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Busby Centre takes home the pot in 100 Women Who Care fundraising event

Representatives from The Busby Centre, Empower Simcoe and Little Blue School House had the opportunity to speak to the group about their charity’s mission and goals
2020-12-06 David Busby Centre RB 2
The David Busby Centre on Mulcaster Street in Barrie. Raymond Bowe/BarrieToday

The 100 Women Who Care South Simcoe chapter held their quarterly meeting on Thursday evening to hear from three local charities and their missions with serving the community. 

At every meeting, each woman brings a $100 donation, and at the end of the meeting vote on which charity they want their money to go to.

The charity with the most votes takes home 80 percent of the pot, and the rest is split between the other two charities.

The group has been meeting virtually since the start of the pandemic, but on Thursday, group leader Amy Simpson told the ladies in-person meetings could potentially pick up again in the new year. 

Jamie Hall, the marketing and communication manager with Empower Simcoe was the first speaker on Thursday night. 

At Empower Simcoe, "we empower people to live a meaningful and inclusive life," he said. 

The organization started in 1953, formed by parents looking for alternative options for their children who had developmental and intellectual disabilities. 

Empower Simcoe is one of the largest multi-service agencies in the area for children, teens and adults who have intellectual developmental disabilities. 

"We support some 1,700 individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities," he said, and a total of 60,000 families in Simcoe County.  

So "where is the need? Why do we fundraise?"

The money raised goes to things like activity chairs, glasses, special safety equipment and "simple things" like bus passes for clients to gain access to their communities. 

Hall noted there is no funding for respite, and the funds also help to cover the cost of specialized housing needs, and sending children to camps that provide youth with skills development. 

"We support people through all stages of life," he said. 

One of the biggest fundraising efforts this year focuses on the organization's 43rd supported living home in Oro Medonte, set to open in June 2022. Their goal is to raise $250,000 which will help pay for things like the landscaping and decor, "things that make it feel like home". 

"We support people to live a meaningful and inclusive life," added Hall. 

Second to speak was Candace Gordon from the Busby Centre.  

Although the centre was established in 1993, Gordon noted how many in the community are still unfamiliar with the not-for-profit hub and the services offered. 

The Busby Centre operates as a 24/7 social service facility, providing programs for those experiencing homelessness.

Gordon says the bulk of the money raised for organization is utilized through their outreach program, like their mobile breakfast and dinner programs. 

Currently, the centre is dealing with a COVID outbreak at their hotel, impacting how many people they can service at once.  

Their shelter had to move from their Mulcaster Street location in Barrie to the Comfort Inn in order to accommodate more people. When that wasn't large enough, they ended up moving to the Travel Lodge, where the outbreak occurred. 

Once the outbreak is under control, Gordon says the shelter should be able to accommodate closer to 198 guests. 

"We try to make it work and bring people in with the space that we have, we do as much as we can," said Gordon. 

She says the shelter tends to get busier during the colder months and is hopeful they will be able to open their warming centre, pending health unit guidelines and approval. 

Greg Kliwer, volunteer executive director for Little Blue School House was the final guest to speak. 

Little Blue School House is a small organization, that finds most of its clientele through word of mouth. 

The organization was founded in 2015 as a not-for-profit and then shortly after became a registered charity. 

Its mission is to improve the lives of individuals with autism and mental delays, a well as their caregivers. 

The charity puts on a yearly summer camp that runs every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in July and August. 

"We welcome those teens and adults with autism and intellectual delays," said Kliwer. "We wanted to serve a population that is very underserved because of their difficult behaviour challenges."

Campers are welcome to attend for the entire eight weeks or in two-week periods at a time.  The camp operates on a donated piece of property in Barrie with a large yard, open space for activities and a pool. The camp is run by counsellors who are students and individuals with experience in social work, ECE or related fields.  

The cost to attend the camp for the entire summer is $5,700, with campers paying some of the costs through government grants. 

Every year, the organization usually holds a holiday gala to help foot the bill for a few deserving individuals. Due to COVID, the gala has been cancelled for the past two years and the charity has not been able to offer the prepaid slots to any campers. 

"If you choose to donate to us, be assured there will be some happy campers in the summer of 2022," he told the group of women.

After each charity representative had a chance to speak, a poll popped up on the screen for members to vote on the charity they felt was most deserving of the funds. 

"It's very close tonight," said Simpson once the votes were tallied. 

But it was The Busby Centre who took in the majority of the votes and 80 per cent of the pot. 

"Thanks, everybody for being here," said Simpson.

She encouraged all the charities to go on the 100 Women Who Care Facebook page to spread the word about their organizations. 

"Hopefully we will see your faces cycle through again," said Simpson. 

Anyone who missed the live event has until Tuesday to make their donation at which time all totals will be calculated. So far the group has raised a total of $1,900 from the event. 

To learn more on how to get involved in the 100 Women Who Care group, visit their Facebook page here.


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Natasha Philpott

About the Author: Natasha Philpott

Natasha is the Editor for BradfordToday and InnisfilToday. She graduated from the Media Studies program at The University of Guelph-Humber. She lives in Bradford with her husband, two boys and two cats.
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