100 MEN HELP CHARITIES

By Kirk Winter

When Richard Gauder arrived in Lindsay a couple of years ago from Durham Region, he brought an interesting idea with him hoping it would work in CKL.

In 2006, in Jackson, Michigan a group of local women got together to support an initiative that would buy cribs for a local charity that dealt with new mothers.

That meeting raised $10,000 in one night, and out of that first get together was born the 100 Women Who Care movement. There are now 83 100 Women chapters across North America including one in CKL, and 39 100 Men groups including CKL.

Gauder had previously formed 100 Men groups in Scugog, Oshawa, Whitby and Clarington, and hoped the idea would be well received in Kawartha Lakes, too. With only four one-hour meetings the second Tuesday in March, June, September and December and a very informal structure to the proceedings, Gauder saw potential for the club taking root in CKL.

The local Mens chapter had their first meeting in March last year, and has had four sessions since. Every member contributes $100 per meeting, and that money is pooled to be given at the end of the meeting to a deserving charity voted on by the members in attendance.

Every meeting, three registered charities are invited to make brief presentations on why they should be chosen. All the presentations, voting and awards ceremony are done in approximately sixty minutes, and a deserving charity leaves the meeting with a significant amount of money.

The local Mens chapter is hovering at about 40 members, so at any given meeting the charity chosen could be awarded about $4000.00

Past charities chosen by the club include:

March 2018 – Kawartha Lakes Wildlife Centre - $3,400

June 2018 – Community Care Foundation - $3,900

September 2018 – Habitat for Humanity - $3,800

December 2018 – Women’s Resources of Kawartha Lakes - $3,500

March 2018 – Lindsay Army Cadets - $3,900.

The 100 Men of Kawartha Lakes have awarded $18,500.00 to local registered charities in just the last year, and are hoping as the organization grows that the amount of money available will grow exponentially.

Those looking for more information on this group can go to www.100menkawarthalakes.ca. 100 Men meet at the Pie Eyed Monk Brew Pub in Lindsay, and new members are always welcome.