At the latest gathering of Oakville's 100 Guys Who Care, the group once again concluded with a generous donation to a deserving charity.
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, the Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children received $10,200 after winning the vote at the previous week's quarterly meeting.
The group, 100 Guys Who Care, meets quarterly at different locations, with each member donating $100. They listen to pitches from three separate charities before pooling their contributions and voting on which charity to award the funds to.
Before hearing the new pitches, they always receive an update from the previous recipient to learn how the donation made an impact.
The previous recipient of their funding, Front Line Outreach, used the donation to send 150 kids to their Camp Dakota this past summer.
Read more here: 100 Guys Who Care fund $11,000 for new local charity
The three new charities this time around included Dare To Be Youth, Oakville Chamber Orchestra, and Lighthouse.
After the pitches, members cast their ballots, and the vote was very close, according to event organizer Ian Pedersen.
The Lighthouse, which provides support and stabilization for families following the death of a parent, child, or teen, was ultimately selected.
"We are incredibly grateful for the very generous donation," said Lighthouse Director of Development Anne Smith. "The Lighthouse doesn’t receive government funding and relies on the generosity of the community to sustain their free, open-ended grief support groups for participants aged 3 – 24."
"This year marks 25 years of Lighthouse offering free grief support in the community. What started as a small group of kids in a church basement and a senior's home, developed into a full offering of programming for various ages in their Bronte & Rebecca 'home,'" she continued.
“We are truly grateful for all those who have supported Lighthouse over the years and want to thank 100 Guys Who Care for investing in the lives of grieving children."