It was just over two years ago that Innisfil got their own chapter of 100 Men Who Give a Damn, a grassroots organization that encompasses local men donating to local charities in their community.
Once a quarter, the group meets to listen to speakers from three local charities, with each member donating $100.
If a branch can sign up a full 100 members, that translates into $10,000 in a single meeting – money that is then earmarked for local charities and can have a positive impact on local communities.
After listening to each charity present, the men vote on which charity will receive the majority of the pot. The charity with the most votes takes home 80 percent of the donations, with the remaining two splitting 20 percent.
Founding members Brian Sametz, Michael Tough and Wayne Clements formed the Innisfil group just over two years ago, after moving to Belle Ewart from York Region. The men became friends after working together as realtors for the same brokerage. They heard about the 100 Men Who Give A Damn organization through Clements' brother-in-law who is a member of the Newmarket/Aurora chapter.
"As we moved and began to expand our business we thought what a great way to introduce something grassroots into the community that can make a difference," said Tough.
Since 2018, the group has grown from eight members to 62.
Their first-ever meeting was held at the Wild Wing restaurant in Innisfil. Eventually, they secured space free of charge at the Lefroy Legion where they continued to meet quarterly until the pandemic hit last March.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the group has been meeting virtually, which Sametz says has resulted in lower turnout, meaning less money given to the charities.
"I think part of the appeal is it's a night out of the house, a great way to socialize, have a beer, hang out afterwards, so virtually it hurt our attendance," said Sametz.
"There are a lot of people out of work right now and their incomes have been impacted by COVID and so charities, in general, their donations are significantly down," added Clements.
According to Imagine Canada's Sector Report from spring 2020, 73 percent of charities reported donations are down, which is why the men are continuing to meet virtually to raise as much money as they can to help those in the community who are in need.
"We're all living in a different time, and our awareness of different is quite marginal really when you look at some of these charities," said Tough.
He gave the example of the Barrie Women's and Children Centre who may not have a safe home to shelter in or children with special needs who don't have the support they need when at home.
"These are creating new stressors of life that we may not be aware of in our new norm and it's been very significant and empowerful for me to hear these charities bring that level of awareness of impact," said Tough.
To date, the group of men have given away over $15,000 to local charities including Christmas 4 Kids, Habitat for Humanity Huronia, Wounded Warriors Canada, Seniors Wish, Independent Living Services, Innisfil Food Bank and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Barrie.
The group is always looking to add more members. Anyone interested in joining can contact the men on their Facebook page, or by email to [email protected].
