20th Anniversary Bulletin - Week #19 (Dec 16, 2021)

In 2019 we continued our practice, since 2016, of supporting the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington’s annual “Adopt A Family” program that matches donors with families in need in order to make the holidays shine a little brighter. While Adopt-A-Family was originally a Christmas holiday program, it is open to families of all backgrounds and traditions to meet their needs and wishes. While we never know who the families are that we might have “adopted” we are content in the knowledge that, between 2016 and 2020, the $10,386 we donated would have played a part in bringing hope and joy during the holiday seasons for some children, youth, and families in our community.

Consistent with our focus on caring for the most needy and empowering individuals to have a high quality of life, supporting a local effort like “Living Better on Less” was a natural fit. The program was originally developed at a Guelph church in 2009 as a series of workshops with a way to help people find resources and solutions for living on a budget, access to free or low-cost food, and creating a personal care routine that is affordable and easy on the environment, creative holiday planning, and practical skills like food preservation and clothing repair. Brought to our attention by club members, we were happy to provide $6,000 in financial support for the continuation of the program for a 3-year period, 2018-2020.

The Portage Elora Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Centre for Youth provides a residential drug rehabilitation program to youth 14 to 18 years of age who have serious substance abuse problems. The residential program is tailored to the specific needs of each individual and provides gender specific programming. The 55 acre rural setting is therapeutic in itself. As the youth share their difficulties with the Portage community, they develop a sense of belonging and learn to trust themselves and each other, while cultivating self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-respect. After having remarkable presentations by 2 of the youth we were happy to commit to providing annual funding through 2021.