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UPDATE (February 9) - WRYM’s 2020 Rough Night Out fundraiser was success! WRYM’s Rough Night Out fundraiser was success! This weekend’s event, held in a Windsor industrial parking lot for 14 hours overnight Friday to Saturday, was the third such annual fundraiser held. Volunteers hoped that when donations for this event were collected they would equal or surpass the 2019 event total of $5,000. (The 2018 event raised $2,500.) After totalling the pledges collected to date, WRYM’s volunteer Executive Director Greg Goulin is pleased to report that the 2020 WRYM’s Rough Night Out raised $7,325, with donations still coming in.  “The community response has been wonderful,” said WRYM’s volunteer Executive Director Greg Goulin (right). “We were trying to physically and emotionally demonstrate just how desperate life can be for homeless young people, including our guys – and many people have shown that they care!” Goulin says it’s not too late to donate. Just visit www.wrym.ca or telephone 519-981-9917 for advice. You can also mail a cheque to The Windsor Residence for Young Men, 1505 Langlois Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, Canada N8X 4M3. WRYM provides young men 16 - 24 years with a supportive home, individual counselling, and basic life skills. Youths with potential are diverted from the streets to reconnect with their community, education and employment. WRYM’s 2019 statistics show an average 95 percent success rate over the past three years. Since its opening in 2012, WRYM has helped more than 330 youths to build new lives. This is Windsor’s only supportive transitional housing program for young men. WRYM is not government funded. It is funded by the generosity of the citizens of our community. WRYM’s Rough Night Out was rough, indeed Overnight on Friday and Saturday February 7&8, a group of supporters of Windsor Residence for Young Men (WRYM) bundled up to brave freezing temperatures, darkness and heavy snowfall for 14 hours or more on an industrial parking lot on St. Luke Road in Windsor. The occasion was a fundraiser called WRYM’s Rough Night Out and the volunteers were "sleeping rough" as homeless youths are sometimes forced to do. Donors sponsored individual volunteers, and some donors dropped by to show their support. In fact, the volunteers were well dressed for the weather, with friends and support services at hand, and everyone went home afterward. It was a miserable night, nonetheless, which was meant to draw attention to just how tragic the circumstances of homeless young people can be. “The fact is that homelessness exists and, generally speaking, so many people who are generous in so many ways do not really have an up-close in-your-face feeling of what homeless means,” said Greg Goulin (right), the volunteer Executive Director of Windsor Residence for Young Men. “Homelessness doesn’t mean inadequate housing…. homelessness means we’re in an industrial parking lot and we’ve got to make it through to the dawn and - hopefully, thankfully - we won’t have to do this tomorrow night as well.” “It’s dark. It’s cold. We have many friends - but sometimes you’re homeless because you don’t have that many friends who want to take you in. Then, it’s loneliness on top of it. The mental component, the anguish, is equally as devastating as the physical destruction and this is what we are trying to prevent for our youth.” WRYM is not an emergency shelter or a subsidized housing program. WRYM provides young men 16 - 24 years with a supportive home, individual counselling, and basic life skills. Youths with potential are diverted from the streets to reconnect with their community, education and employment. WRYM’s 2019 statistics show an average 95 percent success rate over the past three years. Since its opening in 2012, WRYM has helped more than 330 youths to build new lives. This is Windsor’s only supportive transitional housing program for young men.
“We are not government funded,” said Goulin. “We are funded by the generosity of the citizens of our community.” The annual fundraiser is in its third year and volunteers hope that when all donations for this year’s event are collected they will equal or surpass last year’s event total of $5,000. For more information about Windsor Residence for Young Men, visit www.wrym.caHome or message WRYM on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/windsorresidenceforyoungmen. You can also telephone 519-981-9917.  Every year, a growing group of brave supporters of Windsor Residence for Young Men bundle up and spend a 14-hour winter night "sleeping rough", as some homeless people might say - although, to tell the truth, the volunteers are well dressed for the weather, with friends and all support services at hand. It's a miserable night, nonetheless, which is meant to draw attention to the tragic circumstances of homeless young people.  Here's a photo of WRYM's supporters last year, including Executive Director Greg Goulin (centre), looking cold, miserable but determined! (It was Greg's 70th birthday, hence the cake with the sparkler on it - was this any way for a senior citizen to behave?) If you are sufficiently brave, determined and wonderful in many ways - and would like join in this year's WRYM's Rough Night Out on an industrial parking lot at 1350 St. Luke Road - we welcome you. In fact, it would be great if you can recruit a friend, or a bunch of friends, to join you!
Each WRYM's Rough Night Out participant uses the pledge sheet (download) to collect pledges from - let's say, five - of her or his friends and upon completion of their overnight vigil (8:00 AM Saturday morning) the pledges go to support WRYM's services for young homeless young men, while the volunteers go home to their warm beds because they didn't sleep all night. Can't make it? If you don't know anyone (including yourself) who thinks a "rough night out" is personally a good idea and if, in fact, you definitely choose electric light and central heating - don't worry - you can still help!
If you are curious as to the other ways you can help homeless young men build new lives, just visit WRYM's "Your Help" page at www.wrym.ca/your-help.html for more information. (Note - donations $20 and over receive a tax receipt.)
UPDATE - January 28! Community donates $19,300 to match $13,000 given by formerly homeless youth UPDATE - February 8! - Matching funds now total $23,000
Despite its success and unlike many other social agencies, WRYM receives very little government funding and depends on community fundraising. It is a constant challenge. WRYM offers the only supportive transitional housing program for young men in Windsor. Unlike an emergency shelter, drop-in centre or subsidized housing, the program provides young men 16 - 24 years with a supportive home, individual counselling, and basic life skills. Youths with potential are diverted from the streets to reconnect with their community, education and employment. WRYM’s 2019 statistics show an average 95 percent success rate over the past three years. In 2019, WRYM assisted 96 clients in its Transitional Housing, Aftercare and Outreach programs. Of these, 42 young men were enrolled and successfully graduated from the Transitional Housing Program. Journalists - here is a print version of this update:
January 17 Former homeless youth pledges $13,000 to boost urgent funding appeal Recognizing fundraising challenges, a former homeless youth has handed Windsor Residence for Young Men (WRYM) a guaranteed bank draft for $13,000 to boost its Transitional Housing Program – the program that helped him and so many others build new lives. The money will be used as matching funds to kickstart an urgent community fundraising appeal. For more information, visit WRYM’s January 2020 Urgent Funding Appeal at www.wrym.ca or contact Windsor Residence for Young Men. “WRYM depends almost entirely on community donations, and he heard that our year-end fundraising was not as successful as we had hoped,” said WRYM’s Chair of Donor Development Dave Freeman. “He wants to inspire others to help, and he wants to remain anonymous.”
The Transitional Housing Program provides young men 16 - 24 years with a supportive home and individual counselling. It teaches basic life skills such as hygiene, food acquisition and preparation, budgeting, social responsibility and work ethic. The residents reconnect with their community, education and employment. They become empowered and productive full citizens. WRYM’s 2019 statistics show an average 95 percent success rate over the past three years. In 2019, WRYM assisted 96 clients in its Transitional Housing, Aftercare and Outreach programs. Of these, 42 young men were enrolled and successfully graduated from the Transitional Housing Program. “This is the only supportive transitional housing program for young men in Windsor,” said Freeman. “It’s not an emergency shelter, drop-in centre or subsidized housing. It is an essential community program that diverts young men with potential from the streets at the earliest possible age. Overall, WRYM is a lifeline to about 20 percent of the local homeless population. Without it, not only will many of these vulnerable youths be lost to unemployment, substance abuse, sickness, violence, sexual assault and other crimes, but our community’s social agencies, emergency services, courts, families and taxpayers will face the consequences of not dealing with the challenges early on. “The basic problem is that, although WRYM provides an absolutely essential community service, unlike other social agencies it receives very little government funding. When we opened our doors in 2012, many people did not want to recognize that young men could be vulnerable victims, that some demoralized victims can also become perpetrators, and that early intervention can benefit the entire community. Three agencies were providing good and essential transitional housing services for women, but there was nothing for young men. Senior government had frozen funding for any new agencies and so this basic inequity has been frozen in time for the past eight years. “WRYM’s Transitional Housing Program is highly successful even though operations and staffing are cut to the bone. All funding goes directly to the program – we do not duplicate the services of other agencies, and administration and fundraising are done entirely by volunteers. Yet, every year we risk the collapse of transitional housing services for homeless young men in our community. We are doing our best to raise awareness of what WRYM does among elected officials and government funding and program administrators, while also continuing to appeal to citizens. I think Windsor can do better!” For more information, visit WRYM’s website Your Help Page, Facebook site at www.facebook.com/windsorresidenceforyoungmen, or telephone 519.981.9917. Journalists - here is a print version of this news release 
Windsor Residence for Young Men is to benefit from THE HOME DEPOT ORANGE DOOR CAMPAIGN Until December 22 at Windsor’s Walker and Division Roads Store  The Home Depot’s Walker and Division roads store manager Mark Belanger (L) and WRYM Director of Fundraising Dave Freeman (R) have started Orange Door fundraising to help homeless young men build new lives. The Home Depot’s Orange Door Project fundraising campaign for youth housing charities across Canada is under way. One hundred percent of the funds raised at the Walker and Division roads store (store #7228) in Windsor will benefit the Windsor Residence for Young Men (WRYM).
Until December 22, customers will be asked if they would like to make a $2 donation at the checkout when purchasing goods at the Walker and Division store, or can donate online at www.orangedoorproject.ca. If donating online, people are being asked to be sure to select the Walker and Division store “Fund #7228” in the drop-down menu so that their donation benefits WRYM. They may also leave a note regarding their donation. Windsor Residence for Young Men (WRYM) is a charitable organization that supports young men 16 - 24 years of age as they leave homelessness behind to build new lives. WRYM provides a transitional residence and individual counselling while teaching basic life skills such as hygiene, food acquisition and preparation, budgeting, social responsibility and work ethic. WRYM depends almost entirely on donations from the community, which go direct to assisting homeless young men. Administrative tasks are done by community volunteers. “All of this comes primarily through the generosity of our local community,” said WRYM Director of Fundraising Dave Freeman on Wednesday, “and so we have partnered with The Home Depot again for the Orange Door campaign. They have been a wonderful supporter and partner of ours over the years and we are hoping that again the Windsor community will rise to the occasion and help us to raise money for this important cause.” “We have established a great relationship over the years and it’s great to have such an appreciative charitable partner,” said store manager Mark Belanger. “We are quite happy to get engaged and have some fun around collecting funds, especially around the holidays, for such a great and deserving charity as WRYM. “ Through its holiday season fundraisers, including the Orange Door Campaign, WRYM is trying to raise $16,000 – that’s the yearly cost of assisting two homeless young men to build new lives. For more information, please visit www.wrym.ca Rain or wind aside – the WRYM Charity Golf Tournament did go on! On Sunday September 29, about 40 golfers braved wind and intermittent rain showers to show their support for the Windsor Residence for Young Men’s programs. Our programs are almost entirely dependant on the donations of our community’s corporate and individual citizens, and this why we hold fundraising events such as this - our first WRYM Charity Golf Tournament, at Sutton Creek Golf Club!
Photos - About 40 golfers braved wind and intermittent rain showers to show their support for the Windsor Residence for Young Men’s programs. With their support and with their example, Sunday’s golfers and sponsors have done much to improve the lives of young men in our community. On behalf of WRYM’s residents, staff and board, we would very much like to recognize your generosity.  **Note - The Cart Sponsor chose to be anonymous, and shall be known for evermore as “A Friend of WRYM”. Our gratitude also goes to our Hole Sponsors, who are also great friends of WRYM:
Thank you everyone!
We work – and play – together to end homelessness! Community Awards Presented at the WRYM Charity Golf Tournament Windsor Residence for Young Men (WRYM) presented two community awards on Sunday, September 29, at its WRYM Charity Golf Tournament at Sutton Creek Golf Club.  Photo – Dave Freeman of the WRYM Board (left) and WRYM Executive Director Greg Goulin (right) present Tom Marshall of Colautti Brothers (centre) with the WRYM Community Awareness Award. WRYM’s Community Awareness Award is its highest award to individuals or organizations who have demonstrated their awareness of WRYM’s programs and have greatly assisted with the provision of services to help homeless youth rebuild their lives. Past recipients have included Roth Mosey CPAs, The Windsor-Essex Criminal Lawyers Association, and Percy Hatfield MPP. Tom Marshall of Colautti Brothers Marble Tile and Carpet (1985) Inc. is this year’s recipient of the award. He had heard that the linoleum tiles on the main floor of Windsor Residence for Young Men were sorely in need of replacement. He did a professional assessment, acquired new flooring specific to WRYM’s needs, and supplied two highly skilled tradespersons to install the new floor over three days at no charge. “The cost of replacing the flooring would otherwise have been $8,000 -10,000,” says WRYM’s volunteer Executive Director Greg Goulin.  Photo – Dave Freeman of the WRYM Board (left) and WRYM Executive Director Greg Goulin (right) present Joel Thibodeau of My Green Knight (centre) with the WRYM Community Awareness Award. WRYM’s Heart & Soul Award is for exceptional individual volunteer effort above and beyond reasonable expectations. Joel Thibodeau is the owner of the local My Green Knight franchise which specializes in home maintenance. Every Saturday, he ran WRYM’s Kids Next Door program, a program in which young men are paid to perform home maintenance jobs for local homeowners. For more than a year, Thibodeau spent many weekday evenings inspecting potential jobs for suitability. “He taught young men workplace, tool and ladder safety – and he even rented tools and trailers at his own expense to make the experience meaningful,” says Greg Goulin. “Often, he referred his own customers to Kids Next Door, and would never take any payment for his efforts or costs incurred.”
The community awards were presented at the closing dinner of the WRYM Charity Golf Tournament held at Sutton Creek Golf Club. About 40 golfers braved wind and intermittent rain showers to show their support for the Windsor Residence for Young Men’s programs. Major sponsors were The Stephanie and Barry Zekelman Foundation (Platinum), Motor City Community Credit Union (Silver), Bhav Dulay - Coldwell Banker Essential Realty (Silver), and CK Ortho Inc. (Bronze). Two Community Awards to be Presented at the WRYM Charity Golf Tournament Windsor Residence for Young Men will present two community awards on Sunday, September 29, at the dinner following its WRYM Charity Golf Tournament at Sutton Creek Golf Club. WRYM’s Community Awareness Award is its highest award to individuals or organizations who have demonstrated their awareness of WRYM’s programs and have greatly assisted with the provision of services to help homeless youth rebuild their lives. Past recipients have included Roth Mosey CPAs, The Windsor-Essex Criminal Lawyers Association, and Percy Hatfield MPP. Tom Marshall of Colautti Floors is this year’s recipient of the award. He had heard that the linoleum tiles on the main floor of Windsor Residence for Young Men were sorely in need of replacement. He did a professional assessment, acquired new flooring specific to WRYM’s needs, and supplied two highly skilled tradespersons to install the new floor over three days at no charge. “The cost of replacing the flooring would otherwise have been $8,000 -10,000,” says WRYM’s volunteer Executive Director Greg Goulin. WRYM’s Heart & Soul Award is for exceptional individual volunteer effort above and beyond reasonable expectations. Joel Thibodeau is the owner of the local My Green Knight franchise which specializes in home maintenance. Every Saturday, he ran WRYM’s Kids Next Door program, a program in which young men are paid to perform home maintenance jobs for local homeowners. For more than a year, Thibodeau spent many weekday evenings inspecting potential jobs for suitability. “He taught young men workplace, tool and ladder safety – and he even rented tools and trailers at his own expense to make the experience meaningful,” says Greg Goulin. “Often, he referred his own customers to Kids Next Door, and would never take any payment for his efforts or costs incurred.” WRYM’s Community Awareness Award and Heart and Soul Award will be presented as follows: WRYM Charity Golf Tournament Dinner - Dinner at 6:00 PM and awards at 7:00 PM Sunday, September 29 Sutton Creek Golf Club, 2135 County Road 12, Essex, Ontario WRYM Charity Golf Tournament Sunday, September 29 Tournament Check-in at 11:30 AM Shotgun start at 1:00 PM. Golfer(s) - golf, dinner, reception $150 Guest(s) - dinner, reception $50  Youth Independence Program Gets Under Way Click here for what The Windsor Star and AM 800 iHeartRadio had to say!  Windsor Residence for Young Men (WRYM), the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) and its Public Alternative Secondary School (P.A.S.S.) today announced the launch of an innovative program that is expected to make real gains in assisting young people at risk in our community to avoid homelessness and rebuild their lives. The Youth Independence Program is a classroom-based curriculum that will teach life skills to youth aged 16-24, regardless of gender, who wish to become self-reliant, gain a secondary school credit, and receive educational guidance, optional entry into paid employment training, and referrals to community support. The students will attend a two-hour class five days a week for three months. In June, the program received a grant of $26,186. Lisa Kolody, Executive Director of the WindsorEssex Community Foundation, says, “The WindsorEssex Community Foundation was fortunate to partner with Green Shield Canada as part of the national Six 4 Six Community Granting Initiative Program. Green Shield Canada is making meaningful investments in community programs like the Youth Independence Program to improve health outcomes for all Canadians. This collaboration will be invaluable in addressing the needs our young people face daily and we thank the partners for working together.” “Our WRYM transitional housing program for homeless young men has an average 90 percent success rate,” says WRYM President Susan Freeman, “and now, thanks to our partners, we are able to extend that success to more at-risk youth, regardless of gender, even before they become homeless.”
Josh Canty, Superintendent of Education with the Greater Essex County District School Board says, “We are always seeking new and different ways to connect with young people who, for whatever reason, have not completed at least their secondary school educations. This is a great opportunity to motivate them to do just that.”  Celebrating Thursday’s launch of the WRYM Youth Independence Program were (L to R) GECDSB Superintendent of Education Josh Canty; Lisa Kolody, Executive Director of the WindsorEssex Community Foundation; WRYM Program Director Jason Weinberg; WRYM President Susan Freeman; WRYM Executive Director Greg Goulin; Barb Milne, Department Head, Public Alternative Secondary School; and Dana O’Neil, Re-engagement & Alternative Education Consultant GECDSB. General Inquiries:
E-mail: executivedirector@wrym.ca Telephone: 226.221.8464 Fax: 226.221.8624 Mail: The Windsor Residence for Young Men 1505 Langlois Avenue Windsor, Ontario, Canada N8X 4M3 Thank you, Orange Door Project!  Windsor Residence for Young Men benefits from Home Depot’s June Fundraising Campaign at the Walker and Division Roads Store The Home Depot Canada’s Walker & Division roads store in Windsor has raised $3,348 for Windsor Residence for Young Men. The funds from the three-week The Orange Door Project campaign in June will be used to support local at-risk and homeless youth. “We are very grateful to Home Depot Canada and the Walker & Division store for their support,” said WRYM Board Member Dave Freeman. “I want to thank our customers and our associates for rallying behind this important cause,” said Pam O’Rourke, chair, The Home Depot Canada Foundation and vice-president, merchandising, The Home Depot Canada. “Youth homelessness exists in all of our communities, and the generous donations provided during The Orange Door Project campaign, helps 120 charity partners provide the local support needed to help secure brighter futures for vulnerable or homeless youth.” Across Canada, The Orange Door Project raised $858,014 for 120 youth-serving housing charities.
One hundred percent of the funds raised at the Walker & Division roads store will benefit the transitional living program for residents of WRYM, which is a charitable organization that supports young men 16 - 24 years of age as they leave homelessness behind to build new lives. WRYM provides a transitional residence and individual counselling while teaching basic life skills such as hygiene, food acquisition and preparation, budgeting, social responsibility and work ethic. For more information, please visit www.wrym.ca The Home Depot Canada Foundation The Home Depot Canada Foundation is committed to preventing and ending youth homelessness in Canada. On any given night, more than 6,000 young people are without a place to call home, making youth homelessness one of the most urgent social issues facing Canadians today. Through The Orange Door Project initiative, The Foundation has pledged $50 million by the end of 2022 to improve housing options, support life-skills development programs, and invest in research that ensures funding is directed to the most effective solutions designed to help youth build brighter futures. For more information, please visit www.orangedoorproject.ca Media contact: Brian Worrall, Chair. WRYM PR Committee
- 519.255.7930/226.759-2802 / jbrianworrall@gmail.com |
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February 2020
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