CENTRE WELLINGTON – Not many people can say COVID-19 has inspired them, but it certainly lit a fire under Curt Hammond as Giving Tuesday (May 5) approached.
“I had been thinking since before Christmas to start a Centre Wellington 100 Men Who Care group,” Hammond told the Advertiser on May 12.
“I was inspired by the Guelph Men Who Give a Damn and the Centre Wellington 100 Women Who Care groups. As Giving Tuesday approached, I thought … ‘get off your butt. Let’s just do this virtually.’”
Hammond, who lives in Elora, had been in conversation with the Centre Wellington Community Foundation and between his own network and the foundation’s, emails went out inviting men in the community to donate if they could.
Some 25 donors stepped up and $2,500 was raised in just a week. Hammond said 25 per cent will go to the foundation to be invested for future donations, and 75% will go to the local COVID-19 community response fund.
The format of these ‘people who care’ groups is to meet four times a year, hear presentations from local organizations, and as a group, to decide who gets the donation. Each member donates $100 at each meeting, so with 100 members, that’s a $10,000 donation, four times a year.
So it’s a little different to pledge to give 25% of moneys collected to the community foundation. And this group has a way to go before it reaches 100 members.
“I’m also not insisting members give $100 at each meeting,” Hammond said. “We say, give whatever you can. The commitment to giving is the important thing.”
Hammond said he will reach out again in the fall for the second round.
It remains to be seen if the group will be able to meet in person and if members will still be in a position to donate.
“I hope to create a positive way to learn about charities and for people to share resources if they can. I would love to see our numbers double,” he said.
Information about the group can be found at cwcfoundation.ca.
