We Are Family Fundraiser 4

Lester McLean Band

This past Saturday was our 4th annual We Are Family fundraiser in support of Project 417 (the group I help with Sandwich Runs). Like last year we were at the Royal Canadian Legion Todmorden Memorial Hall (on Pape, south of O'Connor). And also like last year I believe the main organizers were Kathi Nicoll, Darlene Winning, Jenn Ford and Kara Purdy (but don't quote me on that).

Lester McLean and his band provided the music and DJ Jude Kelly spun tunes in between sets.

Finger food was served throughout the evening by volunteers and there was a silent auction (among other things) to raise a bit of extra money.

Joe Elkerton (the founder of Project 417) handed out the James Potter Memorial Volunteer Award to a very deserving Darlene Winning. Over the years she's given much of her time and knowledge to aid the organization. An incredible lady.

It was good to see a few old faces again (once a year it seems) and a few new ones as well. Here's to many more years of fundraising success.

Sandwich Runs - the Link

I know I've posted something about Sandwich Runs before. But, I noticed our organizers at Project 417 have produced a short video about what we do. It's just over one minute long and well made. You should have a look.

Basically, we lead groups through the streets of downtown Toronto handing out bag lunches to the homeless folks we meet. If possible we'll try to engage them in some sort of dialogue to see how they're doing because, quite frankly, most people won't even give them the time of day. They'll either walk right by totally ignoring them or say something snarky like, why don't you get a job? To us it's about outreach and instilling a bit of dignity and self worth in their lives. And sometimes all it takes is a bag lunch to start it all off.

So if you're ready and willing, why don't you gather a few friends together and go over to the Project 417 site and contact us to let us know you want to go out. We'll be waiting to hear from you.

Give more than you take...

Give more than you take and you'll make the world a better place.

~ a quote by me

I just read an article in the Midtown Post, a free paper delivered to homes and condos in the area I live. It's directed at people with a higher than average level of income.

The article in question asked if a $400 haircut was really worth it? My answer to that is, why would you even consider such a thing? That much money could sponsor a child in a developing country for one year. Is your hair worth as much as the well-being of another person? It seems quite outrageous to me.

Bill and Melinda Gates seem to have the right idea. They started the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Along with input from foundation trustee, Warren Buffet, they've given out grants of nearly $24 billion since 1994. Here is a statement taken from their foundation fact sheet:

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

But, you don't even need to go that far. You can do something as easy as volunteering at your local food bank every now and then. For me, I volunteer at an Out of the Cold program at a church in downtown Toronto. We provide hot meals to underprivileged youths every Tuesday evening from November to the end of April.

As well, I help out with an organization called Project 417. Among other things, we take groups out to deliver bag lunches (sandwich, box drink, apple and snack) to homeless people on the streets of downtown Toronto.

There are a lot of things we can do to make a difference in peoples' lives. We just have to shift the focus a bit further from ourselves to others and we'll be on the right track.

We Are Family Fundraiser

We held the 2nd Annual We Are Family Fundraiser supporting Project 417 at the RBC auditorium in their building on Front Street this past Saturday (November 6th). They were generous enough to let us use their facilities at no charge just like last year. Kathi, Kara, Darlene, Jenn, and Patricia and Joe did the bulk of the organizing. They pulled everything together in a few short weeks.

Like last year there was a silent auction and we had hors d'oeuvres to munch on. The M.C. was Andrew Craig from CBC Radio 2 "Canada Live". The Lester McLean band provided the music along with guest singers Carlos Morgan, Toya Alexis and Gary Beals. In between breaks DJ Jude Kelly kept the music going.

It was a nice evening with proceeds going to a very worthy cause.