Q3 2019 - Jul 23
We had another outstanding meeting for Q3 this past July 23, where a beautiful day and a great cause made for a great excuse to head to the pub. There was a packed agenda of inspirational speeches, heartfelt updates, and another round of charity presentations that did not disappoint.
First, we heard from our guest speaker, Jeff Lawrence - a man who many of us know very well as a prominent part of the Airdrie community. Jeff talked about his start in the business world and reaching the point where, even though he was consistently moving up and reaching his goals, he wasn't feeling like he was fulfilling his purpose.
So Jeff started getting involved in his community. He started a mentoring organization (MDI - Mentor, Discover, Inspire) and started adhering to the motto have fun while building better communities. That motto has been on full display for one of his other major charitable ventures - the Brakemen Foundation. Jeff talked about the great work the Brakemen do, particularly their Zero Hungry Kids program and shared some great opportunities to support, sponsor, and get involved. A great presentation from a guy we can proudly call one of our own!
Next, the previous meeting's winner provided an updated on their plans with their donated money. Nose Creek Valley Museum shared some exciting new programming that is already underway that focuses heavily on children and youth programming. Their junior curator workshops provide hands-on experience for kids that has proven to be extremely rewarding and impactful for the kids and the museum. They also shared their plans to use the funds to buy two new laptops. Another great example of your generous donations being appreciated and going a long way for a local charity.
We also had a surprise update from member John Gutowski who shared the plans that him and his wife Julie have for another fundraising group to join the 100 Men and 100 Women: the 100 Kids Who Care! They're looking for at least 100 kids to donate $10 and come up with charities that they think are worthwhile. Aside from members, they're looking for door prizes for the kids. More info at: https://www.100kidsairdrie.org/ or on their Facebook page.
Finally, we had three excellent presentations. The Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie talked about using the funds to expand their already well-used programming and wanted to focus especially on outreach programming for at-risk youth, including special 'excursions' that these kids might not normally get to experience.
Next, the Airdrie Hospice Society talked about their important work to give a compassionate end-of-life experience for 'patients', caregivers, and families that are going through incredibly stressful times. In particular, the hope is to establish a grief support program for youth in Airdrie; currently they need to travel to Calgary.
Lastly, the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Airdrie presented on their mentorship program in Airdrie. Beyond their funding need, there is also a large waiting list of kids who need mentoring so their hope was to spread the word and get volunteers to spend some time with kids.
After another close vote, the Boys and Girls club were awarded $10,000 – $9,900 from our membership, plus a generous $100 top-up from Brad Lambert of Second Generation Exteriors.
A special thank you to those that provided a wealth of donations once again: Hayloft Restaurant, Martin’s Pest Control, the Pest Control Guy, the Stitching Bees, our meeting hosts the Toad n Turtle, David Bowman Painting, and Alberta Wilbert Sales.
The next meeting will be October 22 at Tap and Vine. See you there!
First, we heard from our guest speaker, Jeff Lawrence - a man who many of us know very well as a prominent part of the Airdrie community. Jeff talked about his start in the business world and reaching the point where, even though he was consistently moving up and reaching his goals, he wasn't feeling like he was fulfilling his purpose.
So Jeff started getting involved in his community. He started a mentoring organization (MDI - Mentor, Discover, Inspire) and started adhering to the motto have fun while building better communities. That motto has been on full display for one of his other major charitable ventures - the Brakemen Foundation. Jeff talked about the great work the Brakemen do, particularly their Zero Hungry Kids program and shared some great opportunities to support, sponsor, and get involved. A great presentation from a guy we can proudly call one of our own!
Next, the previous meeting's winner provided an updated on their plans with their donated money. Nose Creek Valley Museum shared some exciting new programming that is already underway that focuses heavily on children and youth programming. Their junior curator workshops provide hands-on experience for kids that has proven to be extremely rewarding and impactful for the kids and the museum. They also shared their plans to use the funds to buy two new laptops. Another great example of your generous donations being appreciated and going a long way for a local charity.
We also had a surprise update from member John Gutowski who shared the plans that him and his wife Julie have for another fundraising group to join the 100 Men and 100 Women: the 100 Kids Who Care! They're looking for at least 100 kids to donate $10 and come up with charities that they think are worthwhile. Aside from members, they're looking for door prizes for the kids. More info at: https://www.100kidsairdrie.org/ or on their Facebook page.
Finally, we had three excellent presentations. The Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie talked about using the funds to expand their already well-used programming and wanted to focus especially on outreach programming for at-risk youth, including special 'excursions' that these kids might not normally get to experience.
Next, the Airdrie Hospice Society talked about their important work to give a compassionate end-of-life experience for 'patients', caregivers, and families that are going through incredibly stressful times. In particular, the hope is to establish a grief support program for youth in Airdrie; currently they need to travel to Calgary.
Lastly, the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Airdrie presented on their mentorship program in Airdrie. Beyond their funding need, there is also a large waiting list of kids who need mentoring so their hope was to spread the word and get volunteers to spend some time with kids.
After another close vote, the Boys and Girls club were awarded $10,000 – $9,900 from our membership, plus a generous $100 top-up from Brad Lambert of Second Generation Exteriors.
A special thank you to those that provided a wealth of donations once again: Hayloft Restaurant, Martin’s Pest Control, the Pest Control Guy, the Stitching Bees, our meeting hosts the Toad n Turtle, David Bowman Painting, and Alberta Wilbert Sales.
The next meeting will be October 22 at Tap and Vine. See you there!