Welcome In Drop In Centre receives support from 100 WWCG

The women of 100 Women Who Care Guelph responded to the pressing need to provide a wide range of medical services to those most marginalized in our community. For those on the fringes of society because of poverty, mental illness or addiction issues, the difficulty of purchasing ancillary medically items that fall outside a medical or drug plan can be daunting. Thanks to this $12,000+ donation, the Drop In Centre can now provide assistance with extraneous medical expenses, such as the purchase of eye glasses, hearing aids, and walkers, with accessing much needed dental care, with providing cab fare to the hospital, as well as assisting with prescription medications not covered by any other plan – all things considered essential for good health care, and which most of us take for granted.

Since its founding in 1983, the downtown Drop In Centre has been a central hub offering critical support services to those in need. Thanks to the vision of its founder Sister Christine Leyser, and an army of volunteers, hundreds of at risk individuals in our community can find the assistance they need.

The Centre serves over 100 meals every day, provides emergency shelter, and can connect individuals with resources for mental and physical health, substance abuse, trauma counselling, and legal aid. They even provide veterinary care to pets (and their owners) that are homeless or precariously housed.

Truly, all are “Welcome In” to the Drop In Centre.

Investing in our community, now and for the future, is what 100 WWCG is all about. Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100 WWCG and help support those in need in our community.

Shelldale Family Gateway receives support from 100 WWCG

Benjamin Franklin provided us with the following axiom: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Using a preventative support model to enrich children’s lives, Shelldale Family Gateway (formerly known as Shelldale Better Beginnings, Better Futures) prevents children from experiencing poor developmental outcomes, thus avoiding costly health, education, and social services later on. Members of 100 Women Who Care Guelph responded generously to that concept by donating over $13,000 to Shelldale.

Preparing children to meet the challenges of living in and contributing positively to Canadian society is a monumental task, just ask any parent. Those challenges are increased immensely if you are from a socio-economically marginalized community, or a recent immigrant with limited English language skills.

Shelldale provides wrap-around supports through every stage of childhood to families in the Onward Willow neighbourhood, making sure that each child is supported every step of the way on that complicated journey.

Shelldale begins by sending Peer Parent family home visitors out into the community to connect with new mothers, introducing them to the work of the organization. That service is offered in eight different languages to ensure each family is fully aware of the supports that are available to them, helping them to understand the powerful effect those supports can have on a child’s development.

There are a variety of drop-in programs for pre-schoolers, followed by a breakfast program which ensures every child shows up at school well fed and ready to learn. For the tweens, there are art groups, a youth soccer club, after-school homework assistance, and many other programs designed to provide engagement, support and encouragement. Workshops in resume writing are offered to teens as they prepare to take up the mantle of adulthood and full participation in our society.

Investing in our community, now and for the future, is what 100 WWCG is all about. Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100 WWCG and help support those in need in our community.

Victorian Order of Nurses on the Receiving End of Help

The Victorian Order of Nurses has been a part of Canadian society for 120 years, and last night the Waterloo Wellington Dufferin branch received the support of 100 Women Who Care Guelph at their quarterly meeting.

VON’s nurses, personal support workers, therapists and other health care providers care for Canadians in their homes and communities. They offer more than 75 home care, personal support, and community services designed to help the frail and isolated, those suffering from cognitive impairments or dealing with chronic illnesses. Their help is critical to both the client and the care giver.

The members were taken on the intensely personal and harrowing journey of a fellow member as she related the importance and impact VON had made in her own life. When a family member received a life altering medical diagnosis followed by severe complications, she found her whole world turned upside down. VON become an integral pillar in her life as she struggled to cope with a changing reality. The message was clear – it can happen to anyone, at any time, you will need help, and VON will be there when that help is needed most.

Within a week of reaching out for help, VON was there to assist. Of particular importance in this story was the Meals on Wheels service, as well as transportation to and from a myriad number of medical appointments over the course of her two year journey.

Sometimes, there is just no going back to “normal”. When your whole life goes topsy-turvy and you need to find a new path, VON is there to support you in that transition. With a $10,000+ donation from 100 WWCG, many more people in our community will have access to that care and compassion.

Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100 WWCG and help support those in need in our community.

Guelph Public Library Receives Funding from Women’s Group

 The Guelph Public Library is the latest charity chosen by 100 Women Who Care Guelph to receive their $10,000+ donation. Our library, the oldest public library in Ontario, has been serving Guelph for 133 years. It has also held the record for highest per capita use in Ontario for the last seven years. As such, it reaches deeply into our community, bringing together a huge cross-section of Guelphites.

In all that time, the ways in which they serve the citizens of Guelph has changed dramatically, expanding well beyond the loaning of books. The public library has turned into a key resource for access to today’s digital technology. That access is becoming increasingly important in our society, and if you don’t have a computer at home, or are ill at ease with their use, then the library is there for you. 

This is where 100 WWCG can help. Thanks to their generous donation, the library will use a portion of the funding to work with seniors who may feel uncomfortable using modern technology. They will provide tech and digital workshops offering a number of services; teaching a grandmother how to connect with her grandchildren on facetime; introducing you to borrowing ebooks as they continue to grow in popularity; if you need a little help at their Tech Bar using a 3D printer, they can help you with that process too.

 As they say, this is not your grandmother’s library.

 The remainder of the donation will be used to fund more early literacy stations for very young children. There are already 25,000 hours of learning per year, reaching out to moms and toddlers and delivered at all the branches in Guelph. Now they can expand those critical programs.

 The Guelph Public Library is there for everyone, at any stage, connecting us as a community and helping us grow. Learning is a lifelong pursuit, and 100 WWCG is delighted to help with that process.

 To find out more about 100WWCG, see their impact on our community, or to become a member, visit their website at www.100womenwhocareguelph.com.

100 WWCG Invests in Horses for Kids

Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre can now go shopping for another horse, thanks to 100 Women Who Care Guelph.

With the benefit of a member presentation on behalf of Sunrise, each 100 WWCG member was given a window into the challenges a special needs person faces.

Isolation. Loneliness. No control. The “other” among us.

These phrases are so often found linked in describing the lives of children and adults coping with either physical or cognitive special needs. The world becomes a very small place, with little opportunity for socialization, the making of friends, or the opportunity to take control of some aspect of your life, and denies them all the benefits those things accrue.

Fortunately there are helping hands out there in our community, a valuable one being Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre. There, Therapeutic Riding Association certified instructors, along with an army of volunteers, have helped create a community where through weekly riding lessons those with special needs aged 3 and up can develop muscle strength, improve balance and concentration, make friends, and develop a sense of achievement and independence resulting in increased self-esteem and self-confidence.

It has always been a simple formula: Kids + Horses = Magic.

With a donation of over $13,000 from 100 WWCG, Sunrise can now purchase one more therapy horse, thereby shortening their waiting list, sponsor more individuals to the program, and expand their barn areas which allow the kids to work with their own horse.

This donation marks the beginning of the fourth year of supporting Guelph charities for 100 WWCG, reaffirming their compassion for others and their connection to community. For more information or to join, visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com.

Project Lifesaver gets a boost from 100WWCG

Guelph families who live with the fear of a loved one wandering due to Alzheimer’s, autism or other types of cognitive impairment received a helping hand from 100 Women Who Care Guelph.

The Project Lifesaver program, offered by Victim Services Wellington, can give these families great peace of mind. By wearing a small wrist transmitter which sends out a radio signal 24/7, 365 days a year, specially trained police officers are able to quickly track down the most vulnerable among us.

All too often in Canada those with a tendency to wander lose their lives, in spite of frantic searches conducted by family and emergency services. Time is of the essence, and by wearing a wrist transmitter, that time can be reduced to as little as 30 minutes, 95% less time than without.

As with all things desperately needed, there is a waiting list of families waiting for a transmitter. With a gift of over $12,000 from 100 WWCG, more transmitters can now be purchased to deal with that backlog. Project Lifesaver is not a replacement for a caregiver, but with a successful find rate of 100%, it can reduce the stress on family members immeasurably.

This donation marks the end of the third year of supporting Guelph charities for 100 WWCG, reaffirming their compassion for others and their connection to community. For more information or to join, visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com.

“Ed Video’s Syrian refugee project receives funds from 100 Women Who Care Guelph”

Ed Video has been a vital part of Guelph’s arts community for 40 years, working tirelessly to foster and promote the creation and exhibition of independent media arts. Indeed, the “Ed” in the name refers to “Educational”, and while training is their primary function and essential to the success of any artistic endeavour, Ed Video offers up equally important but more intangible supports – belief in individual artists’ creative ideas, and a ways and means to bring those ideas to life.

Ed Video believes art is essential in bringing us all together as a community. They are proud to mentor artists, assisting them in taking their creative ideas through to completion, showcasing the diversity and different viewpoints that flourish among the people in our region.

A continuing challenge for Ed Video is to be able to provide the necessary technical equipment to facilitate these projects. Presently they are supporting the “Sense of Wonder Project”, working with d/Deaf youth to connect us all – d/Deaf and hearing – by exploring what we share in common rather than what makes us different. They are also offering a Technical Skills Development Program for Women in Video and Film, designed to bring women’s technical skills up to the same level as their creative skills.

The third program they would like to offer is an opportunity for Syrian refugees living in our community to tell their own personal stories, to help us share in their journey, giving us greater understanding and insight into what it means to be a refugee. Thanks to a generous donation from 100 Women Who Care Guelph, Ed Video will be able to purchase the extra equipment needed to make this project a reality.

The mandate of 100 WWCG is to support those in need in our community, and this quarter they are proud to be a supporter of the arts. Their next quarterly meeting will be held on Monday, July 10, 2017. Go to www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join this group of compassionate and caring women.

“100 WWCG Tops $100,000 Mark in Giving to Guelph”

Last night at the end of their 10th meeting, 100 Women Who Care Guelph succeeded in raising over $100,000 for local charitable organizations. The latest recipient of their collective donation was the Start2Finish Running and Reading Club, which plans to start up a new club at Westwood Public School, the fourth in this city.

Start2Finish is dedicated to the elimination of child poverty by empowering children for life through improving their literacy skills along with their physical fitness and social and behavioural skills. This work is done through a volunteer led weekly after-school program offered to children in grades 3 – 6. The running component involves 45 minutes of physical activity through the use of circuit training and active games, followed by a healthy snack, a “word of the day” character-building portion, and finishing with reading one-on-one and in small groups with a mentor. The end of the 32 week program culminates in the Start2Finish 5K Running & Reading Challenge, and an awards ceremony recognizing each child’s achievement at the end of the school year. Along the way, the children learn to love to move, to read, and to find increasing confidence in themselves, all vitally important skills to finding their way in life.

100 WWCG was pleased to help provide the opportunity for 60 more children in our city to participate in and benefit from this important program.

Over the course of two and a half years, 100 WWCG has raised close to $119,000 in support of local charitable initiatives. To become a part of this collaborative effort visit their website at www.100womenwhocareguelph.com to sign up and join the other 150+ women in Guelph who have a passion for supporting those in need in our city.

Parental Support Group awarded $15,000 for conference

Troubled teens acting out – in trouble at home, at school, with drugs, alcohol or the law – and desperate parents, feeling isolated and looking for ways to cope with nowhere to turn. Or is there?

The members of 100 Women Who Care Guelph learned of the local chapter of The Association of Parent Support Groups in Ontario (APSGO) at their first meeting of the year last night. At APSGO, weekly parent support groups are led by trained and experienced parent volunteers, people who have experienced similar parenting challenges and have found their way through the crisis.

Rosemary Fernandes-Walker, who heads up the Guelph chapter, assured everyone there was no problem new under the sun that they had not heard of. APSGO is there to provide support to parents; not to change the child, but to help parents acquire the strategies, support and practical techniques essential in dealing with disruptive behaviour, because for each of us the only behaviour we can control is our own.

APSGO was awarded $15,000 from 100 WWCG to support an upcoming conference here in Guelph. Their goal is to connect the parents and parent volunteers with professionals, working on ways to achieve the end goal – that of improving the relationship between parent and child. A worthy goal that spoke to the hearts of 150 caring women of Guelph.

Alzheimer’s Minds in Motion Program receives $15,100 in funding from 100 WWCG

Alzheimer’s – a word that comes fully loaded with dread, anxiety, sorrow and increasing isolation, and a disease more Canadians are diagnosed with every day.

The impact on both the person living with dementia and their care partner is enormous, but there is help out there. 100 Women Who Care Guelph chose Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington’s Minds in Motion program to be the recipient of their July 2016 donation of $15,100.

Minds in Motion is a community-based social program offered to people with early to mid-stage signs of Alzheimer’s disease and their care partners. It offers physical activity and mental stimulation, both of which are critical for brain health. Equally importantly, it offers a supportive social network to help combat the increasing isolation that accompanies the diagnosis.

As of 2011, 747,000 Canadians were living with Alzheimer’s disease. That figure is projected to grow to 1.4 million by 2031. Programs like Minds in Motion are of immense importance to our community, and organizations like 100 WWCG, whose mission is to support the most vulnerable among us, help to ensure that no one feels alone in dealing with this disease.