I am so grateful to be here tonight to say a heartfelt thank you to 100 Women Who Care. Your support has been pivotal — a true springboard moment for the Guelph Gateway Trail.
While nothing has been built yet, your generosity has made something just as important possible: we now have a fully funded, detailed design budget of $170,000. This is the crucial step that allows us to move forward in a thoughtful, professional, and safe way.
With this funding, in the first quarter of 2026, we will begin working with engineers and other third-party experts to secure the detailed design for the project. This is the blueprint stage — the foundation for turning vision into reality.
Your support has also leveraged additional commitments of $150,000 from key trail partners, including the Trans Canada Trail and the City of Guelph. Together, these contributions mean we are fully prepared to move forward in 2026, and your impact is already being multiplied.
If you would like to follow our progress and see your contribution in action, I invite you to visit our website, sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on social media. We want to keep you updated every step of the way — because this project is made possible by you, and your support deserves to be celebrated.
On behalf of everyone at G2G Rail Trail, thank you again for your generosity, your trust, and for being a catalyst for this next chapter of the Guelph Gateway Trail. Your contribution is truly helping to bridge gaps, build connections, and create a lasting impact in our community.
100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen the Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington (ASWW) to receive it’s most recent approximately $19,000 donation helping them continue their mission of alleviating the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and to promote continued research.
In just 4 years, there will be an estimated 1 million people affected in some way by dementia. Today there are over 41,000 people in this region alone who are living with or directly impacted by this disease.
Minds in Motion is an 8 eight-week recreational therapy program offered by ASWW designed specifically for people with dementia and their care partners. The program combines physical exercise, social connection and cognitive stimulation. Research has shown that these 3 activities done together can slow the progression of the disease. The unplanned benefit of this program has been a rebuilding of lost community. Many participants create new social support networks with their fellow participants.
In addition, they also offer a music program. Music and speech reside in different parts of the brain and when people have dementia, they tend to lose vocabulary and speech but can retain rhythm and even the ability to sing.
The Minds in Motion program is offered free of charge to their clients and they always have a waiting list of approximately 1000 people per year. As ASWW receives no government funding for this program, every dollar needed to keep this program running comes from supporters and organizations like 100WWCG. For every $100 gift, they can provide space for one couple to join the Minds in Motion program, offering much needed support and companionship on their journey.
Visit www.womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100WWCG and help support those in need in our community.
100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen Goderich to Guelph Rail Trail Inc. (G2G) to receive its most recent $18,000+ donation, helping with Phase One of a project to avoid a dangerous section of the G2G in Guelph.
G2G’s overall mission is to develop and maintain the 132 km long G2G Rail Trail along Southwestern Ontario’s historical transportation route that supports various recreational activities.
It is accessible, welcoming users of all ages and abilities to enjoy the beautiful terrain. In 2025, some 800,000 people used part or all of the G2G.
The Guelph Hiking Trail Club noted that “… for the Guelph portion of the G2G, there is a consistent trail from the Covered Bridge at The Boathouse to Speedvale Avenue East, just east of Woolwich Street, but then a gap! Trail users must then use Guelph roadways to get to the trailhead at Silvercreek Parkway, north of the city.
The solution? A 3 km off-road trail that would connect the section from Speedvale to Silvercreek = the “Bridge the Gap” project!
An earlier donation, matched by the city of Guelph, enabled G2G to do the necessary preliminary work to move this project forward as a “community-led, city-supported” project. Unfortunately, G2G lacks funds to move to the next phase.
G2G would use 100WWCG’s $18,000+ to fund creation of a ‘detailed design’ that will be the blueprint for the construction phase of the 3 km “Bridge the Gap” project.
With an approved detailed design and a history of successful fundraising for major projects, (see G2G website) the project can then move to capital fundraising of approximately $1.5 to $2 million for Bridge the Gap.
“Bridge the Gap” is intended to remove the risk of accidents to those on Silvercreek and move people safely along the entire G2G route.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100WWCG and help support those in need in our community.
It is such a pleasure to be here with you again this evening.
I can’t begin to express the gratitude of everyone on the Michael House team for your over-the-top generosity and goodness to us. Over $18,000 was raised by you, this amazing group of caring women. That is so amazing and incredible to think about.
As I shared the last time, I was with you, Michael House has 2 separate live-in programs that support single moms and their little ones as they learn and grow, adapt to motherhood and learn how to do life as single moms. Once they move into the community, we have our family outreach program that continues to provide life-changing and ongoing support.
It is through our programs that the moms begin to see themselves in a light that says I can do this, I am capable of change, I want to become the best mom I can be regardless of the circumstances I was raised in or am leaving behind to raise my child.
The resilience of our women is profound and is encouraging to all of us on the team as we walk alongside them on their journeys.
Our counselling program continues to walk with our moms as they deal with big things to overcome and that continues to be a game-changer in their lives and is making the difference from surviving to thriving. This amazing gift to MH is helping to fund our programming. These funds will be used for our group counselling, our parenting programs, our life skills programming and our one-on-one counselling which has given us the ability to plan and prepare and serve into the needs of our families for over 6 months. THANK YOU!!
So, thank you for walking with us, for your gifts, your generosity and your support. We cannot do this work without the time and effort from many community members. And it blesses me so much to see us as women linking arms and helping other women through the ups and downs of life.
100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen Michael House to receive its most recent $18,000+ donation, helping provide vital programming for pregnant and parenting mothers and their children in need.
For over two decades, MH Pregnancy and Parent Support Services has dedicated itself as a home and resource for women in crisis pregnancy situations. Together with community partnerships, this Guelph-based charity provides Residential, Supportive Housing, Aftercare and Drop-in programs, accessed as women transition to independent living in the community.
Much has already been done by MH. Since 2002, over 500 women and children hae received shelter and support. In 2024 alone, over 760 hours of counseling and coaching have been provided, 22 mothers lived in the Residential and Supportive Housing programs and 25 children were supported.
However, these are unsettled times. Survivors of domestic violence, deep trauma and/or homelessness are often in the middle of a crisis, experiencing a sense of isolation, overwhelming uncertainty and are completely alone. They may also be navigating a sobriety journey.
Over the past few years, MH has seen an overwhelming need for mental health support and increasing demand for help. There are significant waitlists for both its Residential and Supported Housing programs which cannot be met until the summer of 2026.
MH would use 100WWCG’s $18,000+ donation to help address the growing need for mental health support through more intensive counseling and vital life skills programming such as cooking, etc. to help stabilize and build clients’ lives so they can live independently. Through these programs, MH aims to transform the trajectory of lives for generations to come.
Three local charities (North End Harvest Market, Guelph Chamber Choir, Ignatius Jesuit Centre Farm) were also awarded approximately $8,000 each from a bequest given to 100WWCG from the Estate of Gale Dudnick, another caring woman.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100WWCG and help support those in need in our community.
Good evening everyone. My name is Crystle Avery. It is my pleasure as the Executive Director of Chalmers Community Services Centre to report back to you and thank the 100 Women Who Care for your incredible support.
After being chosen as your charity in April, 176 members supported this choice. We are extremely grateful to all of you. This very generous support comes at a time when the needs in our community are growing by the month. As folks in Guelph feel the impact of these uncertain economic times, the number of guests accessing our services at Chalmers is also increasing. We have seen this both in our three weekly food pantries and in our cafés.
As the demand for food increases, thanks to all of you, we are now in a much better position to order more food which we have already started doing. Last Thursday at our west location, we served 231 food baskets. This was a record for us for one day. As the lineups grow longer, Chalmers is committed to ensuring that no guest or family leaves without a complete food basket. More and more families are turning to us for help and we must be there for them.
Your generous support is helping us meet the needs of these guests. We are ordering more food and have expanded our food pantry distribution. Thanks to you, we have put oranges, eggplant and cheese permanently back on the food line. Our guests are thrilled that they once again have these healthy options to feed to their families. I often hear exclamations of delight as our guests go down the food line and see the amazing choices. They are incredibly grateful. And so are we.
Our Monday and Tuesday cafes downtown are also seeing increased numbers of guests walking in the door. A typical café morning would normally see 25-30 guests. Two weeks ago, we had 54 guests on a Tuesday morning! Our volunteers couldn’t believe how many folks there were. One of the guests commented that he had not eaten since the previous Saturday. We were very shocked by this and worked hard to make sure that he left with food that he could eat. Many of our café guests experience housing insecurity as well, so thanks to your support we are able to purchase more packaged food that does not require cooking for these folks.
This trend of growing numbers seems to be continuing. Last week we had 43 guests on Tuesday. Remember an average morning would see 25-30 guests in the door. These increased numbers are a signal to us that more and more folks are struggling with food insecurity. Your donation has made it possible for us to increase the food that we provide during these cafes. Both in choice and in volume. Our cafe guests are so grateful that they have a place to go where they can have hot coffee, fresh pastries, breakfast and a sense of community. And our volunteers are very grateful as well. We all find it very hard to turn guests away due to lack of food. Your donations are ensuring that we do not have to do this.
In conclusion, every dollar that you have donated is being spent on food. It is ensuring that we will not have to turn guests away and children will be fed. Thanks to you we now have cheese, oranges, and eggplant on the food line again. Thanks to you, we are able to purchase more food to meet the increased demand. Together, we are providing folks in Guelph with a safety net in these very turbulent times. As our community of Guelph struggles with higher unemployment and higher prices, Chalmers is committed to being ready to help them get through this. And the donations from the 100 Women who Care are ensuring that we can respond to the needs of thousands of guests and their children. Together, we are making a tremendous difference. Together we are showing that we care! On behalf of our guests, we say thank you to the 100 Women Who Care. We are very grateful for your support! Thank you for supporting Chalmers.
Gale Dudnick, long a champion of women and children, bequeathed $25,000 to 100WWCG in recognition of our shared dedication. While Gale was never a member of 100WWCG, she was touched by the impact our group has made in Guelph since 2014, and entrusted us with dispersing these funds to local charities.
For more information on Gale Dudnick, please see the article below, written by Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, another grateful beneficiary of this amazing woman’s compassion for others.
We are honoured to share this heartwarming donor story with you.
GALE’S GIFT – An Inspiring Legacy of Generosity
Gale Dudnick
One year ago, we received a very special phone call. The caller, Donald Kirk, shared that we had been left a $25,000 gift in the will of Gale Dudnick, his partner who died in May of 2022.
Gifts of this size are incredible to receive and allow us to serve our community better, but they are also incredibly moving. To think that our mission was what this woman chose to support as one of her final acts on earth. Humbling.
Gale was a real champion of women and wanted to help those vulnerable to abuse or exploitation. She served as an unofficial therapist to many women friends. Gale supported other women who engage in philanthropy through a gift to the 100 Women Who Care Guelph group. She also cared about youth and donated $25,000 each to Food4Kids, the Children’s Foundation of Guelph & Wellington and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph. Collectively, what an impact her $125,000 of giving will have for our community!
Donald shared, “Gale was a private and complex person who wanted to remain out of the limelight. Yet, I believe she would be happy to have this story about her giving made public, especially if it inspires others to give part of their estate to worthy organizations. I am so proud of how she used her estate to give back to others.”
Donald shared that Gale comforted many a passenger on Air Canada, through her role as a Flight Attendant, listening with kindness and offering “tidbits from her endless font of wisdom.” A number of these passengers were quite famous, especially those in the film and entertainment industry, however she treated everyone equally and was never star-struck. She continued this tradition in her small clothing and design boutique business in Rockwood and shoppers felt special through her treatment and attention. She also dutifully cared for both her aging parents, Peter and Madeline, in their last years and made sure their every need was fulfilled, despite the amount of time it took and mental exhaustion it caused.
Her dearest friend, Yvonne, had this to say about Gale after their shared 49 years of friendship:
“I know firsthand the countless number of people she helped mentally, physically and financially, many times putting her well-being to the side. I vividly remember the first time I met her. She made me feel I was the most important person in the room and that I really mattered, right when I needed that most. Gale held her cards close… you would never know by looking at her what personal struggles she herself endured. She always had a smiling face and a listening ear and was more interested in you than anything else. She was highly intelligent and the most well-spoken person I ever met.”
Yvonne also noted, “Even at an early age, she wisely used her gift to comfort others. Gale had great empathy for anyone struggling, but especially for women and children; they held a special place in her heart.”
We are grateful to Gale for her generosity. Gale lived her values until her last breath and now her legacy gifts will help create the kind of community where women and children are supported and lifted higher.
100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen Chalmers Community Services Centre’s Food Pantry to receive its most recent $17,000+ donation. The donation will provide food to members of our community who are food insecure via nutritionally balanced food baskets and a breakfast cafe.
Chalmers has been serving Guelph for over 28 years, now working out of two locations, with 75 volunteers and five staff. Their vision: “a community without poverty, where people flourish with dignity and respect”.
With a mandate of “Food Security for All”, Chalmer’s Food Pantry service offers three Food Pantries and two welcoming cafes every week. Families from all walks of life are welcomed bi-weekly and choose fresh produce, eggs, cheese and more via a basket format. They served 21,249 people in 2024. Fifty-seven percent of recipients of the baskets were children.
In 2025, the Food Pantry is in urgent need of additional funding; over half of their approximately $700,000 budget buys food; the other half of the food is donated. Their only support is from donors, the City of Guelph and United Way.
The problem is two-fold. First: the number of “food insecure” families is growing along with the cost of both food and economic turbulence/job losses.
Second: the cost of food has caused the Food Pantry to cut items from their line-up and to decrease the amounts purchased. The result: longer and growing line-ups of needy families; it often runs out of food after 45 minutes and must turn guests away.
The Food Pantry is seeking our donation to respond to the growing need; every dollar will go towards reinstating some foods that were “cut” and increasing the quantities offered. The donation will help it respond to today’s urgent and increasing food insecurity and very tough year ahead.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to become a member and help support those in need in our community.
I want to start with the most heartfelt thank you. A few months ago, I stood here and shared the story of Ronald McDonald House Charities South Central Ontario — our mission, our work, and the very real impact it has on families from Guelph whose children need to be at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
And you responded. Over 170 of you raised your hands — not just to give, but to say: “This matters.” That kind of collective action is powerful. It tells us, and it tells the Guelph families we serve, that their community is walking beside them in one of the hardest moments of their lives.
Thanks to your generosity, RMHC SCO received over $17,000 in donations. And in the short time since your gift, we’ve already welcomed 17 Guelph families through our doors, 8 of whom are STILL living there today. We have provided over 212 nights of comfort, rest, and home-cooked meals. Tragically, two of those families experienced the unimaginable loss of their child — and we were there with them through it all, offering support no hotel room or waiting area ever could.
This is why RMHC exists. We are not just a place to stay — we are a place to be held. A place to breathe, to grieve, to hope. And we do that with no government funding. We ask families for $12 a night if they can afford it — but our real cost is over $250 a night. And while McDonald’s supports us through things like McHappy Day and Round-Up, that covers just 30% of what we need to operate. The rest — 70% — comes from donors like you.
Your support is especially meaningful because we operate in Hamilton, yet serve families from across the region — and it can be easy to feel “outside the bubble” of some local giving. So for a group like 100 Women Who Care Guelph to look beyond city limits and say “these are our people too” — that’s not just generous. That’s transformational.
Your support matters — not just because of the dollars, but because of the message. When 170 women in one city stand up to say, “We care about this,” it creates momentum. It sends a message to other donors, to corporations, and to decision-makers that this is a cause worth paying attention to.
But even more powerfully, it tells Guelph families — you are not alone. Even when you’re far from home, your community has your back. That kind of leadership — from women like you — creates ripples. It says, “We take care of our own, even when they need to leave the city to get that care.” It helps more than just with the dollars — it builds visibility, it opens doors, and it tells future funders and families alike that this is a cause that matters here.
Because the truth is: families from Guelph will continue to need to travel for pediatric healthcare. That’s a reality. And so building a strong network of care and compassion for them on that journey is not just important — it’s essential. You are now part of that network.
And tonight, I’d also like to acknowledge someone who represents another important piece of this growing community of care — our Board Chair at RMHC South Central Ontario, Paul Matteis. Paul is also a proud member of 100 Men Who Give a Damn Guelph, and his presence here tonight means so much to us. He understands firsthand the power of collective giving and the difference it makes when a community shows up for its families.
I’d love to invite Paul to say a few words and help us close out this full-circle moment. Before I pass it over, from all of us at RMHC, and from the Guelph families who have walked through our doors this year, thank you.
RMH Charities (RMHC) create a “home away from home” (food, shelter, respite) for weary families in crisis seeking care for their sick child. There are 16 “Houses” and numerous “Family Rooms” across Canada.
McMaster Children’s Hospital (Hamilton) IS Guelph’s children’s hospital. Hundreds of children with serious medical conditions (cancer, trauma, etc.) are emergency transfers from Guelph General to McMaster, requiring weeks or months in hospital. RMHC South Central Ontario (RMHCSCO), run by 15 paid staff and 200 volunteers, is there for family members providing crucial support for those children.
The financial impacts on families for travel and accommodation can be staggering. In 2024, Guelph families with children in McMaster stayed 1,392 nights at RMHCSCO, with 6,900 meals provided to parents and siblings.
While families pay $12 a night (unchanged since 1993 and which can be waived), the actual cost to stay at The House is over $200 a night. The cost to house, feed and provide programming was well over $300,000 for last year. With no government support and minimal contributions from McDonald’s itself, fundraising is crucial.
RMHC is committed to financial efficiency, focused on keeping the cost of every dollar raised as low as possible, and ensuring that each donation goes toward supporting families in need.
100WWCG’s more than $16,000 donation would create a fund to specifically support Guelph families travelling for medical care for their child, and would help the RMHCSCO operating budget and significantly reduce other fundraising needs.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100WWCG and help support those in need in our community.
