the names of four charities (two for each group) which qualified to make a presentation to our June meeting.

The four chosen charities were:

Michelle Martin presented on behalf of Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington.

The mission of this organization is to alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and to promote research, to be a sustainable and responsive leader in the field of dementia offering specialized services to all persons along the dementia journey.

Funds from a joint 100WWCG / 100+MWGAD donation would be directed toward Minds in Motion, a community-based social program that incorporates physical and mental stimulation for people with early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and their care partners.

Kristin Beaver presented on behalf of Central Ontario Leadership Seminars (COLS) requesting a donation to support COLS.

Every year, Central Ontario Leadership Seminars provides a three-day leadership conference to grade 10 students across Central Ontario, at no cost to the students. The aim of this conference is to empower young people to “be the change they want to see,” to foster personal growth by promoting positive thinking, goal setting and community involvement, to develop independent and critical thinking skills and to build lifelong relationships.

Funds from a joint 100WWCG / 100+MWGAD donation would be directed toward subsidizing operating costs for the 2024 conference, including insurance, room and board for approximately 120 students.

Kyle Hare, Development Outreach Co-ordinator presented on behalf of Community of Hearts Lifelong Learning Centre.

Community of Hearts supports youth, adults and seniors with developmental exceptionalities to achieve the level of independence they desire, curriculum-based quality programming and a person centred focus. This support builds self confidence, self advocacy and independence, reducing social isolation and increasing community engagement.

Funds from a joint 100WWCG / 100+MWGAD donation would be directed toward construction of the organizations first-ever accessible washroom for their facility.

Ann Caine, President of the Board, presented on behalf of Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre.

As an accredited member of the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA) and The Ontario Camps Association (OCA), Sunrise has a mission to develop the full potential of children and adults with special needs through therapy, education, horse riding, recreation, and life skills programs, farm-related and social activities.

Funds from a joint 100WWCG / 100+MWGAD donation would be directed toward subsidizing Sunrise as it provides lifeskills programming to 300 to 400 clients, including camps and a leadership in training program.

Effort and engagement yield results!

So, nothing that’s successful happens without the hard work and participation of the people involved.

We are so happy to thank the executive and members of 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn, for their enthusiasm and engagement over the past few months. Without their efforts and co-operation we couldn’t have achieved this success.

More than 200 people turned out for our joint meeting and our successful charity will have the opportunity to receive a donation which could make an incredible difference in the outcomes it will see in 2023.

It is great to see that there is no shortage of enthusiasm in the membership of either of our groups to support local charities. Let’s move forward with increased enthusiasm and confidence that we can make a HUGE difference to those who need our support the most.

We’ll let you know what the date is for our next 100WWCG meeting, as soon as we have firmed up our plans for the next year!

Sharon, Tannis, Miriam, Lisa, Peggy and Dianne

The 100 Women Team

Art Not Shame says “Thank you!” for our April Donation

Michelle Peek, Executive Director, Art Not Shame

Thank you so much for your time and for being part of these incredible groups. I know that collectively, you are each making a big difference in our communities and I hope you know how much your donations mean to small, local organizations like ours.

A few months ago, I spoke to the 100 Men and 100 Women to tell you about our organization, Art Not Shame.

We were absolutely thrilled to be selected as a charity for both groups, AND selected as a finalist with 100 Women in April. As a small, grass roots local organization, every single dollar goes directly toward our mission and we are in a very exciting stage of growth this year.

Located in downtown Guelph, we are a community-engaged, multidisciplinary arts organization serving youth and adults in Guelph and across Ontario. Art Not Shame was founded in 2017 from the belief that we all belong, we all deserve and need community, and we all have something unique and creative within us.

The organization was created to address the lack of informal and welcoming spaces and sense of belonging in a community that play a vital role in our sense of ourselves, the health of our communities, and our collective mental health and well-being.

It was inspired, in part by the memory of my brother James, who died by suicide 23 years ago. On the surface, James had everything. When he died, it was a shock to our family, his friends, and the wider community, and it devastated us all.

We ran a golf tournament in his memory for 17 years. And that golf tournament created a beautiful and supportive community that offered the permission to be vulnerable, and perhaps most significantly, the space to show up in our grief and humanness without apology.

When the golf tournament ended, I took what I knew about mental health, the arts (I am a self-taught photographer), community work, belonging (I have a PhD on love and belonging, but the real learning was in the living), and launched our first workshops series in 2017.

I wanted to create spaces and programs that welcomed people as they are, in their whole humanness, without need for apology, in the hopes that it would make the world a more inhabitable place for those who suffer like my brother James did.

From that first program in 2017, we’ve reached over 5,650 people (from Guelph and virtually to participants across Ontario), collaborated with 40 community organizations, employed 38 artists, and grown our team from 1 full-time position to 4 full-time equivalents (all through individual donations and one-time grants). Our revenue has grown year over year since we began.

We’ve seen a 557% increase in our reach annually since March 2020. And most importantly, we typically see between 75 and 90% increases in well-being measures as a result of participating in our programming.

This year, together with many partners and friends, like you, we are thrilled to be in the process of transforming a vacant street-level storefront at 119 Wyndham St Guelph into 2,602 square feet of permanent, fully accessible space for Art Not Shame programming and other community organizations and arts practitioners working in the service of well-being who have been priced out of downtown.

The donation from 100 Women Who Care is vital to making this happen. Your gift will go directly towards making this space and our programs truly accessible and welcome with the purchase of 8 flip top tables around which people will gather and create, and 4 height adjustable tables and workstations to meet the diverse needs of the people who will use this space.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our new space once it’s ready. Our renovations have begun and we have a tentative opening date this fall.

I will share additional updates as our new space emerges and our expanded programming begins. You can follow along on our website as well, or stop by and peek in our windows at 119 Wyndham St N.

Thank you so much for your time and your heart. With deep gratitude from the entire Art Not Shame team, we thank you.

April 2023 – Our Final Hybrid Meeting and an Exciting New Partnership!

On April 4th, 2023, 100 Women Who Care Guelph connected for our final hybrid meeting.

We are moving forward and excited by new prospects to share our enthusiasm about supporting local charities…

Great news! Now in our 9th year,100WWCG has donated $416,754 to local charities. This is a phenomenal success story.

What has made the difference is the unwavering support of our membership. Working together, we have remained steadfast in our mission to contribute to our community through our support of local charities.

100 Women Who Care Guelph is successful because of our awesome members. Your enthusiasm is the wind beneath our wings.

Thank you.

So, what happened at the meeting?

Our charity presenters were announced. Members listened to enthusiastic presentations from our nominators and followed up by voting, both in person and remotely.

While ballots were counted, we listened to Terrie Jarvis, Program Director of Food4Kids, who thanked 100 Women Who Care Guelph for our January donation.

Our Chosen Charities

On Sunday, March 26th, 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:

Home for Good (United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin)
(Nominated by Margaret Middleton)

Margaret Middleton presented on behalf of Home for Good. The current focus of this campaign is to raise the capital investment required to complete three projects that will contribute 72 supportive housing units in Guelph over the next year; Kindle, Stepping Stone and Wyndham House.

This initiative would provide people experiencing chronic homelessness with consistent social and emotional supports.A 100WWCG donation would be used to close a $5 million dollar funding gap which is impeding completion of these projects.

I gnatius Jesuit Centre
(Nominated by Maya Wariyar)Maya Wariyar was presented on behalf of Ignatius Jesuit Centre. In the last 20 years, Ignatius Farm has evolved to become a model for organic agriculture and a mentor to organic growers. The Farm invites the surrounding community to enjoy and participate in their agricultural initiative and emphasizes the value of sustainable farming through community shared agriculture, farm training and acreage rentals. Their aim is building connection, stress reduction and education, through the farming experience.

Funds from a 100WWCG donation would be directed towards assisting the farm to continue its valuable operations in the face of rising costs for supplies and seed.

A rt Not Shame
(Nominated by Nancy Mossip)Nancy Mossip was unable to attend the meeting, due to illness, but Robin Smart stepped up and presented on behalf of Art Not Shame

.Art Not Shame is a community-engaged, multidisciplinary arts organization serving youth and adults in Guelph and across Ontario whose vision is a world where belonging is unconditional, creative practice is accessible, and both are recognized as fundamental to well-being, community-building, and possibilities for a just future. This organization is working towards creating a permanent, fully accessible, community art facility.

Funds from a 100WWCG donation would be directed towards the purchase of flip top tables and height adjustable tables – a necessity when working with clients where accessibility is a core issue.

Important Announcement!

Art Not Shame

(Nominated by Nancy Mossip)

Is the Recipient of our April 2023 Donation!

Our donation will assist with the purchase of flip top tables and height adjustable tables – to improve accessibility for all clients. For more information, follow this link to our most recent press release.

How do we plan to move forward?

We’ve managed to prevail in spite the craziness of the past three years, but where do we go from here? We have stayed connected and engaged – in person or by Zoom, in spite of the challenges we have faced.

Our April meeting had its best turnout since we resumed our regular meeting format in 2022. To that end, we are committed to moving forward with in person meetings and we’re currently selecting our dates for 2024. As soon as we have them firmed up, we’ll let you know, so that you can put them in your calendar.

It is great to see that there is no shortage of enthusiasm in our membership to find new charities to support. We’re on a mission to make 2023 our most successful year of giving yet and we are excited to build connections with like-minded charity partners within our community.

We look forward to seeing you at our special joint meeting with the Guelph chapter of 100 Men Who Give a Damn, at 7:00 pm on June 6th, 2023, at Cutten Fields.

More information will be coming in early May! Stay tuned…

Sharon, Tannis, Miriam, Lisa, Peggy and Dianne

The 100 Women Team

Food4Kids says a wholehearted “Thank You!” for our January 2023 donation…

Terrie Jarvis, Program Director of Food4Kids Guelph expressed her organization’s sincere thanks for our January 2023 donation. Here’s what she had to say…

It’s hard to know where to start in thanking all of you, my colleagues at 100 Women Who Care Guelph, for your generosity in supporting FOOD4KIDS GUELPH with your donations in the past quarter.

Tannis Sprott and Sharon Lewis make a 100WWCG cheque presentation to Terrie Jarvis, Program Director of Food4Kids Guelph.

100 Women Who Care Guelph

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Notes from Terrie Jarvis – Food4Kids Guelph Appreciation

Just to recap the role of this charity, now five years old …

Food4Kids addresses a situation that most people haven’t thought about, that a number of children in our very own community are at risk of going hungry at weekends.
That’s because about 5% of the children attending local schools live in families that are struggling to make ends meet, with not enough money left over to properly feed their families after paying for rent, transport, clothing, medical and other essential expenses.
Those of us with children or grandchildren in our lives can predict the first thing most kids say when they walk in the door: I’m hungry! What can I eat?
But some children often go home to almost empty cupboards and fridges.
Those kids really depend upon getting some free food at school, Monday to Friday, through the many wonderful breakfast and snack programs run at most schools in Guelph. But then what do they do on weekends?
Sadly, weekends can be a terrible struggle for them with inadequate food at home, and these elementary school children are too small and young to solve the problem for themselves.
That’s where the Food4Kids program kicks in, by providing the most needy children with a nutritious weekend food bag to take home from school.
Currently, we are supporting 400 school children out of the 700 we think need our help in Guelph, and we are at 30 out of 39 elementary schools.
Through our bulk buying, we are able to provide each child with a great food bag containing 16-18 healthy items, for the low cost of around $15 per child per weekend. And what a difference this makes!
By feeding the children on the weekend, it helps their whole family by reducing stress and allowing them to spend limited funds elsewhere.
And during school holidays, when schools are closed, Food4Kids provides grocery gift cards to help the families purchase food.

So right now, Food4Kids is spending your donations on food to provide healthy weekend food bags for kids that really, really need this support from our community.

Collectively, our 100 Women team donated $13,775 to help the Food4Kids Guelph program.

And saving the best news for last, this generous donation has allowed us to take all 20 children off our waiting list to start receiving weekend food bags, and there’s enough money left over to create space for another 5 children as well!

Thank you so much for helping Food4Kids to help even more children in Guelph, who no longer leave school on a Friday wondering how they will be fed on the weekend.

And thank you also for the wonderful volunteering from 100 Women who have stepped up to help on a regular basis. We welcome any of you to find out more from us about how YOU could become a Food4Kids volunteer, too.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for making a difference in children’s lives!

(Right to left) Tannis Sprott, Peggy Brightwell, Sharon Lewis and Miriam Vince
make a 100WWCG cheque presentation to
Food For Kids Guelph — (Right to left) Tannis Sprott, Peggy Brightwell, Sharon Lewis and Miriam Vince make a 100WWCG donation to Food4Kids Guelph!

Goderich to Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail Says “Thank You”

Tannis Sprott makes a 100WWCG cheque presentation to
G2G Executive Director Doug Cerson and Executive Co-ordinator Willow Hall

Hello everyone,

It’s so good to be with you all. My name is Willow Hall I am the Executive Coordinator for G2G Rail Trail Inc.

First, I extend my gratitude on behalf of our organization, stakeholders, and trail users to the 100 Women Who Care Guelph Organization. Together as individuals, you represent a powerful example of what can happen when people band together to create change within their community.

Working in collaboration with the City of Guelph and local stakeholder organizations we have developed a plan to create a launch point at York Road Park right before the Guelph “Covered bridge”. The launch point will include an 8-foot double-sided Kiosk adjacent to the parking area.

This will be the first kiosk of its kind in Guelph and will direct those wishing to participate in the G2G Rail Trail Experience to KM 0 of the trail. The map board will also include emergency and location information for those who are unfamiliar with the area. Working with the city the map board will also highlight local trail sections for the community to enjoy.

The installation of the kiosk and map board is anticipated for the spring of this year. The map board will be created with the required accessibility features to ensure it meets AODA standards,

Through the support of your organization, a strong message has been sent to the City of Guelph Staff and Counselors. Safe, accessible, and easy-to-navigate pedestrian pathways are essential to the people of Guelph. As a direct result of your group’s support for this project, conversations have taken place with the city of Guelph that allows G2G Rail Trail a seat at the table. We are currently in conversation with the City and like-minded groups to create further signage and wayfinding along the trail that will enable trail users to easily navigate to the start of the Kissing Bridge Trailway. All of this would not have been possible if not for your group’s investment in your community’s assets.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you tonight. I would be happy to chat or answer any questions you may have after the meeting.

Willow Hall ([email protected])

Executive Co-ordinator

G2G Rail Trail Inc. 36- 620 Davenport Rd Waterloo, ON N2V 2C2

Registration #83590 6231 RR 0001

January 2023 Meeting: 100WWCG Members Ring in 2023 By Joining Together in Support of A Local Charity!

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

January 19th, 2023, 100 Women Who Care Guelph ushered in the New Year with our third in person/virtual hybrid meeting.

We should be proud of our efforts…Now in our 9th year, in spite of the challenges of a pandemic and an economic downturn, our group has contributed $

402,679 to local charities – an amazing success story!

But we couldn’t have done it without the wholehearted commitment of our membership. Working together, we have remained steadfast in our mission to support local charities and make a difference within our community.

Our members are awesome.

Photo by Ben Moreland on Unsplash

Are you wondering what happened at the meeting?

The meeting began with Sharon expressing our sincere thanks to Sandra Lastovic (from SkiptheBank.ca) and the Delta Hotels Conference Centre. The support they provide is essential to our success, and very much appreciated.

Sharon reminded members that this is our third of four hybrid meetings, and that the April meeting will be our last in the hybrid format. She also acknowledged the considerable help we have received from Audrey Lounder, who has been our virtual meeting moderator and guru.

Moving forward, tentative in person meeting dates are:

Tuesday, April 4th, 2023
Monday, June 26th, 2023
Wednesday, October 11th, 2023

This quarter, 14 members qualified to receive their 3 year membership pins and 28 received 5 year pins. Sharon expressed thanks to those dedicated members and recognized the new members and guests who were in the audience. She also noted some exiting news – 100WWCG has received 11 new charity nominations to add to our roster of potential giving opportunities!

The final order of business was to tell members that we have been approached by the Guelph chapter of “100 Men Who Give A Damn”, about the prospect of holding a “shared meeting” as a way of re-igniting enthusiasm for our shared goal of supporting Guelph charities. A survey will be sent to members in a separate email, to gauge interest in this initiative.Following opening remarks, chosen charities were announced. Members listened to enthusiastic presentations from our nominators and followed up by voting, both in person and remotely.

While ballots were counted, we listened to Willow Hall, Executive Co-ordinator of G2G Rail Trail Inc. (Goderich to Guelph Rail Trail) who thanked 100 Women Who Care Guelph for our October donation.

Our Chosen Charities

On Sunday, January 8th, 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:

Food4Kids Guelph
(Nominated by Terrie Jarvis)

Terry Jarvis presented on behalf of Food4Kids Guelph. Food4Kids is a largely volunteer-run organization which tries to bridge the gap for children who face chronic hunger and severe food-insecurity.

This organization has been working hard to identify children in need, through the elementary school system. Kids in need are provided with nutritious weekend food bags to take home from school on Fridays.

Funds from a 100WWCG donation would be used to keep feeding the kids, guarantee continued operation of the program and to reduce a growing waiting list of new clients.

Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph
(Nominated by Barb McKay)

Barb McKay was unable to attend the meeting due to a last minute issue, so Tannis Sprott read Barb’s presentation on behalf of the Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph.

The Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph is one of the largest youth services programs in the arts in our community.

This program emphasizes the importance of music to emotional well-being along with the need to mentor enthusiastic young talent. Most importantly, the festival provides thousands of young, aspiring musicians with annual performance opportunities second to none.

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.

CMHA Waterloo Wellington
(Nominated by Lisa Hood)

Lisa Hood presented on behalf of CMHA Waterloo Wellington’s “Food For Life” program. Designed by a registered dietician and delivered by U of G students, the program responds to a huge increase in the number of eating disorder referrals to CMHWW, and a definite trend towards clients being younger and younger.

At a time when society is bombarded with conflicted and confusing messages about healthy eating, weight and nutrition, this program educates children, teachers and families about a variety of nutrition-related topics. The initiative is offered through the Upper Grand DSB and Wellington Catholic DSB and targets grades JK to 4.

Current funding for this valuable program is running out and funds from a 100WWCG donation would be used to cover operating costs for a year.

Photo by Zack Xavier on Unsplash

Important Announcement!

Food4Kids Guelph
(Nominated by Terrie Jarvis)

Is the Recipient of our January 2023 Donation!

For more information, follow this link to our most recent press release.

Our donation will be used to guarantee continued operation of the program and to reduce a growing waiting list of new clients.

Tannis Sprott makes a 100WWCG cheque presentation to
G2G Executive Director Doug Cerson and Executive Co-ordinator Willow Hall

Goderich to Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail Said a Heartfelt “Thank You!” For Our October DonationWillow Hall, Executive Co-ordinator of Goderich to Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail, expressed thanks to our membership for donations we made as a result of voting at our meeting in October.

Follow this link to read what the team had to say.

Where do we go from here?

It’s very exciting to begin a new year and 100WWCG is pleased to have the opportunity to continue its efforts to provide funding to local charities. We have stayed connected – in person or by Zoom – and we have stayed engaged, in spite of the challenges we have faced. It is great to see that there is no shortage of enthusiasm in our membership, to find new charities to support.

We’re on a mission to make 2023 our most successful year of giving yet!

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, on April 4th, 2023, at 7:00 pm, at the Delta Hotels Conference Centre.

Sharon, Tannis, Miriam, Lisa, Peggy and Dianne

The 100 Women Team