What a way to close out the 2026 edition of 100 Airdrie Men Who Give A Damn!
Our latest meeting of 100 Airdrie Men Who Give A Damn brought another fantastic crowd to ¡Glitch! Gaming Lounge, and the energy in the room felt special.
While we didn't quite set a new record for registered and paid members, the room was absolutely packed. In fact, it may have been our biggest in-person turnout yet! It's great to see so many familiar faces, along with new members joining us to make a difference in our community.
The meeting was presented by our Platinum Sponsor - the Old Buckers Hockey club. They're longtime members of the group and of the Airdrie giving community and it was great to have them back. We also had four Gold Sponsors again:
Our sponsors play a huge role in ensuring that we're able to give out at least $10,000 as well as make sure that no one goes home empty handed.
New Member Draw
Next, we held our new member draw.
Growing our membership is critical to the success of 100 Men. It brings new energy, spreads the word, and builds stronger community connections.
We plan to continue this tradition, so if you know someone who might be interested, please invite them! Not only will they be part of something meaningful, they’ll also have a great chance of winning a prize.
Wilkie Award - Keith Yeoman
The Wilkie Award recognizes a member who embodies the spirit of our late co-founder Keith Wilkinson. We consider The Wilkie to be a noble and prestigious honour!
Keith Yeoman is one of the quiet leaders in our group. He is a regular attendee and a frequent door prize donor - as an accomplished woodworker, we've been grateful to have some of his handy work donated in past meetings. Keith is active in the community - notably for his efforts with Boy Scouts, and has presented to 100 Men alongside his scouts in the past.
We appreciate guys like Keith that quietly go out and 'walk the walk' in our community. Congrats, Keith!
Previous Recipients - Airdrie 1st Club
The Ladies (and a couple of guys) in Red showed up in full force again to express their gratitude for our donation and let us know that they are in full preparation mode for their busiest initiative - the Holiday Hamper. This is a long-running, well-recognized initiative that provides an incredible boost to the many families that could use it during the holiday season.
Q4 2026 Presentations
Next we moved to the presentations.
NLCC Holger Storm
NLCC Holger Storm is Airdrie's chapter of the Navy League of Canada. Their program is designed to instill leadership qualities, foster teamwork, and promote a sense of patriotism among today's youth. It provides young people with opportunities to develop leadership, teamwork, confidence and valuable life skills and helps young people grow while building friendships and a sense of community.
These opportunities include things like sailing, camping, swimming, music, sports, parades, First-Aid, water safety, communications, and trips.
URSA - Airdrie Day Program
The Universal Rehabilitation Service Agency has a mission to develop and provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to attain a personal level of achievement and excellence in life. They introduced members to its Airdrie Day Program, known as North Stars, which offers full-time, part-time, and drop-in opportunities.
The program supports adults with developmental disabilities through meaningful activities, skill development, recreation and opportunities to connect with the community. Activities include planned community outings, bowling, arts, crafts and games, Yogabilities, music therapy, life skills such as cooking and baking, karaoke and more. It's an important service helping make Airdrie a more inclusive place for people of all abilities.
Airdrie Kin Club
Finally, we had the Airdrie Kin Club. The Kin Club is a national service organization that leverages volunteers to improve communities across Canada. The Airdrie club has a simple goal: to support local causes, address urgent community needs, and make Airdrie a better place to live, work, and play.
The Kin Club holds socials and community events, raffles, and they're particularly proud of their annual Canada Day breakfast.
Fireside Chat - Matt Shepard
As online votes were being submitted, we were pleased to welcome Matt "Shep" Shepard as our guest speaker. An accomplished ultramarathon runner, motivational speaker and community builder based in Alberta's Crowsnest Pass, Matt has tackled some extraordinary endurance challenges, including 200-mile races and representing Team Canada in ultrarunning competition. Drawing on his experiences in endurance sports and high-pressure professions, Matt shares lessons about resilience, perseverance and pushing beyond perceived limits.
While ultramarathons might not resonate with a lot of us, we can all appreciate the concepts of resilience and goal-setting and preparation, and embracing challenges. A big thank-you to Matt for taking the time to join us!
The Vote
We seem to say it every time but your votes matter at 100 Men as we often have very slim margins. Well tonight it literally could not have gotten any slimmer! By a single vote, URSA - Airdrie Day Program was awarded the big cheque for the night. After and incredible 140 registered members, our sponsorship, as well as some auction items* - we totaled $18,731 for the night! It meant that URSA was presented with $13,731 and our other two presenters go home with $2500. Incredible!
*Big shoutout to Tim Lowing of Darkroom Delights for donating a large metal print of one his many stunning photographs!
Our Next Goal
Earlier this year we started our march towards half a million dollars and we're confident that we'll crush that at our January meeting. While we're thrilled to be hitting that impressive milestone, the packed house we saw tonight (and the 140 registered members), we were already looking forward to a new stretch target: 200 Airdrie Men Who Give A Damn!
That will be our next goal and we need all of your help to push our message, share our posts, and encourage friends, family, neighbours and co-workers to come check us out.
Thank you to ¡Glitch! Gaming Lounge for once again being fantastic hosts.
We’d also like to give a giant shout out to those that donated door prizes. Thank you to:
- A-List Security
- Tiger Propane
- Jams
- Airdrie Windshield
- Woodside Golf Course
- State & Main
- Darkroom Delights
- Maaco
- Yeoman Woodworks
- Dave & Shelley Rimes / Muscle Check
We will be back at ¡Glitch! Gaming Lounge for the next meeting on Jan 26, 2027 for our Half-a-Mil celebration!
