First was the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie. To hear how they support our kids in Airdrie - whether it be encouraging healthy eating, talking about depression and anxiety, and much more - it was clear that the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie play an important role in providing a safe and welcoming place for our children.
Next, we heard from Soap for Hope, which is an organization that repurposes soap and other hygiene products from hotels and airlines agencies and creates kits for shelters for those who are homeless, in poverty, or in other types of distress. Their description of how something as mundane as a clean shower can be meaningful to those who are less fortunate was impactful!
Lastly, Project Linus presented on their mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to children who are in a crisis, seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need of a hug.
In the end, Project Linus was the winning recipient - receiving $8300 dollars from a bunch of caring and thoughtful men. Seeing the reaction of the Project Linus representatives was both emotional and rewarding. What happened next was equally rewarding, however. What started as a suggestion from a single table to pool some spare change for the charities that were not selected - suddenly spread to other tables. Next, an extremely generous business - William Martin’s Pest Control - pledged $1000 to each of the two non-winning charities!
In the end, Soap for Hope and the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie both walked out with $1400 each, in addition to the $8700 for Project Linus. It was an incredibly rewarding start to this initiative and hopefully a harbinger of things to come.
Some of the charitable giving was sparked by a heartfelt and genuine speech from Corey Mace - a current CFL coach and former player - who has spent time as a recipient of charitable organizations, as well as an active supporter. Mayor Peter Brown and MP Blake Richards (via personal letter) also provided words of encouragement and support.
We are very excited for the next meeting and hope to get even more men out to join us. Spread the word!
Photo Highlights
