The 100 Women Who Care continues to grow and impact charitable organizations throughout the region of Grey and Bruce counties.
What started out as a small group of local women who wanted to make a difference has grown to 150 with 26 new members coming on board since the group’s last meeting.
“We are excited to be growing and increasing our impact in the Grey Bruce Community. We set our goal to be 150 Women by April 2022 and we did it!!”
The concept is very simple, efficient and direct:
- Each Member commits to donating $100 per meeting, four times a year.
- Meetings are diligently conducted in one hour or less.
- The nominating members of three randomly selected organizations will make a five minute presentation about the organization to the group and a Q&A session will follow.
- Each member who has signed a commitment form and who is current with her donations may vote (by online survey) for one of the three organizations.
- Each member will submit a donation of $100 and monies will be given directly to the organization receiving the most votes.
Among the recipients who directly received funds are Canadian Mental Health Grey Bruce, the Women’s House Serving Bruce & Grey, Meals on Wheels, several area Food Banks, Alzheimer’s Society, Girl Guides of Canada and many more.
The most recipient was WES for Youth online that received $13,300. They will be launching a new platform at the end of June that is streamlined, easier to use, has a built in video counselling function and also comes with an app that youth can have right on their phones. The platform will also open up the option for youth to communicate with their counsellors in non-traditional ways. A small portion of the 100 Women Who Care funds will help support the new platform but the main portion of the funds was assigned to provide youth, ages 13 – 24, in Grey Bruce with counselling services
The nominated Charities brought forward on April 2nd were:
1) Women’s House Serving Bruce and Grey – Lisa McArthur
Women’s House serving Bruce & Grey provides shelter, crisis support, housing and counselling programs for women and children throughout Bruce and Grey counties. Women’s House is seeking funding for a full-time Youth Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking Counsellor.
The need: Human trafficking is a growing, under-reported, and difficult to detect issue affecting our community. We live in an area with significant disposal income, a high volume of transient residents and isolated locations that are ideal for trafficking. Youth can be targeted online, lured, and subsequently entrapped, into unhealthy relationships. We know that many trafficking victims suffer from long lasting trauma, trust, self-confidence and/or addiction issues. With a full-time Youth Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking Counsellor we will be able to increase our presence in local schools, improve public access to information and increase awareness to what a “healthy relationship” actually looks like. Our goal is to give our youth (boys and girls) the skills to spot predatory behaviour, avoid it and advocate for themselves when needed. https://www.whsbg.on.ca/
2) NeighbourWoods North – Styn Furness
“There is something about planting trees that feels good. If you have done it well, it will outlast you and leave the world a little richer and more beautiful because of your efforts.” …. James Rebanks and part of “A Pastoral Song”
NeighbourWoods North was started by Lloyd Lewis and Dr. Gord Edwards.
The donation from 100 Women Who Care will go towards the Path of Hope and Healing.
This project is to have a paved path around the Grey Bruce Regional Health Centre grounds. Wide enough for people and wheelchairs to pass; lined with trees and flowering shrubs. It will be a place to relax and heal for patients and their families as well as the hospital staff.
Lloyd Lewis retired to this area in 2016 as he was attracted by the area’s natural beauty. He also saw a need to enhance the very large barren area that surrounded the hospital.
Relying on a large number of volunteers, this group has worked hard on making the grounds a more friendly and beautiful place.
The volunteers work on Saturday mornings or one evening a week, planting, watering, mulching or staking up trees.
NeighbourWoods North has a facebook page…NeighbourWoods North and a website www.neighbourwoodsnorth.com for more information and pictures.
All donations raised by grants or fundraising goes toward purchasing trees, shrubs, mulch or excavating the pathways. All the labour is volunteered.
“Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.”
… Ralph Waldo Emerson
3) Canadian Mental Health Association, Mental Health and Addiction Services – Yvonne McCutcheon
There is a critical need for funding for 900 Feminine Hygiene Kits to support basic healthcare needs of women living in at risk situations. There will be 4 types of kits developed addressing the personal hygiene needs for Menstruation (400), Bacterial Vaginosis (150), Yeast Infection (150) and Urinary Tract Infection (200). Each kit will contain 2 pairs of underwear, pads, liners, wipes and over the counter medications to meet each specific need. Kits range in cost from $10.45 – $28.77. Nine hundred kits would cost $14,505.00 with some flex funds for other essential items.
The kits will be distributed on an as needed basis by our SOS – Supportive Outreach Services, a CMHA Grey Bruce Program with both stationary and mobile components. In a 7 week period SOS had contact with over 500 vulnerable individuals throughout our region! Kits will also be available at 7 CMHAGB sites and through the HOW (Housing Outreach & Wellness) program.
Vulnerable women who are experiencing mental health and/or addiction may be making very difficult decisions regarding food, water, shelter, clothing and relationships. By providing these tailored-to-need kits, CMHA Grey Bruce wants to reduce potential harms related to inequitable access to feminine hygiene products; there isn’t a woman reading this who hasn’t thought at some point “this stuff is expensive!” Providing basic needs, and physical relief, may make space for women and CMHA staff to build relationships that lead to women feeling they have choice. There’s a familiar quote – “people don’t care how much you know until you show them how much you care.” These kits are concrete proof that others are looking out for vulnerable people; let’s hope it leads to building therapeutic relationships that move people toward harm reduction and feeling they have choices! All of these items are unfunded by other sources.
These items are needed as soon as possible; as soon as the funds are available they will be made and distributed. The need is now. Thank you 100 WWC – You truly make a difference! https://greybruce.cmha.ca/
For more information, visit: https://100womengreybruce.ca/contact-us
