100 Women Who Care Guelph Exceeds $500,000 in Donations
As 100 Women Who Care Guelph completes their 10th year of giving with their most recent donation to Hope House Guelph, they have crossed the $500,000 mark in donations for local charities. That’s half a million dollars put to work in support of fellow community members, friends, and families.
The 100 Women concept has proven to be a powerful grassroots funding strategy that has spread around the globe. The Guelph chapter formed in October of 2014, arising from a conversation among friends who recognized the great need that exists in the community, matched with a great desire for people to contribute locally.
“The simplicity of the idea appealed to us,” says Sharon Lewis, one of the co-founders of the group. “We never really set a goal for the amount raised, but we knew the direction felt right.”
“When we began this endeavour, we had no idea how long it would last, or what kind of impact it would have, but we knew the potential was great. What we did have a healthy dose of optimism, some great energy, and lots of ideas to bounce around the room,” says Tannis Sprott, another co-founder.
That spirit has taken the group far. The inaugural meeting saw 98 members sign up. That number has grown over the decade to 175 members currently. Their unflagging commitment and generosity have meant so much to local charities, allowing them to dream a little bigger, and to reach even more people in need.
The group’s funds have supported 35 different charities, encompassing many of the issues facing our community from hospice care, food insecurity and mental health, to the library, gardening, and even the purchase of a horse for Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre!
The donation thermometer on the 100WWCG website was gleefully raised to $1,000,000 this week as the group launches into its second decade. New members are always welcome.
To learn more about this group of women who care deeply about our community and are passionate about contributing to its health and vitality, and the charities they have supported, visit their website at www.100womenwhocareguelph.com.
100 Women Who Care Guelph Supports Hope House Guelph
100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen Hope House as our fourth charity of 2024 (our 10th year!) to receive its over $17,000 donation. The donation will supply milk and eggs to approximately 3000 food insecure people in Guelph.
Hope House “offers services and programs that challenge the stigmas surrounding poverty and allows community members to maintain their dignity and choice while simultaneously providing them with tactile skills developed in a community environment, creating long-term skills that facilitate self-sufficiency.” (hopehouseguelph.ca)
Among its various programs, Hope House, distributes both purchased and donated food through nine different food markets in Guelph to food insecure people. Unfortunately, most donated food is carbohydrate rich, lacking in foods (such as milk and eggs) that are high in protein and certain vitamins/minerals.
Hope House currently purchases 1000 eggs a week at wholesale prices and with significant discounts, but can barely meet the current demand. Why? The number of food insecure people visiting Hope House food markets alone has grown from 3500 to 4700 people in under a year, and is still increasing by over 34%+ yearly.
The most significant reason for the increase in demand is the high cost of affordable housing (which has tripled in recent years) for those on low incomes, working or not or with complex needs. Although likely temporary, a 1000 person strike at a local food plant has significantly increased the number of people attending the food markets.
The $17,000+ donation would supply four to five months of milk and eggs to over 3000 Guelphites in this vulnerable community. Since demand is growing, without increases in funding, Hope House may/will need to place people on a wait list. Reducing food insecurity (to any degree) will help more people grow, succeed and be healthy.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to become a member and help support those in need in our community.
I am deeply honored to be here tonight to express our heartfelt gratitude for your incredible generosity. On behalf of the Guelph Wish Fund for Children, I want to thank each and every one of you for your donation of $15,500. Your kindness and compassion have truly changed the lives of many children and their families, putting smiles on their faces and giving them hope and joy during challenging times.
Jessica Hill, ED of Guelph Wish Fund for Children, offers her heartfelt thanks.
Your support has made a profound impact on children like Arya, who is just one year old and suffers from a rare form of epilepsy known as KCNA2. Arya is one of only three cases in Canada and the youngest in the country. Her family needed a specialized monitor that alerts them when a seizure occurs, with the results going directly to her doctor. Thanks to your generosity, Arya’s family can now ensure her safety and well-being, giving them peace of mind and allowing them to focus on cherishing every moment with her.
Maisie, a four-year-old with Mosaic Trisomy 15, a rare chromosomal anomaly syndrome, has growth restrictions, congenital cardiac anomalies, and craniofacial dysmorphism. Maisie loves camping, and her family’s dream was to create lasting memories together in a camping trailer. Your donation made this dream a reality, allowing Maisie to experience the joy and adventure of camping, surrounded by the love and laughter of her family, including her brother and sister.
Then there’s Weston, who needed a wheelchair lift for his home. Weston’s mobility challenges required significant adjustments to his living environment to ensure he could move around safely and independently. Your contribution provided him with the necessary lift, greatly enhancing his quality of life and enabling him to navigate his home with ease.
Owen, who was born with a cranial disorder, needed two helmets and underwent surgeries to correct his condition. Owen is now four years old and full of energy and enthusiasm. He had a simple wish: to have a water table and a rock climbing wall at home. Your generosity made this possible, bringing immense joy to Owen as he plays and explores, building his strength and confidence.
And finally, Liam, a 16-year-old with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome, a genetic degenerative disease that affects his eyesight and development. Liam finds joy in playing with Lego and collecting vinyl records. His family also used some of his wish fund to go on a movie site tour at Kualoa Ranch in Hawaii during a family vacation. Seeing where some of his favorite movie scenes were filmed and the props up close, including the vehicle that Steven Spielberg himself used in a Jurassic movie, was a dream come true for him. Your support has allowed Liam to continue indulging in his passions, bringing happiness and a sense of normalcy to his life.
These stories are just a few examples of the countless lives you have touched with your kindness. Your donation is not just a financial contribution; it is a gift of hope, love, and joy. You have made dreams come true, provided comfort in times of need, and given these children and their families precious moments to cherish.
Thank you for believing in the mission of the Guelph Wish Fund for Children and for being a a bright light for these children. Your generosity reminds us all of the incredible power of community and compassion. Together, we are making a profound difference, one wish at a time.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you from all of us at the Guelph Wish Fund for Children.
Good evening, My name is Danielle Gignac, and I am the coordinator for the Guelph-Wellington Master Gardeners. It is my great pleasure to be here tonight to thank you for your incredible donation and to share with you some of what we are doing in our community.
Danielle Gignac offers her heartfelt thanks(Photo Credit: Crista Renner)
The Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc. is an organization dedicated to providing science- based sustainable 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. Each region operates as an independent group under the provincial umbrella. The benefit of this is that members of a group reside in the area they serve, and so can be most effective in their service and provide relevant advice to the particular growing zone.
Master Gardeners receive their certification after completing an educational component (consisting of a series of 3 or 4 university horticulture courses or self-study and a written exam) as well as 2 years of volunteering at 30 hours per year. After becoming certified, members must maintain continuing education as well as their 30 volunteer hours. These rigorous requirements ensure that members stay up-to-date in their knowledge and active in their service so that we can fulfill our mandate. With the overabundance of information available today, it is crucial that people have a trusted resource for unbiased scientific, authoritative information that is backed by practical experience and relevant to particular growing conditions.
Our volunteer activities typically include advice clinics at public events or garden tours; answer questions through our telephone or email hotline; prepare and present garden talks and workshops for both adults and children at local venues such as the libraries, other horticultural societies or garden centres; speak on the radio; create online videos; respond to gardening questions on social media platforms; and write gardening articles, to name just a few! Last year, the members of our local group contributed a total of over 2000 volunteer hours in the Guelph-Wellington community.
We are an entirely volunteer-run organization. As a non-profit group focused on information sharing, most of our activities do not require significant funds. Our educational events, such as Day in the Garden, are typically offered at-cost to attendees. Our May Plant Sale is usually the only fundraising event we have each year, and this is used to cover expenses related to offering our normal services. As such, we rarely have the opportunity to put together a program like we have been able to do with your generous donation.
You have enabled us to facilitate practical horticulture education for Grade 3 students at 20 Guelph elementary schools. We are able to support and enhance the current curriculum by creating educational content as well as providing the actual materials and equipment for students to practice what they learn.
The subject students will be taught is “relating science and technology to our changing world by assessing ways in which plants are beneficial to society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats.” We are providing full growing kits for seed starting, which will support learning on plant growth and health in general, as well as food security in particular–a growing concern in our world today. The complete kits would include educational information for starting and maintaining vegetable plants, a moveable multi-level rack, full spectrum grow lights, light timer, soil, pots, seeds, labels, and necessary tools. All of this equipment will stay with the schools and be able to be used from year to year, with only new soil and seeds needed at a minimal cost. We are also providing teacher support to ensure the growing process goes smoothly.
We see this program as having great potential to reach beyond the classroom as well. With concerns around food security, we know these seed starting kits will be extremely valuable for life skills that may be necessary for a child’s family either now or in the future. As anyone who grows plants knows, there is also an emotional and psychological element to the process. The joy and thrill of seeing our seeds germinate or a bee pollinating our flowers is so good for our well-being. Studies have shown that gardening is beneficial to mental health. Even with some disappointments with germination or pests, gardening is ever hopeful. Every seed planted expresses our faith in a future where it will grow and thrive. We need this more than ever.
All the materials have now been purchased and our volunteers will be assembling the kits this weekend. On April 15, they will be delivered to the classrooms. We know these growing kits will be an exciting addition to these 20 classrooms. Transformation begins with education. By making growing plants accessible to kids, we are equipping them with lifelong skills to contribute toward a sustainable future. On behalf of the Guelph- Wellington Master Gardeners, I thank you so very much for supporting us to do this work. We know the benefits will be far-reaching. You are planting a seed in the lives of these kids – an act of hope for the future. Thank you.
Sharon Lewis and Tannis Sprott make a 100WWCG cheque presentation to Danielle Gignac of Master Gardeners of Ontario
100 Women Who Care Guelph Supports Guelph Wish Fund for Children
100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen Guelph Wish Fund for Children (GWFC) as our second 2024 charity to receive our almost $16,000 donation. It will help provide “wishes” to eligible Guelph and Wellington County (WC) children up to 19 and their families who are living with a significant illness, life-altering injury or a rare and debilitating syndrome (guelphwishfund.com).
The first GWFC “wish” was granted in 1985; GWFC received non-profit/charity status in 1995 and has now granted 458 wishes! It also supports scholarships for deserving graduates in the 12 secondary schools in Guelph and WC.
Most affected children wish for an experience: a trip, meeting a celebrity, bedroom makeover, electronic device, etc. The anticipation can be as impactful as the wish itself. GWFC also helps with specialized equipment, medical expenses, assistance devices, lost income, etc.
GWFC receives no government support; volunteers help keep operating costs low. GWFC partners with their community and many generous local individuals, groups and businesses. Annually, it holds a Gala, Golf Tournament and Auction.
Of course the need for funding is ongoing; there are currently 90 children in the program with GWFC accepting 2 referred children monthly; none that qualify are turned away.
Upon referral and acceptance, a child’s wish account is created with a value of up to $10,000. The funds can be spent all at once or over several years and must be used by the time the child is 19. GWFC oversees the account and requires families to regularly submit receipts.
Our donation of approximately $16,000 would help this worthy Guelph/WC charity continue providing hope, strength, wonderful moments and memories to children and their families during a difficult time. It would help “make a child’s life a little happier”.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or become a member and help support those in need in our community.
100 Women Who Care Guelph Supports Master Gardeners of Ontario (Guelph Wellington).
100 Women Who Care Guelph, now in its 10th year, has chosen Master Gardeners of Ontario (Guelph-Wellington) as the first charity in 2024 to receive its $10,000+ donation. The donation will contribute to the creation of an inspirational program in local schools to help young people learn to grow food.
Master Gardeners are “… certified horticultural experts who provide gardening information to the public on a volunteer basis; … a community resource for all things botanical!”
Master Gardeners has been and is successful in fulfilling its mandate of “providing advice and inspiration to the local gardening community” for adults; see (www.gwmastergardeners.ca)
However, it also sees the need of young people to learn how to grow food via actual, hands-on experience. 100WWCG funds will be directed towards the creation of a program for Grade 3 students in Guelph which will educate students about growing food gardens with their families.
Current challenges include a need for this knowledge in young people, today’s high cost of food as well as food waste.
There is also a lack of funds; the annual spring plant sale and one other small program generate the only income Master Gardeners receives. These funds are already committed and insufficient (i.e., not available) to design and deliver this innovative program.
100WWCG funding of $10,000+ would be used to build kits for approximately 20 to 25 classrooms, including educational information for starting and maintaining vegetable gardens: a raised planter, full spectrum grow lights, soil, trays, seeds, and necessary tools. The reusable kits would be left with participating schools.
There are sufficient Guelph Master Gardener member-volunteers to help set up the program and provide ongoing support for teachers. School boards will solicit schools to apply for the program, initially selecting those in food insecure geographic areas.
The aim of the program is to encourage local kids and their families to gain lifelong life skills and to see that plants are beneficial to the world and to society. The program has the potential to spread, inspiring many other schools that recognize the need and indeed, “helping the world” to be a greener, less wasteful planet.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to become a member and help support those in need in our community.
100 Women Who Care Guelph Gets Behind Child/Youth Mental Health Program
One day after World Mental Health Day, 100 Women Who Care Guelph answered the call by choosing to support our youngest citizens through CMHA Waterloo Wellington’s “Brief Service for Children, Youth, and their Families” program.
Mental health issues often have their roots in early childhood, when our childen have not yet instilled healthy coping strategies to deal with the despair, hardship, or crisis they are facing. Without guidance or support, they often turn to eating disorders, drug addiction, or alchol instead.
Since November of 2019 (pre-pandemic), there have been the largest increases ever recorded in every indicator across the public health stream for children, including mental health. Our children are suffering.
With a wait time of a year for ongoing care, our local CMHA saw a need for an early intervention program. They created and successfully piloted Brief Service. This program offers children and youth with mental health difficulties from 0 to 18 years of age, along with their parents/caregivers, weekly one to one counselling sessions for a maximum of 10 weeks, addressing immediate needs with the aim of developing goals and a treatment plan together.
As a result, 70% of the children involved in Brief Service require no further care at all, reducing the wait time for ongoing care from a year down to three months.
Early intervention works.
The struggle to regain control of your life as an adult is a difficult and arduous task. How much better would it be to never go down that road in the first place?
With that thought in mind, 100WWCG chose to support CMHA WW’s early intervention model by investing their recent donation in our children’s mental health.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100WWCG and help support those in need in our community.
Community of Hearts Selected by 100 Women + 100 Men at Joint Meeting
At the special event joint meeting held between 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn, Community of Hearts Lifelong Learning Centre was chosen to be the recipient of their combined donation, estimated to be near $25,000.
Community of Hearts, located downtown in the Quebec Street Mall, serves Guelph citizens aged 16 and older who are living with developmental disabilities. Through their Learning Day Programs, their goal is to support youth, adults, and seniors with developmental exceptionalities to achieve the level of independence they desire.
These programs cover a wide range of subjects, including nutritious and safe meal preparation, household chores, arts and creative expression, and health and fitness. These unique and innovative programs help to reduce social isolation, while giving the participants the necessary skills to become empowered, contributing members of society.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of an accessible washroom, these opportunites are not available to all Guelph residents who would benefit from these programs.
With the aid of a local contractor who has agreed to build the washroom at cost – yet another local hero in our caring and generous city – the donation from the members of 100WWCG and 100MWGAD will go a long way to seeing that project become a reality.
Together, these two grassroots fundraising organizations have raised over $675,000, with 55 Guelph charities having benefited over the past nine years. As stated by Mike Brookbank, 100+MWGAD Founding Member, “The breadth and scope of our local charities here in Guelph and Wellington County reach into many corners of our wonderful community, helping and providing a bedrock of support to our friends, colleagues and neighbours. We are grateful for their dedication and happy to be part of the cycle of care. We hope our collective $100 cheques help move the needle for those that need it.”
Celebrating the Past While Committing to the Future
100 Women Who Care Guelph https://100womenwhocareguelph.com and 100+ Men Who Give A Damn https://www.100menguelph.com are holding a special event on June 6th, 2023, from 7:00 – 8:00 pm at Cutten Fields. For the first time ever the two fundraising organizations are joining forces to address the ongoing needs our local charities face.
By combining the two groups, members will have the opportunity to choose one local charity to receive a potential $30,000 donation.
Since the women formed their group in 2014, followed by the men in 2018, these two grassroots organizations together have donated over $675,000 to our community, with 55 Guelph charities having benefited over the past nine years.
“This is an opportunity to showcase the incredible contribution these two organizations have made to Guelph charities since inception, while at the same time recognizing the need to continue that work, and to demonstrate the fun and fellowship our quarterly meetings offer to our members.” Tannis Sprott, 100WWCG Founding Member
“Conceived of as a way to allow busy Guelph citizens to directly contribute to local charities in a fun and time efficient manner, the “100 Who Care” movement requires only four hours and four $100 tax deductible donations from its members annually. This event is a fun way to engage more caring Guelph citizens. Please consider joining us to amplify the great work our local charities are doing.” Sharon Lewis, 100WWCG Founding Member
“The breadth and scope of our local charities here in Guelph and Wellington County reach into many corners of our wonderful community helping and providing a bedrock of support to our friends, colleagues and neighbours. We are grateful for their dedication and happy to be part of the cycle of care. We hope our collective $100 cheques help move the needle for those that need it.” Mike Brookbank, 100+ Men Who Give a Damn Founding Member
After a brief introduction from Mayor Cam Guthrie, who is also a 100+MWGAD member, the evening will consist of presentations from four charities as they introduce their cause and the financial needs they must manage in order to fulfill their mandates. Then a member vote will determine which of the charities will take home the combined donation.
This event is open to all members, their guests, and the local press.
For more information on how to become a member and join in this fun and rewarding evening, email: [email protected] or [email protected].
100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen Art Not Shame as the latest recipient of their $10,000+ donation, contributing to the transformation of a vacant storefront at 119 Wyndham St. into 2,602 square feet of fully accessible space in which to offer their arts-based programs.
Shame is an emotion felt by all, but it can be particularly accute for those who struggle with complex challenges ranging from mental health to physical/mobility issues. Overwhelmingly, the message they receive is one of negativity – no, don’t, can’t, not good enough – on a daily basis.
Art Not Shame’s reasoning behind using art to create a sense of community and caring stems from the belief that there is no right or wrong way to do art. For once in their lives, participants are allowed and encouraged to be themselves, to tell their own story, and to let their creativity loose in a completely safe, inviting, and supportive environment.
Art Not Shame has served 5650 people since their inception in 2017. With the advent of COVID in March of 2020, they have seen a 557% increase in demand for programming as people seek out ways to fulfill the need for connection and community. Most importantly, 75%-90% of participants report an increase to their well-being.
As they continue to work toward their fundraising goals, this generous donation from 100WWCG will enable them to purchase vital flip top tables for their new workshop space, and height adjustable tables for accessible work and creation spaces.
100WWCG is delighted to contribute to the gift of turning no into yes, don’t into do, can’t into can, not good enough into well done. Their support will assist Art Not Shame in using the arts to build community and create the conditions for inner and outer change.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100WWCG and help support those in need in our community.
